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Ashcraft & Gerel
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Click On Attorney for Biography:
Lee C. Ashcraft (1908-1993) along with Martin E. Gerel, founded the Law Firm of Ashcraft & Gerel. He passed away in 1993.
A native of Marshville, North Carolina, Lee Ashcraft spent forty (40) years practicing law in the Washington, D.C. area, much of it representing labor unions and their members. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and earned his law degree at National University Law School (George Washington University).
A decorated veteran, Lee Ashcraft spent three years in the Pacific during World War II as a member of the combat engineers. His unit was assigned the hazardous task of blowing up caves defended by the enemy.
In 1953, he and Martin E. Gerel formed Ashcraft & Gerel. From the beginning, the firm represented union members in all phases of personal injury litigation. Lee Ashcraft and Martin Gerel were soon recognized as leading experts in the area of workers' compensation, a reputation that the firm enjoys to this day, although the scope of the firm's personal injury practice has grown to be much broader.
In 1979, Mr. Ashcraft received an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from St. Anselm College for his work in promoting the cause of the working man and woman.
The close relationship that Mr. Ashcraft developed with the labor movement continues today under the guidance of Martin E. Gerel and a staff of well over one hundred men and women. Lee Ashcraft's presence and contributions have been missed, but the tradition of service and devotion to the cause of our clients that he engendered continues to be an integral part of Ashcraft & Gerel's philosophy.
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Martin E. Gerel , the sole surviving founding partner 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 Ashcraft, in 1953 founded the firm of Ashcraft & Gerel. Mr. Gerel is a member of the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, Prince George's County and Maryland State Bar Associations. He is a highly regarded trial attorney and is 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 Gerel was presented with the first Lifetime Achievement award issued by the Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission's Workers' Compensation Educational Association. He is actively practicing today in our Rockville, Maryland office.
Robert G. Samet was born in Orangeburg, New York. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, graduating in 1973 with honors. He attended the University of Baltimore School of Law from 1973 to 1976. During this period he was on the staff of the University of Baltimore Law Review and also completed an internship under the Honorable Rita Davidson (now deceased), then on the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, but who shortly thereafter was elevated to the Maryland Court of Appeals, Maryland's highest court.
During his final year of law school, while clerking for Ashcraft & Gerel, Mr. Samet, along with Martin E. Gerel, represented Ashcraft & Gerel in consulting with the Maryland State Bar Association, Standing Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions. Mr. Samet produced the first draft of the proposed workers' compensation jury instructions, and it eventually formed the basis of the final version of the Workers' Compensation section of the Maryland Civil Pattern Jury Instructions.
After receiving his Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from the University of Baltimore in 1976, Mr. Samet was admitted to the Maryland State Bar in 1976, the District of Columbia Bar in 1977, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland in 1977, the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in 1981 and the United States Supreme Court in 1985. Mr. Samet is a member of the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, Prince George's County and Maryland State Bar Associations as well as the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. His past service for the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association includes a period as assistant chairman of the Technology Committee. Mr. Samet is also a recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award in Torts and a member of the Heuisler Honor Society.
Over the years of his practice of law Mr. Samet has taught continuing legal education courses for lawyers as well as for the National Business Institute. In June 2006 the Maryland Workers' Compensation Education Association invited him to speak at its annual convention in Ocean City, Maryland, attended by individuals and groups involved in both the claim and defense of workers' compensation cases throughout the State of Maryland. Mr. Samet has published in the field of bad faith litigation against insurance companies. He concentrates his practice on medical malpractice litigation, workers' compensation, automobile tort litigation, product liability litigation and civil negligence litigation. He achieved one of the highest medical malpractice jury verdicts ($5.4 million) in the history of Prince George's County, Maryland as well as numerous jury verdicts and settlements totaling many millions of dollars. Most recently, Mr. Samet served as the moderator of the Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Law Forum of Lexis-Nexis Group's online bulletin board service, called The Loop. He has been selected by Super Lawyer magazine as being in the top 5% of attorneys practicing workers' compensation law in Maryland and has been named as a member of the Lawdragon 3000 Leading Plaintiffs' Lawyers in America. Mr. Samet practices out of Ashcraft & Gerel's Rockville, Maryland office.
