Essex Lawyers

An attorney licensed in Maryland and DC, Ms. Ontaneda-Bernales has also been admitted to the United States Supreme Court and the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. She has founded the Law Offices of Sylvia Ontaneda-Bernales (Maryland), Ontaneda-Bernales Law (Nevada), and Ontaneda-Bernales LLC (New Mexico). Her Immigration practice includes Relative Petitions, Fiance Visas, Naturalizations, Green Card Applications, Business and Investor Visas, and DACA, among other Immigration-related services. As a mediator, she has worked for the District Court of Maryland ADR Program. She is also a Spanish language consultant, translator, and interpreter listed in the Maryland Court Interpreter...

Award winning and well-respected personal injury attorney representing people who have been injured due to accidents and negligence throughout the state of Maryland.

I have provided legal representation and advice to individuals and their families in personal injury, serious motorcycle and automobile accident cases, defective products and recalls, medical negligence, criminal, domestic, workers compensation and a variety of consumer cases. My experience and unique approach to each individual case has brought in millions of dollars for my clients and provided closure to difficult events in individual’s lives.

I also provide counseling and representation for several small to medium sized businesses in the Baltimore area. I handle contracts, employment matters, internet business law, independent pharmacy transactions and general corporate issues. I would be happy...

Kim’s practice focuses on bankruptcy, personal injury, civil rights and business matters. Kim has been an attorney for almost 30 years, serving the citizens of Maryland and District of Columbia.

As a partner at Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, Will specializes in civil litigation, criminal litigation, and intellectual property cases. In addition to his experience as an attorney, he has extensive experience in the corporate realm of software and life sciences. Contact him today to set up a free consultation to discuss the specifics of your case.

Max Van Orden graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1992. He received his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1995, passed the Maryland Bar in December of that same year, and has been practicing law exclusively in the state of Maryland ever since. Mr. Van Orden regularly represents individual clients before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland, the Social Security Administration, the Workers’ Compensation Commission, and the District and Circuit Courts of Maryland. Currently, Mr....

Ms. Strachan’s practice focuses on virtually all areas of commercial and residential real estate. Her practice includes representation of landlords, tenants, developers, investors, real estate investment trusts, franchisees, property management companies, and brokers. She handles all matters related to the ownership and operation of real estate projects including management, leasing, dispute resolution, development and construction for all types of residential, retail, office, industrial, hospitality and mixed-used projects. Ms. Strachan makes every effort to handle all matters is the most efficient way possible and is sensitive to time and costs concerns of all her clients.

Ms. Strachan attended college at...

Andrea Smith is of Counsel at Silverman Thompson and focuses on criminal matters in the state courts in Maryland.

From 1981 to 1990, Ms. Smith served as an Assistant State's Attorney with the Office of the States's Attorney for Baltimore City, Maryland. In September of 1990, she joined the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland as an Assistant United States Attorney. She was assigned to Narcotics Enforcement. Except for a period between 1998 and 2001, Ms. Smith managed the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program for more than 20 years until she retired from...

Patrick S. Preller is the managing partner of the firm with over twenty years of litigation experience in federal and state courts throughout the region. Mr. Preller is recognized as one of the most able trial lawyers in Maryland, and has enjoyed an extraordinary record of success.   In 1998, Mr. Preller graduated with honors from the University of Baltimore School of Law where he served as an associate editor on Law Review. Following graduation, Mr. Preller clerked for the Honorable Maurice W. Baldwin on the Circuit Court of Maryland for Harford County.  He then accepted an appointment as an...

Mr. Roche founded Ballenger & Roche, LLC in 2019 with a mission to help seriously injured clients achieve exceptional results. Mr. Roche represents plaintiffs across the State of Maryland in trial courts, the appellate courts and in federal district court. Mr. Roche has received numerous awards and have earned the trust and respect of their peers through representing countless individuals in automobile accidents, medical malpractice, slip and falls, and from defective products. Mr. Roche has recovered millions for his clients and has received legal honors, including but not limited to the prestigious Super Lawyers “Rising Star” designation for 2017-2019 and 2021-2024....

Joseph H. Ostad, Esquire, has been in the practice of law for the past thirty (30) years graduating from the University of Maryland, College Park with a BA, and subsequently receiving his MA from the University of Maryland. While completing his Master's Degree at the University of Maryland, Mr. Ostad also concentrated on legal studies where he received a scholarship to attend St. Louis University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri. While there, Mr. Ostad clerked for various law firms in the St. Louis Metropolitan area and also clerked for the District Court Judge at the United State's District...

Ms. Miller received her bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 1990, majoring in Criminology and English. She graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1995.

Following graduation, Ms. Miller had a judicial clerkship with the Honorable William B. Spellbring in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, Maryland. After her clerkship, Ms. Miller was an in-house attorney for Nationwide Insurance for 10 years as a trial attorney, trying hundreds of cases in courts across Maryland and the District of Columbia. She now uses her inside knowledge of how insurance companies work to fight on behalf...

