Lt. Governor Anthony Brown

Raised in a home where his father was the first in the family to ever attend college, Anthony was taught early on to use his talents and education to serve others. Through his military service and public service, Anthony has devoted his life to serving his community and defending our nation.

A retired Colonel in the United States Army Reserve, Anthony’s distinguished military record spanned more than a quarter century as an aviator and JAG officer, during which time he graduated first in his flight class and received both Airborne and Air Assault qualifications.  In 2004, he was deployed to Iraq, where he earned a Bronze Star and became one of the nation’s highest-ranking elected officials to serve a tour of duty in that conflict.

In 1998, Anthony was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates to represent Prince George’s County.  Recognized by his colleagues for his leadership, Anthony rose quickly, serving as Vice Chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee and, later, as Majority Whip.
Anthony made an even larger impact on Maryland during his eight years as Lt. Governor. He fought to increase investments in our state’s schools so that every child could receive a world-class education and he spearheaded efforts to plan for and coordinate the arrival of 60,000 BRAC-related jobs to Maryland, including at Joint Base Andrews and Fort Meade.

In addition to his efforts to improve Maryland’s schools and strengthen our economy, Anthony has championed a number of issues:

• Protected victims of domestic violence by providing them with better access to services and protections under the law.
• Encouraged and recruited families to become foster or adoptive parents.
• Expanded employment and health services and to Veterans.
• Increased state aid to public school construction resulting in the construction of Nantucket Elementary School in Crofton and Wise High School in Upper Marlboro.
• Increased state aid to Anne Arundel Community College and Prince George’s Community College by more than thirty percent.
• Initiated the effort to bring a new Regional Medical Center to Prince George’s County.
• Created the Health Enterprise Zone program to reduce health disparities with pilot programs in Annapolis and Capitol Heights.
• Led the effort to strengthen the Public Private Partnership program for infrastructure investments that will make both the Purple Line and bringing the FBI to Maryland possible.

Anthony is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.  He moved to Maryland after law school to complete a law clerkship with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.  Anthony and his wife Karmen are members of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Largo.  They reside in Prince George’s County where they are raising their three children, Rebecca, Jonathan, and Anthony.

Daniel M. Costello, Esq.

Daniel Costello is a community associations attorney at Lerch, Early & Brewer in Bethesda, Maryland who represents community and homeowners associations, condominiums, and co-operatives in Maryland and the District of Columbia, providing general counsel and litigation services.

Balancing a calm demeanor with aggressive representation, Daniel is experienced in providing legal opinions, enforcing covenants, resolving disputes, drafting and reviewing vendor contracts, collecting delinquent assessments, and handling community association-related insurance defense litigation.

Daniel received his Bachelor of Arts cum laude from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and his Juris Doctor from The George Washington University School of Law in Washington, DC. Prior to joining Lerch Early, he worked for a community associations boutique law firm in Prince George’s County. He is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

A Washington, DC native, Daniel is a former contender for the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team. He is an avid fisherman and hunter of big game and birds.

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O. Isaac Falusi, Esq.

Mr. Falusi is the current President of Nigerian American Lawyers Association, and a partner at TF PARTNERS, PC in Silver Spring Maryland.

Mr. Falusi advises clients on international commerce and trade matters, including trade law, trade policy and legislation, and international trade negotiations.  He also practices US and global immigration and naturalization and family law with focus on Violence Against Women Act VAWA related matters.

Prior, Mr. Falusi worked as a general counsel for a small-sized multinational holding firm in Providence RI; as a legal associate (intern) for the Office of the Prosecutor United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, The Hague NL; and as a Rule 303 prosecutor for the Bristol County Office of District Attorney in New Bedford MA.

Mr. Falusi received his juris doctorate in 2008 from University of Massachusetts School of Law at Dartmouth MA where he was a Medeiros scholar.  He received his bachelor’s degree from University of Maryland Baltimore County.  When he is not working, he serves as chair on board of two organizations, and as a board member of another organization.

