Cottage City Lawyers

Advocate and adviser for government employees, business professionals, and businesses in a wide range of employment and civil litigation matters.

Civil Litigation:
- Represent individuals and businesses in various civil-litigation matters, including business litigation, contract disputes, partnership disputes, and insurance coverage.
- Represent licensed professionals in investigations, disciplinary proceedings, and appeals of adverse agency decisions regarding licensure.
- Experienced trial lawyer in state and federal court.
- Experienced appellate attorney in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, D.C. Court of Appeals, Maryland Court of Appeals, and Maryland Court of Special Appeals.
- Law clerk...

30 years experience as lawyer--10 years as a federal prosecutor employed by Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice and 20 years as solo practitioner in Oxon Hill, Maryland concentrating in family law, criminal law, tort law (including personal injury/auto accidents), civil rights, business counseling & litigation, and appeals. Reasonable fees and very high rate of satisfaction among former clients.

Linda Schwartz is a senior member of the Professional Ethics & Discipline, Estate Planning, Estate & Trust Administration, Corporate, and Real Estate practice groups. She has considerable experience in complex real estate and commercial transactions, business planning, executive succession planning, and estate planning and administration for both U.S. and non-U.S. citizens. For more than 30 years, she has served as counsel to prominent national, regional and local developers and business owners. In 2006, she was elected to the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
Throughout her legal career, Linda has been active in public service. She is a former Assistant Attorney...

Mr. Richa's clients include recording artists, songwriters, music producers, music production companies, music publishers, record labels, television and film producers, television and video production companies, entertainment management companies, apparel companies, filmmakers, professional photographers, promotion companies, restaurants, mortgage companies, real estate companies, graphic design companies, automobile service centers, importers/exporters, interior decorating companies, insurance companies, consulting companies, medical industry companies, technology companies, software companies, image consulting companies, property nanagement companies, retail stores, business management companies, actors, directors, screenwriters, marketing companies, public relations firms, personal and business managers, commercial and music video production companies, DJ's, recording studios, dancers and choreographers along with various...

Debbie Cohn’s keys to professional success are as diverse as her eclectic client base that consists of professionals, business owners, retirees, and non-U.S. citizens. Yet perhaps her most critical—and comforting—characteristic is an ability to explain complex concepts in a way her clients can understand. Debbie’s approach to estate planning is equal parts pragmatic and creative, which helps put her clients at ease with the knowledge that their families will be cared for and protected, and their asset protection and wealth management goals will be met. And her wealth of experience and vast knowledge of the law allow her to blend...

Kevin is a Principal in the firm and considers himself as a true business attorney. From start-up through transition, Kevin serves as outside counsel for a myriad of local businesses of varying size and industry. He is a member of the firm’s Corporate, Nonprofits, Science & Technology, and Real Estate practice groups, and regularly provides counsel in each of these areas, including general operation and governance of for-profit and nonprofit entities, business dispute resolutions, IP and technology licensing and transactions, private placements, the negotiation of employment relationships and separations, executive compensation, structuring and implementing corporate mergers and acquisitions, the negotiation...

Mark Goldstein, one of the founders of the firm, is a member of its Corporate, Financial Services, Estate Planning and Estate & Trust Administration practice groups. He concentrates on corporate, business, estate and tax planning and advises large and small corporations, general and limited partnerships, associations and proprietorships on sophisticated business planning issues. He represents a large number of estate planning clients and is well respected for his ability to communicate and implement complicated plans in a practical manner. Mark has significant experience in structuring and negotiating business and financing transactions, reorganizations and private placement syndications. He has served as...

Jim Hammerschmidt is Co-President of the firm, Co-Chair of the Employment Law group, and a member of its Litigation and Appellate Practice groups. His practice includes a range of commercial, corporate, and employment counseling and litigation, but his primary task is listening. The first thing Jim does when meeting with a client is ask, “What is your goal?” In doing this, Jim is able to determine the client’s expectations and whether we will be able to meet them. Only then can he really set about meeting his clients’ business needs.
Jim has extensive experience representing and counseling clients on employment law...