Jonathan S. Beiser was born in Takoma Park, Maryland. He attended the University of Maryland, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1986. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore in 1989, Mr. Beiser was admitted to the bars of Maryland, the District of Columbia and the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in 1990. Mr. Beiser is a member the Montgomery County, Maryland, Prince George's County, Maryland and District of Columbia Bar Associations, as well as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association, the Trial Lawyers' Association of the District of Columbia and the Work Injury Law & Advocacy Group. He serves on the Member Services Committee of the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association, where he is in charge of the MTLA Document Bank, a large archive of documents of vital importance to practicing trial lawyers in Maryland. In connection with his service on the Montgomery County Bar Association, Mr. Beiser is an active member of the Workers' Compensation Section of that organization. Mr. Beiser is also a recipient of recognition from the Trial Lawyers Care Pro Bono Project for representing victims before the September 11 Victims' Compensation Fund. He is also a past recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award. Mr. Beiser is also a sustaining member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimant's Representatives and handles a substantial volume of Social Security Disability claims, in addition to his work in the fields of Maryland workers' compensation, Federal Longshoremen's & Harbor Workers' Compensation and personal injury litigation. He has been selected by Super Lawyer Magazine as being in the top 5% of attorneys practicing workers' compensation law in Maryland.
Martin Trpis was born in Bratislava, Slovakia. He attended the University of Maryland, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1979. After attending American University and the University of Virginia, Mr. Trpis received his Juris Doctor degree in 1986. He was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1987 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1999. Mr. Trpis is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He concentrates his practice on high profile and complex medical malpractice litigation and has received many large settlements and recoveries in malpractice cases.
Samuel G. Lynn was born in Whetstone, Arizona, but moved to Germany with his family at the age of three, where he lived for eight years (Mr. Lynn is bilingual in German and English). Mr. Lynn attended the University of Maryland on a full academic scholarship, and in 2003 was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. While at Maryland, Mr. Lynn had the opportunity to work for the United States Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Maryland, where he cloned and sequenced a previously unknown virus; Mr. Lynn then had the abstract published in the journal Science. Mr. Lynn was also chosen to participate in a biological research study in Australia for three weeks. Upon completion of his undergraduate education, Mr. Lynn attended law school at The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C. on a partial academic scholarship, and was awarded the degree of Juris Doctor in 2007. Mr. Lynn was an active member of the Trial Moot Court Association while in law school. Mr. Lynn was admitted to the Bar of the State of Maryland in 2007 and immediately began his legal career with Ashcraft & Gerel, LLP in the firm’s Rockville, Maryland office.
Lawrence J. Pascal was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended St. Anselm's College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1964. After receiving his Bachelor of Law Degree from George Washington University in 1967, Delta Theta Phi, Mr. Pascal was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 1967, the District of Columbia Bar in 1968 and the Bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1971. Mr. Pascal is a member of the District of Columbia, Virginia and American (Member, Insurance, Negligence and Compensation Law Section) Bar Associations, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Mr. Pascal is the author of the book “ Virginia Workers Compensation, Law and Practice. ”
J. Hunt Brasfield was born in Staten Island, New York. Mr. Brasfield attended Trinity College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1964. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University in 1967, he was admitted to the Virginia and District of Columbia Bars in 1968 and the Bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1974. From 1968 to 1972 Mr. Brasfield served as a Captain in the JAG Corps of the United States Air Force. He is a member of the Alexandria, Virginia and the District of Columbia Bar Associations, and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Brasfield was a founding member of the Alexandria Bar Foundation and an Ex- Vice Chairman and Acting Chairman of the Alexandria Economic Opportunity Commission from 1990 - 1991.
Craig A. Brown was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. He attended the University of Virginia where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1985. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Richmond in 1988, Mr. Brown was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 1988, the District of Columbia Bar in 1989 and the Bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1996. Mr. Brown served as a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Virginia from 1988 to 1990. He is a member of the Alexandria Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.