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Meet Richard E. Condit

Richard Condit became “of counsel” to Mehri & Skalet in 2015. He heads the firm’s Whistleblower Law practice, including cases involving whistleblower retaliation, disclosures to the SEC and other federal agencies, and false claims or fraud against the government or its contractors. Mr. Condit has over 25 years of experience working with whistleblowers of diverse backgrounds in a wide variety of industries, representing lawyers, doctors, bank executives, firefighters, social workers, police officers, engineers, and laborers. The subject matter of the issues raised by whistleblowers Mr. Condit has worked with are equally diverse, covering such problems as fraud against the government, nuclear safety, environmental protection, bank fraud, food safety, mortgage fraud, securities law or regulatory violations, public transit safety, and many others.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Condit worked at the Government Accountability Project (GAP) for eight years (1987-1995) before rejoining the organization in 2007. In his first stint at GAP, Mr. Condit helped develop the organization’s environmental whistleblower and citizen enforcement programs. After returning to GAP in 2007, Mr. Condit served as Senior Counsel, leading the organization’s in-house litigation of whistleblower and open government cases.

Mr. Condit has also spent time in Colorado as the Legal/Toxics Director of the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies (now Western Resource Advocates), and more than five years as Counsel to the Chemical Weapons Working Group (CWWG), which led an international effort to require the U.S. Army to safely dispose of stockpiled chemical warfare agents. As General Counsel for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), Mr. Condit led the group’s whistleblower litigation efforts.

Mr. Condit is an adjunct faculty member of the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. For the past seven years, he has taught Whistleblower Law and Practice in the classroom and through the school’s highly regarded clinical program.

A licensed attorney in the District of Columbia, Mr. Condit is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia, District of Colorado, and Southern District of Indiana. He has appeared before U.S. Courts of Appeal in numerous circuits. Mr. Condit regularly practices before the U.S. Department of Labor and has presented whistleblower cases to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel and U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board. He has also been permitted to practice pro hac vice before other federal and state courts and agencies.

Mr. Condit graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (1980), and received his Juris Doctorate from the Antioch School of Law (1986).

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Meet K. Lawson Wellington

Attorney Wellington’s DC and Maryland practice is focused on personal injury, family law, DUI and criminal defense. A zealous advocate with vast courtroom and trial experience, he is passionate about clients’ rights.

Attorney Wellington has had an active trial practice in DC Superior Court for almost twenty (20) years representing clients accused of criminal offenses – advocating for their rights through trials and negotiations to avoid criminal convictions, secure reduced charges and avoid jail sentences and fines.

Mr. Wellington was also a partner at Williams and Wellington, a general practice law firm in Washington, DC where he represented clients in criminal and civil cases. He has represented clients in the courtroom, administrative hearings, and/or alternate dispute resolution matters in Washington, D.C. and Maryland.

Attorney Wellington is licensed in the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia and is admitted to practice in the following courts:

• Maryland State Court of Appeals and its lower Courts
• District of Columbia Court of Appeals and its lower Courts

Mr. Wellington earned his juris doctorate in 1995 from Howard University School of Law. He also received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, with a Minor in English Literature, from Howard University, Washington, DC in 1992.

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Meet Delegate Erek L. Barron

Delegate Erek L. Barron proudly represents Prince George’s County in the Maryland General Assembly where he works on behalf of all Marylanders with a focus on transparent and accountable government, the economy, healthcare and criminal justice issues. As one of the few lawyer-legislators and practicing attorneys in the legislature, he brings a unique perspective that adds value to the General Assembly’s work, no matter what the issue.

When he’s not delving into public policy, Mr. Barron works as an attorney in private practice and is recognized annually as a “super lawyer” in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Currently, Mr. Barron is a litigator and counselor at the law firm of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP where he practices general litigation and counsels small businesses and nonprofits. Mr. Barron also serves as a leader in the legal profession, the Democratic party, and as a leading advocate on access to justice issues.

Prior to his private law practice Mr. Barron had a distinguished career in government. First, as a prosecutor in Prince George’s County, he prosecuted a variety of economic crimes and violent offenses. During this time, Mr. Barron was honored by the Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association, the Maryland General Assembly, and the Governor for his exemplary service. Later, as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, Mr. Barron prosecuted criminal conspiracies and gang cases.