For more than 40 years, Art House has been working with businesses of all types as a corporate lawyer and litigator. He chairs the firm’s Science & Technology and Alternative Dispute Resolution practice groups, and is a member of the Corporate practice group. Art brings responsiveness and an ability to offer practical solutions to his clients, understanding that his clients’ business needs drive the deals, not the lawyer.
Art’s background in enterprise development, licensing for technology-based companies and assisting both established and start-up businesses in developing legal, business alliance and acquisition strategies gives him unique insight into the real-world problems facing...

Cristen Rose’s practice encompasses a wide variety of commercial & business litigation, with significant experience in mass torts, class actions, product liability defense, environmental litigation, contractual disputes and regulatory compliance. As a member of the firm’s Regulatory Law & Litigation practice group, she devotes a significant portion of her practice to the regulation of pesticides and other chemical products under the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Cristen also has extensive experience representing companies that are subjects of investigations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the...

Immigration Lawyer, Lynn Garfinkel, Esq., has been helping clients prevent and solve problems for eight years. She recently launched Garfinkel Immigration Law, LLC to better serve client needs.Lynn Garfinkel represents clients seeking green cards, temporary and permanent visas, family and work petitions, deportation defense, naturalization, and religious, political, and gender based asylum, and benefits under the Violence Against Women Act. Ms. Garfinkel has experience with a variety of employment based petitions, including intracompany transferees, specialty occupations, professionals, researchers, and more.Finally, Ms. Garfinkel successfully represents clients at consulates around the world. Ms. Garfinkel is currently Chair of the Asylum...

Victor Rosenberg, a founding member of the firm, is also a member of its Corporate, Tax, Estate Planning, and Estate & Trust Administration practice groups. He concentrates his practice on corporate, real estate, business, estate planning, probate and tax matters and is also involved in family wealth preservation and business continuity through the establishment of charitable trusts of all types, private foundations, family partnerships and limited liability companies.
Victor is active in trust reformation as well as the financing and sale of beneficial interests in trusts. He has extensive experience in structuring and negotiating business and financing transactions, including the sale...

Michael Fried has spent over 25 years practicing law, and more specifically tax related law. As the principal founder of Fried Law Firm and now 1 of 2 partners at Fried & Rosefelt, LLC, Michael S. Fried actively helps clients by handling bankruptcies, business purchases, federal and state tax problems, partnership and shareholder relationships.

JASON A. RUBEN, ESQ.
Education: Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law
Honors, Health Law Certificate
Bachelors of Science in Political Science and Bachelors of Science in Communications at Towson University


Areas of Practice: Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, and Government Relations.


Experience:

Jason Ruben began his legal career working in the State’s Attorney’s Office for Montgomery County Maryland. There he gained an invaluable understanding and in-depth knowledge into the Maryland criminal justice system.


Jason then began working at the Network for Public Health Law. The Network for Public Health Law provides legal assistance and helpful resources to local, state and federal...

Gary Gerstenfield is a well-known and respected criminal defense attorney who is highly soughtafter for his effective trial skills and advocacy. He obtained his Juris Doctor in 1990 from the Catholic University of America, where he served as senior staff member of the prestigious Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy. Upon entering the bar, Mr. Gerstenfield returned to school in Boston where he obtained a certificate in DUI defense from the nationally known College of DUI Defense presented at Harvard Law School.

Anu B. Kemet, a co-founder of Kemet Hunt Law Group, practices law in the areas of construction law, business development, civil litigation, bankruptcy, and personal injury. Mr. Kemet heads the firm’s business law practice, including start-ups, construction litigation, franchise negotiations, labor relations and contracts. He is responsible for a diverse caseload with substantial litigation experience. Prior to his career as an attorney, Anu served honorably in the United States Army, held the chief operating officer position for a private elementary school, and co-founded Delights of the Garden, the first full service raw food vegan restaurant chain in the U.S. Mr. Kemet...

