Laurel Employment Lawyers

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...

My practice includes employment law, business law, and open records laws.
As former federal attorney in addition to two decades of running my own practice, I bring expert experience to my matters. Each legal matter presents its own unique facts and gets my specific attention. Identifying the legal issues is of paramount importance. My focus is to analyze the legal issues and provide my clients with candid, detailed and well considered advice and representation. My clients and I have direct communication throughout their representation. It is important that my clients understand what...

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...

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...

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...

I have been practicing law in Montgomery County, Maryland, as well as Northern Virginia, and the Baltimore area for over 27 years.

My focus is on local businesses that need outside general counsel: both for routine business issues, and for litigation.

I am licensed in Maryland, DC, and Virginia.

Attorney Howard B. Hoffman is experienced in employment and employment immigration matters. On numerous occasions, he has served as a featured speaker at numerous legal seminars. He is an accomplished legal author, and an honors law graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law. Prior to opening his own legal practice in 2002, Mr. Hoffman worked for a prominent employment law boutique catering exclusively to management clientele.

Marc J. Smith is a founding member of Smith, Lease & Goldstein, LLC, and handles significant employment law and litigation matters throughout the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Marc also handles a broad range of family law matters throughout the State of Maryland. Marc is licensed to practice law in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Georgia. A Montgomery County native, Marc has been practicing law for 19 years and is a 1990 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Law School. Marc was recognized as a Maryland and Washington D.C. "Super Lawyer" in 2007 in...

S. Robert Sutton has been engaged in the practice of law since his graduation from the Stanford Law School in 1980. Following his graduation from law school, he went to work at Jenner & Block in Chicago, Illinois, where he obtained his first experience as a litigator, and honed his legal research and writing skills. He worked at Jenner & Block for two years before returning to live in Montgomery County, where he was born and raised and went to work at Steptoe & Johnson, in Washington, D.C., where he continued to develop his research, writing,...

Philip C. Federico is a founding and senior partner with Schochor, Federico and Staton, P.A. “As a founding member of Schochor, Federico and Staton, I take great pride in what we accomplish for our clients. Since the beginning, we have worked hard to represent the interests of our clients, and because of our success, we’ve become recognized leaders in the field of medical malpractice litigation.” For the last 13 years, Mr. Federico has maintained an AV rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory™—the highest rating an attorney can receive for legal ability and ethical standards. He has also been...

Attorney for leading law firms in Maryland and D.C.

Christopher J. Smith found his calling in assisting his clients during their most troubling times. He takes the opportunity to learn and understand his clients’ stories, their troubles, and their goals as if they were his own. This is reflected in his zealous and vigorous representation on his clients’ behalf, where he fights tirelessly to ensure that his clients’ rights have been protected and their interests served. Chris has recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars for his clients in various personal injury and employment matters through use of his practical and sensible approach to litigation, a style that he brings...

Ali Herischi is the principal at the law firm of Herischi & Associates. He practices in areas of human rights litigation, which includes FSIA, ATCA, TVPA, and ATA. His practice also includes labor and employment, Iran's sanctions, immigration, and technology business startups.

Additionally, he represents clients in business negotiation and mediation settings. Mr. Herischi is a licensed mediator and conducts mediation sessions for business, family and individual conflicts.

Mr. Herischi also provides strategic consulting with technology startups, and work as in-house counsel. He is is a member of board of directors of few startup and not-for-profit companies.

Mr. Herischi is a...

Ms. Maya P. Jefferson is an associate with Gilbert Employment Law, focusing on the representation of both federal and private sector employees involving claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as well as violations the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and related state and local laws. Ms. Jefferson's practice includes litigating on behalf of clients in federal and state courts, as well as administrative forums such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Merit Systems Protection Board.