Cottage City Lawyers

Robert Maclay is Co-President of the firm, and a member of its Estate Planning, Estate & Trust Administration, Corporate and Tax practice groups, among others. In all areas of his practice, Bob’s clients continually praise him for the personal attention he consistently gives them, touting him as a good listener, responsive to their needs, and capable of managing complex issues.
On the estate planning side of his practice, Bob Maclay works with people who may be facing a very difficult time in their lives and alleviates their personal concerns regarding their children and grandchildren. Whether he is preparing wills, trusts or...

Jeffrey Kolender chairs the firm’s Estate Planning and Estate & Trust Administration practice groups. He concentrates primarily in those areas and also advises small businesses in tax business planning. Jeffrey recognizes that each client is different and enjoys the challenge of creating a plan that accomplishes the client’s unique goals. He advises clients about adequately providing for their family, including saving taxes, creating trusts for children, planning for disability, and the special planning issues involved in second marriages and same-sex marriages.
He understands that estate planning can be a complex and emotional process for clients. Jeffrey always takes the time to...

For more than 30 years Dan Hodin has advised businesses and individuals in commercial and residential real estate and loan transactions, including acquiring, financing, developing, owning, leasing, managing and selling real estate. Co-chair of the firm’s Real Estate practice, he has represented local, national and international real estate developers, builders, owners, and office and retail tenants in conjunction with prominent real estate projects including hotels, office buildings, condominiums, apartment complexes and shopping centers located throughout the United States.
Dan knows that responsiveness and organization in the fast-paced world of real estate are key to keeping clients satisfied. He instills confidence in...

Wayne Eig refers to himself as a business and tax lawyer for individuals and closely held entities, providing advice to clients involved in various business, investment, financial and succession planning activities. Sometimes, his clients are individuals or families, sometimes entities and often a combination of individuals/families and affiliated entities working together. Sometimes, these businesses have great value, sometimes they do not – but all of these clients have needs which require legal attention.
Over the course of his career, Wayne has chaired some of the firm’s major practice groups – Estate & Trust Administration, Estate Planning, Tax, and Corporate. In forty...

Bethesda family law attorney Brandon Bernstein provides cost-effective guidance for clients dealing with divorce, custody, property division, and related matters.

Ron Dweck is Chair of the firm’s Corporate practice group, and a member of the Tax, Nonprofit and Science & Technology groups. Ron acts as general counsel to a number of companies, including large and small corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and business organizations in various fields. As such, he knows a great deal about many different practice areas and applies that knowledge to better serve his corporate clients. His corporate work includes preparing and negotiating a wide variety of business contracts, as well as counseling in conjunction with executive compensation, corporate governance and risk & litigation management. He has...

Glenn Cooper is the Chair of the firm’s Litigation practice and senior partner in our Family Law practice. He frequently appears before federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate levels, and before arbitration panels and professional disciplinary boards. No matter whether he is litigating a matter of a business or domestic nature, Glenn aggressively defends his clients’ positions and pursues their desired outcomes. The majority of Glenn Cooper's practice is devoted to complex business, financial, commercial and domestic litigation involving significant business issues.
A number of Glenn's cases have helped shape the current state of the law in...

Michelle Chapin, a member of the firm’s Estate Planning, Estate & Trust Administration, Tax and Corporate practice groups, advises individuals, families and small business owners regarding their estate and gift planning needs. Recognized as a Top Trusts and Estates Lawyer in Washingtonian magazine, Michelle excels at providing clients with easy to understand explanations of intricate legal and tax matters. She works closely with her clients to create comprehensive and customized estate and business succession plans to achieve their tax and non-tax wealth preservation objectives. She also helps clients implement lifetime gifting and post-mortem wealth transfer strategies and counsels fiduciaries on...

Paula Calimafde chairs the firm’s Retirement Plans, Employee Benefits and Government Relations practice groups and is also a senior member of the Estate Planning, Tax and Nonprofit groups. She has more than 35 years of experience advising companies and tax-exempt organizations on qualified and non-qualified retirement plans and employee benefits, including non-qualified deferred compensation, welfare benefit and cafeteria plans. She is a nationally recognized leader in the field of creative retirement plan designs for businesses and works closely with management and owners to prepare retirement plans, which suit the particular corporate needs.
Paula’s practice encompasses sophisticated estate planning and advising individuals...

Jack Blum is an associate in the firm’s Litigation and Employment Law practice groups. He has gained significant experience in a wide range of litigation matters, including real estate, commercial, corporate, and complex estates and trusts cases in both trials and appeals. He has represented large publicly and privately traded companies, individuals, real estate developers, medical practices, and small businesses. He has also worked with business owners on transactional work, forming business entities and drafting and reviewing contracts and other legal issues arising from ongoing and contemplated business transactions. In the area of employment law, Jack has worked with employers...