Sabrina R. Thompson is a passionate litigator, motivated by her desire to advocate incessantly for her clients. She is an experienced trial attorney with years of success in trial work. Sabrina established her law firm in 2012. Prior to that (since 2007), she served the State of Maryland as an Assistant Public Defender. She has spent more than a decade litigating and advocating on behalf of individuals facing legal injustices in the areas of immigration and criminal law. Her most recent focus has been serving immigrants in the community by helping them achieve the American dream through naturalization...

Almost three decades as a trusted legal adviser to small businesses, over a decade of operating a small brick and mortar business which also sells on line. I have a 360° view and understanding of how small businesses work from a legal, practical perspectives.

Experienced bankruptcy attorney with over 10 years of experience

Jeffrey Hord is an Associate in the firm’s Employment Law and Litigation practice groups. He is an experienced, aggressive litigator who is admitted to practice in all the state and federal courts throughout Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. A true trial lawyer, Jeff has successfully represented both individual and corporate clients in complex litigation, as well as in administrative proceedings before state and federal agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Department of Labor, and various local human rights commissions.
Prior to joining Paley Rothman, Jeff was a senior associate at several well-known...

Jim Rathvon, chair of the firm’s Regulatory Law & Litigation practice group, maintains a broad environmental, chemical, food and drug and consumer product regulatory and litigation practice. He focuses on the regulation of pesticides and other chemical products under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) and other complex federal regulatory programs. His environmental law work ranges from counseling and advocating on regulatory and licensing issues to defending clients in government enforcement proceedings to representing them in federal arbitrations...

Attorney Jackelyn “Niky” Wooding is a Maryland licensed attorney and a graduate from Prairie View A&M University, with a B.A. degree in Political Science. She spent several years working for Fortune 100 corporation in the areas of finance and strategic partnerships. After her work in the the corporate sector, Jackelyn attended North Carolina Central University School of Law, where she excelled in the Intellectual Property (IP) curriculum, and was a member of the moot court, President of the IP Law Society, and interned at the United State Patent and Trademark Office.

Following her admission to the Maryland Bar, Jackelyn...

Aldo J. Terrazas is an experienced litigator and negotiator with over 25 years of experience. He takes over the worry and eases the anxiety of clients with effective and aggressive representation that inspire confidence. He has argued cases before state and federal courts and he has negotiated the resolution of hundreds of disputes. When only the tenacity of true advocate will do, Mr. Terrazas is the lawyer to call.

Mr. Bramzon is truly a counselor at law. Upon the gravest of circumstances, individuals have been seeking the counsel, help, and defense of Lonny Bramzon for years. He is a master of negotiations. He has a remarkable ability to communicate and connect with clients and adversaries alike. His understanding of the psychology of government agents and attorneys is bar none. He has been able to save the lives and liberty of countless individuals when the circumstances appeared hopeless. Despair does not exist in Lonny’s vocabulary. His ability to speak to a jury and eloquently present his legal issues to...

I have been practicing since 2006. I fight hard for my clients. I care about each one of them, and I believe my clients can feel that along the way. I work hard to get favorable results for them. As a result I have received several awards.
Awarded for National Trial Lawyers
Awarded for Super Lawyers
Awarded for Lawyers of Distinction
Awarded Avvo Client Choice Award

Kirk Rankin was born in Washington DC and graduated with Honors from The George Washington University Law School in 1993. He studied finance and economics at The American University where he graduated in 1987. Mr. Rankin founded the Law Offices of Kirk Rankin and Associates nearly 20 years ago after practicing law for 5 years with another attorney.

Mr. Rankin was admitted to the Bars of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. He is also admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for Maryland, Virginia, as well as the USCIS and all Immigration Courts.

Together with...