David L. Bayne, Jr. was born in Washington, D.C. He attended Georgetown University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1992. He attended law school at Whittier Law School in Los Angeles, California, where he was a member of the Whittier Law Review staff. Mr. Bayne is a recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Procedure. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from Whittier Law School in 1995, Mr. Bayne was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 1996 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1999. He served as a Public Defender for the City of Portsmouth, Virginia from December, 1996 until March, 1999 and spent the following two years in his own practice of law before joining Ashcraft & Gerel, LLP.
David M. LaCivita was born in Niagara Falls, New York. He attended Boston College, where he received his degree, magna cum laude, in 1971. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from Cornell University, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1974, Mr. LaCivita was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1974, the District of Columbia Bar in 1976 and the Bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1978. Mr. LaCivita is a member of the District of Columbia and Maryland Bar Associations, the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Mr. LaCivita is also an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association, the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, Maryland and the Maryland Health Claims Arbitration Office.
Robert P. Enderle was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Villanova University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1977. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University in 1980, Mr. Enderle was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1980, the District of Columbia Bar in 1984 and the Bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1985. Mr. Enderele is a member of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, the Maryland State and American Bar Associations, the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Mr. Enderle now serves as Ashcraft & Gerel's Managing Partner.
Robert A. Flack was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Western Maryland College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1977. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore, cum laude, in 1981, Mr. Flack was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1981 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1982. He is a member of the Maryland, District of Columbia and American Bar Associations, the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association, and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Mr. Flack is also a member of the Heuisler Honor Society.
William F. Mulroney was born in Rockville Centre, New York. He attended College of the Holy Cross, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1972. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University School of Law in 1975, Mr. Mulroney was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in 1976, the Bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1983 and the Maryland Bar in 1986. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Mr. Mulroney is a member of the Bar Associations of Baltimore City and Prince George's County, Maryland and the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, the American Bar Associations and The Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
David M. Layton was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He attended the University of Baltimore, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1974 and John Hopkins University, where he received a Master of Administrative Science degree in 1976. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore in 1979, Mr. Layton was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1980 and the Bar of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland in 1983. Mr. Layton is a member of the Bar Association of Baltimore City, the Maryland State Bar Association and The Maryland Trial Lawyers Association. Before joining Ashcraft & Gerel, Mr. Layton served as an attorney with the Interstate Commerce Commission in Washington, D.C.
Alan J. Mensh was born in Vineland, New Jersey. For his undergraduate education he attended the University of Maryland, where he graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics in 1989. He attended law school at the University of Baltimore, receiving his Juris Doctor degree in 1992. After completing his legal education, he was admitted to the Maryland State Bar in December, 1992. In 2002 Mr. Mensh was admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. During the same year he became a member of the District of Columbia Bar.
Mr. Mensh is a member of the Baltimore City Bar Association, the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Trial Lawyers Association. Since 1994, Mr. Mensh has been involved with representing children exposed to lead-based paint. He has won six and seven figure jury verdicts, and many out of court settlements on behalf of his clients. He has written the briefs and delivered oral argument for over thirty appeals to the appellate courts of the State of Maryland, and included in these cases are some of the leading reported decisions regarding lead paint negligence and the Consumer Protection Act.
In 2001 he lectured to a national audience of attorneys on the topic of expert witness testimony in lead paint cases. Mr. Mensh practices out of Ashcraft & Gerel's Baltimore, Maryland office.
James F. Green was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He attended St. Anselm College where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1970. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University School of Law in 1973, Mr. Green was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1973, the District of Columbia Bar in 1975, the Bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1977 and the Virginia Bar in 1985. Mr. Green is a member of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia (Member, 1976 and Chairman, 1977, Prepaid Legal Services Committee; Chairman, Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, 1982) American Bar Association (Member, Tort and Insurance Practice Section and Litigation Section; Vice Chairman, Committee on Liaison with the Judicial Administration 1987 - 1988), The Association of Trial Lawyers of America (Vice Chair, 1987 - 1989 and National Chairman 1989 - 1990, Workers Compensation and Disability Section), The American Society of Law and Medicine, Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.