Next, Mr. Barron served as policy advisor to then-Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He was counsel to the Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs and was responsible for a wide portfolio of domestic and international law enforcement issues. Finally, Mr. Barron capped his government service as an appointee to President Obama’s Transition Team where he worked with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and advised the President’s administration on justice and civil rights issues.

In his spare time, Mr. Barron serves the public through various national and local bar organizations and nonprofit boards. Currently, he is a board member and Immediate Past President of the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association, the premier organization for African-American attorneys in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. He has also served as a board member of the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau, Inc. and the Maryland Public Defender’s Office, focusing on improving legal services for the poor, pro bono, and mentorship.

Mr. Barron’s community service activities within his neighborhood and Prince George’s County are extensive. He has served as a member of the board of his homeowners’ association and on the board of the Lake Arbor Foundation, Inc. and he has been an advisor to the Coalition of Adoption Programs of Prince George’s County. He is also a past member and officer of the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee.

Mr. Barron is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, The George Washington University Law School and received a Master of Laws from the Georgetown University Law School.

Contact

Erek L. Barron, Esq
State Delegate
The Maryland House of Delegate
District 24 – Prince George’s County
6 Bladen Street, Room 207
Annapolis, MD 21401

410-841-3692
Erek.Barron@house.state.md.us

Meet Susan Burke

In June 2015, the National Law Journal named Susan L. Burke one of the top 75 female attorneys in the nation. Ms. Burke is an experienced litigator with 28 years of experience in federal class and complex litigation, who specializes in bringing federal class action or mass tort lawsuits to reform broken systems or fix societal problems.

Presently, Ms. Burke serves as court-appointed class counsel in litigation involving telephone companies overcharging prison inmates. Ms. Burke also serves as lead MDL counsel in the KBR Burn Pit MDL, pending in federal court in Maryland. In that case, Ms. Burke represents military personnel harmed by Halliburton/KBR’s misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ms. Burke also serves as lead counsel in a series of lawsuits seeking to reform the military’s deficiencies in prosecuting rape and sexual assault.

Ms. Burke’s past work in American federal courts has had a global impact: As lead counsel for Iraqi victims, Ms. Burke achieved a legal first by negotiating multi-million dollar settlements with defense contractors involved in the Abu Ghraib torture, and with Blackwater, a private mercenary company responsible for the Nissor Square massacre.
Ms. Burke speaks frequently, and presses for change in many fora. Ms. Burke collaborated with filmmakers who produced “The Invisible War,” an Academy-award nominated documentary about the lack of justice for military rape victims. Ms. Burke has appeared as a guest on Real Time with Bill Maher, Nightline, CNN Christina Amanpour, PBS Newshour, and many other television news shows.

Ms. Burke and her legal work have been profiled by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Daily News, and the Baltimore Sun, as well as other news outlets.
Ms. Burke lives with her husband Jamison Koehler in Baltimore, Maryland. They have three children.

Meet Judge Arthur Burnett, Sr.

Judge Arthur Louis Burnett, Sr. is a historical figure who has long been a champion for equal rights for African Americans and the poor.  During college and law school, he was an supporter of abolishing segregation in schools and in public life.  He continued to promote equal rights during his 55 years as a lawyer, 40 of which he served as a judge.

Born in 1935 in Sportsylvania County, VA, Judge Burnett attended Summit Elementary, John H. Wright High School, Howard University, Summers College, and New York University Law School.

Between 1953 and 1954, Judge Burnett promoted his message of equality for all on the radio with Congressman Adam Clayton Powell. From 1961 to 1964, he worked in the Department of Justice with Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to promote equality and fairness in our criminal justice system.  In 1968, he served as legal advisor to the Metropolitan Police Department in the District of Columbia to ensure they complied with the law and respected the rights of people of color.