Nicole devotes her law practice exclusively to building and protecting families. When working with her clients, she takes an educational approach so her clients fully understand their options and the steps they should take to achieve their goals. She takes the time to listen to your concerns and answer any questions you may have. As a result, she has a better understanding of your situation and can respond effectively with practical and sensible solutions. Nicole's unique assisted reproduction/surrogacy program is designed to give both Intended Parents and Surrogate Mothers support and peace of mind from the moment they contact her office...

As a member of the firm’s Tax, Retirement Plans, Employee Benefits, Estate Planning, Estate & Trust Administration, and Corporate practice groups, Arnold Sherman focuses his practice on the areas of tax and business planning, and estate planning and probate administration matters. He has extensive experience in negotiating, structuring and documenting business contracts, tax-deferred exchanges and wealth preservation structures.
Arnie’s knowledge and familiarity with how businesses work make him especially adept at understanding and responding to the needs of his business clients. He is diligent in keeping himself apprised of current tax laws and continually works to provide his clients with the...

Rick Claxton, a member of the firm’s Litigation, Appellate and ADR practice groups, has over 30 years of courtroom experience representing clients ranging from individuals to Fortune 50 corporations. A veteran of dozens of jury and bench trials, Rick focuses his practice on complex business cases, such as corporate and partnership disputes, construction litigation, business torts, and employment litigation. However, Rick has always maintained a diverse practice, including cases ranging from copyright and trademark litigation to representation of individuals with major personal injury claims.
In addition to his trial work, Rick has substantial appellate court experience, having briefed and argued cases...

David Shapiro is the Chair of Paley Rothman's Health Law practice group, and a member of the firm's Corporate, Science & Technology, Employment Law and Government Contracts practice groups. David has an extensive background representing business entities, healthcare providers, surgical centers, professional service vendors and entrepreneurs in a broad range of general business, commercial, regulatory and complex transactional matters, including early-stage business planning, business management and operations, equity and asset transfers, inter- and intra-business contract relationships, mergers and acquisitions and collaborative and adversarial business owner and proxy dispute resolutions.
David’s business practice focuses on full life-cycle representation for emerging and established...

At Havens & Associates, LLC, our clients come first. Every client is treated with personalized attention and is guaranteed effective representation. Our expertise and integrity have earned us a reputation as one of the premier legal firms in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Havens & Associates, LLC is dedicated to achieving the best outcome for every client. Havens & Associates, LLC represent clients in all state and federal courts located in the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia.

For 35 years, Robert has specialized in insurance recovery on behalf of policyholders. As Chair of the Insurance Recovery group and a member of the firm’s Litigation practice, Robert litigates complex disputes against insurance companies on behalf of corporations seeking coverage for all manner of claims involving every form of risk and exposure such as those arising out of products, securities, directors & officers, energy, automotive, financial institutions, medical devices and health, among others.
Robert has successfully argued precedent-setting appeals in the second, third, and fourth U.S. Courts of Appeals, as well as the California Court of Appeal, San Francisco...

Nakia Gray is a multi-faceted businesswoman and lawyer. She leverages her expertise in intellectual property law and brand strategy to give Black women business owners the legal strategies they need to package, protect and profit from their intellectual property. Having launched her law firm in 2014, Nakia has provided brand strategy and legal solutions to thousands of small business owners, and believes that with the right legal strategy a business can expand, grow and create a lasting legacy. For four years in a row Nakia has been named a Top Attorney by Washington, D.C.’s SuperLawyers magazine and has been featured on the...

My practice focuses on guiding and supporting my Maryland, DC & Virginia personal injury clients so that they can focus on recovery, while I take action on their behalf.

Mr. Cleckner practices exclusively in the areas of criminal defense, traffic defense, and peace and protective order defense. He has never done anything else. Therefore, he focuses all of his extensive court experience on your case to get the best possible outcome. His wife Melanie handles all of the firm's domestic, family and divorce matters.

Ryan Spiegel chairs the firm’s Government Contracts practice and is a member of its Litigation, Corporate, and Science & Technology practice groups. His work spans a wide range of industries, includes general business and risk management counseling, and is characterized by outstanding client service, effective case strategy, and creative legal arguments. While he can be a tenacious litigator when necessary and maintains an excellent grasp of procedure, Ryan strives to understand his clients’ interests and goals and seek the best solution for them. He believes that resolving problems and disputes is more important than arguing for its own sake.
In recent...

The law firm of Pare & Assoc., LLC (formerly Law Offices of Alice Pare) is a 10+ attorney law firm with locations in Germantown and Silver Spring. We practice several disciplines, including all aspects of family law, Trusts and Estates, Probate, Criminal Law, Bankruptcy, and consumer protection. We strive for excellence and to counsel our clients to react to their circumstnaces with reason. We do our best to keep our fees low and affordable, and encourage our clients to work toward settlement. When settlement is not possible, then we aggressively pursue our clients goals through litigation. We strive to partner...