James M. Hanny (1942-2004) was born in Buffalo, New York. He attended Canisius College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland in 1971, Mr. Hanny was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1972, the District of Columbia Bar in 1976 and the Bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1971. Mr. Hanny was a member of the District of Columbia, Maryland State and American Bar Associations, The Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Before joining Ashcraft & Gerel, Mr. Hanny was an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1972 to 1980. During the course of his long career with Ashcraft & Gerel, Jim Hanny earned the deep respect and admiration of all of his colleagues. He brought a warmth and closeness to his relationships with his coworkers rarely experienced in any workplace. Mr. Hanny passed away in 2004, and he has been deeply missed.
Altomease R. Kennedy was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She received her undergraduate education at Goucher College, graduating in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Ms. Kennedy attended Georgetown University Law Center, receiving her Juris Doctor degree in 1975. She began her legal career as a Research Associate for the National Urban League from 1975 to 1976. For the next five years Ms. Kennedy was a Trial Attorney in the Litigation and Liquidation Division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. After leaving the federal government, Ms. Kennedy was a member of the Office of the General Counsel for Potomac Electric Power Company from 1981 to 1983. In 1983 Ms. Kennedy joined Ashcraft & Gerel LLP and spent the next 17 years with the firm, advancing to become a partner. Following a one year stint from 2000 to 2001 as Special Assistant and Counsel to the President of Village Foundation, she rejoined Ashcraft & Gerel, as Of Counsel, in May 2001. Ms. Kennedy is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Womens' Bar Association of the District of Columbia. She served as a member of The Advisory Committee to the District of Columbia Bar Foundation for the 1999-2000 year. Ms. Kennedy is a member of the Board of Trustees of Goucher College, former President and current member of the Board of the Frederick B. Abramson Memorial Foundation and Vice President of the Board of Directors of City Lights School.
Allen J. Lowe was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended American University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science in 1973. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from the Washington College of Law of American University in 1976, Mr. Lowe was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1977, the District of Columbia Bar in 1978 and the Bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1980. Mr. Lowe is a member of the District of Columbia, Maryland State and American Bar Associations and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
H. Vincent McKnight, Jr. was born in Washington, DC. He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University in 1975 and received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978. After law school, he began a clerkship with Judge William C. Pryor who was then a trial judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. During Mr. McKnight's tenure as a law clerk, Judge Pryor was elevated to the D.C. Court of Appeals, and Mr. McKnight agreed to serve as Judge Pryor's law clerk in the appellate court.
From 1980 through 1982, Mr. McKnight worked as an associate with the law firm of Reed, Smith, Shaw & McClay in the labor department. In August 1982 he joined the law firm of Ashcraft & Gerel, where he is a Senior Partner.
Over the last 25 years, Mr. McKnight has successfully litigated on behalf of plaintiffs in personal injury, FELA, employment discrimination, and medical malpractice cases. Mr. McKnight argued and won the case that marked the first time that the D.C. Court of Appeals departed from the employment at will doctrine in the District of Columbia.
In addition, Mr. McKnight has represented clients in numerous cases under the Federal False Claims Act and is in charge of Ashcraft & Gerel's False Claims Act and Qui Tam litigation department. In 2005 and 2006, Mr. McKnight represented whistle-blowers in a series of successful actions alleging that office products companies were illegally selling products from non-compliant countries to the United States Government in violation of the Trade Agreements Act and several GSA policies.
He authored "Biomechanics of VDT Carpal Tunnel Cases", Trial (June 1991). Also, he co-authored "Causes of Action by Employees for Retaliation and Reprisal Pursuant to the False Claims Act, 31 USC Section 3730 (h)" Causes of Action 2d 217, Section 2 (West 2003). Moreover, Mr. McKnight has chaired and participated in several panels on the False Claims Act at Taxpayers Against Fraud Conferences and ATLA (American Trial Lawyers Association) Conventions. He was a member of the faculty at the ABA's 6th Annual National Institute on the False Claims Act and Qui Tam Enforcement in 2006. Mr. McKnight was the co-founder of the Qui Tam Litigation Sub-Group for ATLA.
Mr. McKnight has twice been honored by Law Dragon Magazine as one of 500 Rising Stars in the Summer of 2006 and as one of the Leading Plaintiff's Lawyers in America in 2007. He was selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America by Martindale-Hubble.