When Judge Burnett became the first African-American to hold the position of United States Magistrate Judge in 1969, he worked to reform bail practices and preliminary hearings and to promote judicial education to bring about equality in the treatment to all persons appearing in the federal court system.   He went on to become a general jurisdiction court judge and set an example of model court operation in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for 17 years.

Judge Burnett is currently the national executive director of the National African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc. (NAADPC). One of the many objectives of the NAADPC is to restore equity to the criminal justice system by addressing the disproportional adverse effect of drug law enforcement on people of color and the poor.

Meet David W. Smith, Sr.

David W. Smith Sr. is an active father and parent plus an advocate and community leader.

Mr. Smith works within our Prince George’s County Public School System.  Besides working with children, Mr. Smith works with parents to support parental involvement and engagement plus works with the fatherhood leadership team to support fathers and male involvement and engagement as well.

Mr. Smith is also the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Children’s Rights Fund (www.childrensrightsfund.org) which he advocates for children’s rights, parental rights, shared parenting & co-parenting and healthy family relationship. Mr. Smith assist and works with children and families who are going through divorce and separation to help children and parents maintain an ongoing relationship with each other after divorce and separation.

Mr. Smith also works tirelessly in the Maryland Legislature and around the State of Maryland to help bring about reform that’s supportive to children and families.

Mr. Smith is also the Vice President of the 100 Fathers, Inc. which he advocates and educates on the importance of fatherhood and male involvement in the home, schools, community, etc.

Mr. Smith is all about civil and social justice, equality and change. Mr. Smith is about bettering the lives of children and families plus strengthening the community.

Meet Karen Straughn

Karen Straughn is an Assistant Attorney General and Director of the Mediation Unit for the Consumer Protection Division, which mediates disputes between consumers and businesses.  Under Ms. Straughn’s direction, the mediation unit handles over 10,000 cases each year, and has a 60% success rate.  She has been in this position for over 7 years.  Prior to coming to the Consumer Protection Division in 2008, Ms. Straughn served 3 years as the Director of Consumer Complaints, Property & Casualty Unit, for the Maryland Insurance Administration, after working as a private attorney in the insurance defense field.  She received her law degree in 1998 at the University of Baltimore Law School, and her undergraduate degree from Towson University.

Meet Judge Alexander Williams, Jr.

Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. was nominated by President Bill Clinton to serve on the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.  Following his confirmation by the United States Senate Judge Williams served as a federal judge from September 2, 1994 to January 3, 2014.  Prior to his appointment to the federal bench, Judge Williams was Chairman of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission and also served two terms from 1987 to 1994 as the elected State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, Maryland.  Since his retirement from the federal bench, Judge Williams joined the firm  Silverman, Thompson, Slutkin and White in Baltimore, Maryland and also conducts mediations and arbitrations with the McCammon Group.

Judge Williams is a native of Washington, D.C. and has practiced law in both the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia.  Judge Williams presently teaches at the Howard law School.  He has served the public in various capacities throughout Maryland and the Washington Metropolitan area.  In addition to his judicial and professorial service, Judge Williams has lectured and participated in numerous conferences abroad including visits to Sofia, Bulgaria; Vitoria, Brazil; and to the region of Hong Kong as well as to the provinces of Guanzhou and Beijing in China.

Judge Williams was part of a joint inspection team sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of State to assess issues of justice in Liberia following that country’s civil war.  Judge Williams has also participated in several international seminars on judicial independence and other rule of law issues, attending conferences in Accra, Ghana; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Bamako, Mali.

Judge Williams is a graduate of Howard University where he earned a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) in Government; a M.A.R.S. (Master of Arts in Religious Studies); and a J.D. (Juris Doctor, cum laude); and also graduated from Temple University where he earned a Master of Arts Degree in Religion/Ethics.  Judge Williams is married to the former Joyce Elizabeth Fields of Columbus, Ohio and they are the proud parents of three sons and seven grandchildren.

Contact
The Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. Center for Education, Justice and Ethics at the University of Maryland
2141 Tydings Hall, 7343 Preinkert Dr.
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742

Website
http://bsos.umd.edu/academics-research/judge-alexander-williams-jr