Edward N. Griffin is one of the founding principals of Adelphi LLP. His principal practice areas are criminal defense and civil litigation.

Justin Katz is a Member in the Personal Injury Practice Group. He is admitted to practice in Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia. Justin has spent his entire career handling a wide array of complex personal injury matters, including motor vehicle collisions and automobile negligence claims, bus and trucking accidents, uninsured/underinsured motorist claims, swimming pool and drowning accidents, wrongful death, traumatic brain injuries, animal attacks and dog bites, workers’ compensation claims and first-and third-party bad faith claims. In 2011 Justin was named a “Rising Star” by Maryland Super Lawyers and continued to recieve this recognition in every year that has since followed....

Ingerman & Horwitz, LLP is a full-service, Maryland personal injury law firm with over 100 years of collective experience. As a Better Business Bureau A+ rated, accredited firm and also named as one of Maryland’s leading workers’ compensation firms by The Baltimore Sun, Ingerman & Horwitz, LLP is recognized for their commitment to justice and dedication to excellence.

Ingerman & Horwitz, LLP is a full-service, Maryland personal injury law firm with over 100 years of collective experience. As a Better Business Bureau A+ rated, accredited firm and also named as one of Maryland’s leading workers’ compensation firms by The Baltimore Sun, Ingerman & Horwitz, LLP is recognized for our commitment to justice and dedication to excellence.

As an associate at Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, Jessica helps victims of negligent accidents in Baltimore get the recovery they deserve. Contact Murphy, Falcon & Murphy today for more information or to set up a free consultation.

Franklin J. Muher was born and raised in Baltimore. After graduating from Bucknell University, he attended the Syracuse University College of Law where he served as Associate Editor of the Syracuse Journal of Legislation and Policy. During law school, Frank was hired by The Honorable Robert M. Bell, who currently sits as the the highest ranking judge for the State of Maryland. In addition, he worked as a summer associate for the United States’ Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and was also selected, on the basis of GPA and writing sample, as the sole third-year law student judicial...

Dana McKee is a partner at Brown Goldstein & Levy and the chair of the firm’s family law practice, which she established in 2002. She handles all aspects of family law, including divorces, separation agreements, paternity, custody and visitation, child support, prenuptial and post-nuptial agreements, and appeals. As a family law attorney, Dana has extensive experience in representing clients with high net worth and those with complex custody and financial issues. She is a tough but fair negotiator who has successfully handled numerous mediations, trials, and appeals.

Dana also is trained and experienced in Collaborative Law (an alternative dispute resolution process)....

Jonathan Schochor is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, and the American University School of Law, where he was Associate Editor-In-Chief of the Law Review. He has served as a Board Member, Secretary, Vice-President, and President of the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association, and has further served as the Maryland State Delegate and Governor of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Mr. Schochor has been requested to teach and lecture both nationally and locally by institutions such as the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Additionally, he has been a guest expert on a...

One of Maryland’s “Super Lawyers,” Paul Tolzman received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Loyola University Maryland and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law. He was admitted to practice before Maryland Courts in 1977. Mr. Tolzman is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the Maryland Association for Justice, and the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association. He has also been recognized as one of the country’s “Top 100 Trial Lawyers”, a “Top Lawyer in Maryland”, and in 2015,...

University of Baltimore JD 1999
University of Maryland PhD 1992
Johns Hopkins University MLA 1979
Loyola University BS 1975

Licensed by the Maryland Court of Appeals
Maryland Federal Court

Experienced and Aggressive Representation

443-9021962

Saidah is an associate at Murphy, Falcon & Murphy. She specializes in commercial litigation, product liability, medical malpractice, and civil rights violations. For a free consultation, please contact Murphy, Falcon & Murphy today.

James D. Cardea received his undergraduate degree from Western Maryland College and graduated cum laude from the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he received American Jurisprudence Awards in Legal Analysis, Research and Writing (1992) and Domestic Relations (1994). He was also a Staff Editor for the University of Baltimore Law Review from 1994-1995 and was awarded membership to the Heuisler Honor Society. Mr. Cardea has been selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America™ since 2011. Mr. Cardea has also been recognized as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Maryland™ by The American Trial...

Bryan J. Chant is an experienced trial attorney vindicating the rights of injured people in Maryland’s courts. He is an alumnus of the William Mitchell College of Law, where he served as an Assistant Editor on the William Mitchell Law Review. Bryan is a Maryland native. While attending the University of Maryland College Park, Bryan served as a volunteer firefighter paramedic for the Ellicott City Volunteer Fire Department and a part-time firefighter paramedic for the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services. After law school, Bryan worked at a plaintiff’s personal injury firm handling all aspects of...