Westover Environmental Lawyers

I graduated from University of Baltimore School of Law in 1975. In law school i was an editor of the Law Review. I am admitted to practice law in the State of Maryland, United States District Court for the Districts of Maryland and District of Columbia.

My practice concentrates on products and professional liability, medical malpractice and environmental litigation.
I am also National Counsel for several clients involved in multi-jurisdictional asbestos litigation.

Our firm has recovered millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements primarily in the area of medical malpractice, professional liability and products liability.

Dirk Schwenk is a Maryland real estate attorney focusing on waterfront issues including riparian rights, piers, variances and permits, boundary disputes as well as maritime and marine contracting issues. He also assists with boat purchase, sale and tax issues. He is an honors graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law and has been in private practice in Annapolis since 2000.

Over 28 years experience with a specialized practice in agricultural, environmental, natural resources, land use and administrative law, providing advice and counsel to private individuals and corporate entities, local governments and other governmental entities on matters including compliance, Critical Areas and wetlands regulation, nutrient management, dredge placement, pesticide/herbicide application, hazardous and solid waste, Brownfields Redevelopment and Voluntary Cleanup Programs, permitting and related litigation and general land use law on planning, annexation, rezoning, Development Rights and Responsibilities Agreements and water and sewer capacity allocation and rates. Represents clients in State and federal courts and administrative forums, including both trial and...

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...

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...

Peter Hershey's practice focuses on environmental, natural and cultural resources, zoning and land use, construction, and commercial law. He advises clients on a wide range of issues and is active in the firm’s administrative, trial and appellate litigation practices. Prior to joining Rich & Henderson, Peter served as a judicial law clerk and senior judicial law clerk to the Honorable Christopher B. Kehoe, Maryland Court of Special Appeals (later renamed the Maryland Appellate Court), and as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Broughton M. Earnest, County Administrative Judge for the Circuit Court for Talbot County. Peter received a B.A. from the...