Mr. McKnight belongs to several organizations. He serves on the Board of Governors of the Metropolitan Trial Lawyers Association, the local arm of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the Washington Bar Association.
Wayne M. Mansulla was born in Brockton, Massachusetts. He attended Stonehill College, where he received an A.B. Degree, with honors, in 1968. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law School in 1974, Mr. Mansulla was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1974, the District of Columbia Bar in 1975 and the bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1978. Mr. Mansulla is a member of the District of Columbia, Virginia State and American Bar Associations, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Mr. Mansulla served as a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1969 to 1972.
Michelle A. Parfitt was educated at Northeastern University and graduated with a Bachelors of Science, magna cum laude in 1975. She received her Masters degree from Michigan State University in 1977, again graduating magna cum laude. In 1980, Ms. Parfitt received her Juris Doctor from Hofstra University.
Over the last eighteen years, Ms. Parfitt has been a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Virginia Bar. She has specialized in medical malpractice and product liability litigation. Most recently, she has been at the forefront of the Breast Implant, Norplant, Fen/Phen, Rezulin and PPA litigations. She is currently a member of the Discovery Committee for In Re: Diet Drug (Fenfluramine/Dexfenfluramine/Phentermine) Product Liability, MDL 1203.
During her eighteen years of practice, Ms. Parfitt has served in numerous leadership and committee positions for the District of Columbia Bar, American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA), Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., and the Women's Bar Association (WBA). Specifically, she co-chaired the D.C. Bar Section on Litigation and Injury to Persons and Property.
Most recently, Ms. Parfitt was a charter member of the Reproductive Cancer Force which provided legal assistance in the areas of breast and prostate cancer to the District of Columbia community and its court. Ms. Parfitt was also instrumental in conceiving and implementing a pro bono program with the Washington Hospital Center designed to provide free legal services to cancer patients denied insurance benefits for experimental cancer treatment. As a member of the Women's Bar Association, she has co-chaired its sections on litigation and immigration and naturalization. As a member of the D.C. Bar, she has also served as a case mediator for the D.C. Superior Court. In addition, Ms. Parfitt has served as a member of the Board of Governors for the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and the Executive Committee (treasurer) as well as a committee member for its women's trial education programs. She is currently President Elect of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Ms. Parfitt practices in the District of Columbia office of Ashcraft & Gerel.
Mark L. Schaffer was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Boston University as an undergraduate, where he received an A.B. degree, magna cum laude, in 1967. After attending Georgetown University Law School and receiving his Juris Doctor degree in 1972, Mr. Schaffer was admitted to the Maryland and District of Columbia Bars in 1972 and the bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1978. Mr. Schaffer is a member of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, the District of Columbia, Maryland State and American Bar Associations and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (2nd Vice Chair, 1990 to 1992, Workers Compensation and Disability Section).
Jerry D. Spitz was born in Somerville, New Jersey. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware, graduating in 1983 with honors. He attended the George Washington University National Law Center from 1983 to 1986. In his third year of law school he participated in the Law Students in Court civil litigation clinic. Mr. Spitz is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the Maryland State Bar, and the Virginia State Bar. He also is a member of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., where he currently serves as a member of the Board of Governors, and the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association.
Sidney Schupak was born in New York, New York. He attended City University of New York, Queens College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1988. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from Washington College of Law of American University, cum laude, in 1991, Mr. Schupak was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1991 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1993. Mr. Schupak is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association. He is co-author of the following published articles: “Liability for HIV Transmission” May, 1992 edition of Trial Magazine; "Causation in Transfusion Associated AIDS Cases", May, 1993 edition of Trial Magazine.
Joseph T. Musso was born on Long Island, New York. He attended Virginia Military Institute as well as James Madison University and received a BA in History in 1995 Magna Cum Laude. In 1998 Mr. Musso graduated with Honors from Rutgers University School of Law in Camden where he was awarded the William and Irene Hull Memorial Prize for his writing in legal history. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Musso clerked for the Honorable Charles Rand in the Superior Court of New Jersey before being hired to create a nursing home abuse and malpractice department at a prestigious New Jersey law firm. Over the next decade Mr. Musso became chair of the firm’s nursing home litigation department and grew the practice into one of New Jersey’s premier nursing home litigation practices. Mr. Musso was twice named a Superlawyer Rising Star representing the best attorneys in their field under the age of 40 as voted upon by the legal community. Mr. Musso has joined Ashcraft & Gerel’s nursing home litigation group and practices out of the D.C. office. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and applications for admission to the District of Columbia and Maryland are pending.
