Left to Right, Lee C. Ashcraft and Martin E. Gerel, at a law firm formal dinner

Martin E. Gerel (1918-2011), one of the two founding partners of Ashcraft & Gerel, was born in New York, New York. Mr. Gerel attended City College of New York, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1941. He continued his non-legal education at American University, in Washington, D.C., receiving a Masters Degree in Economics in 1947. After receiving his Law Degree from Georgetown University Law School in 1949, he was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar the same year, the Maryland Bar in 1958 and the bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1962. After a number of years working for the Federal Government, Martin E. Gerel, along with Lee C. Ashcraft, in 1953 founded the firm of Ashcraft & Gerel. Mr. Gerel was a member of the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and Maryland State Bar Associations. He was a highly regarded trial attorney and was widely respected as one of the most knowledgeable and proficient practitioners in the field of workers’ compensation law. In September, 2001, in a ceremony at its annual convention before hundreds of individuals involved in the field of workers’ compensation in Maryland, Martin E. Gerel was presented with the first Lifetime Achievement award issued by the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission’s Workers’ Compensation Educational Association. Until 2011 he actively practiced in our Rockville, Maryland office.

Martin Gerel was a thoroughly decent human being. He will be remembered for his gentle, dignified, respectful and courtly demeanor. At the same time, he bestowed upon the firm a legacy of zealous and honorable advocacy on behalf of clients. He will be missed by all.

Rockville
One Central Plaza
Suite 1002
11300 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
Tel 301-770-3737
Fax (301) 881-6132