Attorney with sophisticated practice including Bankruptcy, Criminal and Civil Litigation, Corporate and Business Law, Personal Injury, Fraud, Real Estate Law and Litigation, Wills and Trusts and Administrative Law. *Counsel of record in more than 2700 bankruptcy cases in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Supervisory counsel in hundreds or thousands more. *Civil and criminal/traffic litigation in State and federal courts in Maryland and the District of Columbia. *General civil practice including business organization and corporate, general business, contracts, landlord tenant, wills, etc. Milliondollaradvocates.com superlawyers.com thenationaltriallawyers.com (Top 100) National Academy for Bankruptcy Attorneys (Top 10 in...

Meredith Hill Law is a women run law firm that serves as legal concierge and general counsel for small businesses, as well as, assists individual clients with their estate plans. From the start of her legal career, Meredith knew that she wanted to start her own law firm. She wanted to create a business and brand of her own that would be a positive impact to others in her community. When she first began her firm, Meredith fell in love with running her businesses and it sparked a desire for her to help other business owners with their legal needs.

As...

After receiving a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, I decided to pursue a career as an attorney, earning my law degree from the University of Buffalo Law School in New York.

In 1992, I became a member of the Maryland Bar, and in 1993, the District of Columbia Bar. Not long after that, I opened my first office at 8630 Fenton Street in Silver Spring, Maryland.

I currently serve as a sole practitioner focusing on the following areas of law: Bankruptcy, Social Security Disability, Auto Accidents, and Workers' Compensation. I have offices in Silver Spring, Columbia, Baltimore, and...

As the founder and managing partner at Francois Legal Group, LLC, E. Regine Francois applies diverse legal and life experience to effectively represent individuals and businesses across a range of practice areas that include: estate planning, civil litigation, personal injury law, protective orders, and consumer matters.
With over a decade of legal experience, Regine understands the value of meticulous preparation to anticipate and avoid potential problems, while asserting her clients’ rights to the fullest extent. She truly cares about each client and views her role as effectively representing and counseling her clients about their options and the potential realities they face...

Lorna Maloney, Esq. is the Founder and Managing Partner of Maloney & Hayes Law Offices, PC. with offices in Maryland and the District of Columbia. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology; Master of Arts Degree in Political Management and her Juris Doctorate Degree with honors. Ms. Maloney taught legal courses for several years before getting into private practice. She is committed to providing exceptional legal service to all of her clients.

James Nickelsporn legal career began in 1972 when he became Assistant State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County. He remained in this position for six years at which point he was the Assistant Public Defender for Prince George’s County for the years of 1978 - 1989. It was also at this time when he opened Nickelsporn & Lundin, P.C. It was also during his eleven years as a public defender that he was Chief Trial Attorney for the Juvenile Division. When not practices law, James is an instructor of business management at Prince George's Community College, enjoys swimming, exercise,...

Michael F. Callahan practices family law, estate planning and elder law in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Mr. Callahan is the partner in charge of the firm’s estate planning and elder law practice.
He received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University in 1987, and is a member of the Georgetown Chapter of Order of the Coif. He has practiced law for over thirty years.
He has been named among the top lawyers by Washingtonian Magazine and Maryland Super Lawyers
He lives with his wife, their children from time to time, and their cat in Arlington, Virginia.

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...

Trish Weaver is Chair of the Appellate Practice group and a member of the Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Corporate practices. Over the past 20 years, she has handled numerous appeals, authored briefs and argued before the Maryland Court of Appeals, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She is admitted to, and awaits the chance to argue before, the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to joining Paley Rothman, Trish clerked for the Honorable Howard S. Chasanow on the Maryland Court of Appeals.
Trish enjoys building ongoing relationships with her clients as their...

Jessica Summers is an Associate in the firm’s Employee Benefits, Employment Law, Retirement Plans, Litigation and Government Relations practice groups. Jessica works with companies and organizations on a wide range of matters, including establishing and implementing effective employment policies, drafting employment agreements, maintaining employee benefit plans, addressing corporate planning issues and monitoring and advising clients on legislative and regulatory developments of import to them.
As an all-purpose business attorney with experience across several practice areas, Jessica has a comprehensive understanding of the legal and business needs of her clients and uses a common sense approach to finding solutions. In looking out...

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...

As Co-Chair of Paley Rothman’s Family Law practice and a member of its Litigation practice group, Carlos Lastra provides clients with diligent, thoughtful and effective representation, addressing both their immediate concerns and securing long-term solutions, in arguably the toughest times imaginable. Applying skills honed over a quarter of a century of recurrent civil and criminal trials before judges and juries in federal and state courtrooms in multiple jurisdictions, Carlos employs his rich trial experience to create a strategy custom-made to meet the client’s objectives, anticipate the opposing party’s tactics, and ultimately achieve his client’s goals.
Over the last 26 years, Carlos...