George E. Swegman was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended Pennsylvania State University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Pre-Law in 1970. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from Catholic University of America in 1975, Mr. Swegman was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1975, the District of Columbia Bar in 1981 and the bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1981. Mr. Swegman is a member of the District of Columbia and American Bar Associations and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
Christopher V. Tisi graduated from the State University of New York at Albany,
cum laude, in 1982 and from Wake Forest School of Law in 1986. He has specialized in all areas of personal injury litigation, including product liability law, pharmaceutical liability and medical malpractice. Mr. Tisi has been admitted to practice law in federal and local courts in the District of Columbia and Maryland. He is a member of the bars of The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Tisi, along with the lawyers in Ashcraft & Gerel, LLP's Drug and Medical
Product Liability section, has been at the forefront of major pharmaceutical litigation. Most recently, Mr Tisi was judicially appointed to the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee for the proceedings entitled In Re Vioxx
Product Liability Litigation, MDL 1657 (E.D.La). In that capacity, Mr. Tisi served as Co-Chair of the Vioxx Plaintiff’s Discovery Committee, which oversaw all Vioxx-related discovery conducted in the federal Courts. In November 2007, the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee negotiated a
settlement on Vioxx cases totaling 4.85 Billion
dollars.
Mr. Tisi has in the past been appointed to serve as a member of the Discovery and Science Committees for other pharmaceutical mass tort cases, including In Re: Drug Pharmaceutical Litigation (Fenfluramine/Dexfenfluramine/Phentermine) Product Liability Litigation, MDL 1203 (E.D. Pa), In Re: Rezulin Product Liability Litigation, MDL 1348 (S.D. N.Y.), In Re: Phenylpropanolamine Product Liability Litigation, MDL 1407 (D. Wash) and In re Zyprexa Products Liability Litigation, MDL 1596 (E.D.N.Y.). These cases have resulted in recoveries exceeding 10 Billion Dollars.
Mr. Tisi has achieved significant jury verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients. In 2003, Mr. Tisi was co-trial counsel in a landmark case in which a jury returned a 2 million dollar ($2,000,000) compensatory and punitive damage award against the manufacturer of Rezulin, a diabetes drug. In addition, Mr. Tisi argued and won an appeal affirming the rights of plaintiff’s to proceed to trial in a case where his client received a transfusion of AIDS-tainted blood. He has won numerous trials and appeals in a wide variety of cases, including medical malpractice and products liability cases.
Mr. Tisi has frequently lectured to trial lawyers throughout the country on mass tort litigation and general trial practice issues. He has lectured on topics such as the use of scientific and medical evidence in a pharmaceutical case, how to try a failure to warn case, how to rebut defenses in a pharmaceutical case, how to review raw clinical trail data and the ethics of mass tort settlements.
Mr. Tisi has been active in the D.C. Bar/Trial Lawyers joint pro bono program and, through that program, provides legal representation to patients who have been denied insurance
coverage related to their cancer treatment. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the Maryland Bar, the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice (AAJ), and the District of Columbia Trial Lawyers Association (DCTLA). Mr. Tisi practices out of
Ashcraft & Gerel LLP's District of Columbia office.
Michael W. Heaviside was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Georgetown University in 1975, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Mr. Heaviside graduated from the College of William & Mary's Marshall Wythe School of Law in 1980 where he received his Juris Doctor degree. He was a law clerk from 1980-81 for the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He has published in the area of white collar crime in the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Heaviside's distinguished career as a champion for individuals' rights has earned him the distinction of being selected by his peers as one of the "Best Lawyers in America." In February 1997, Mr. Heaviside was identified as one of the "Best Lawyers in Washington, DC" by the Washingtonian Magazine. Most recently, in 1999, Mr. Heaviside was awarded the highest accolade in Martindale- Hubbell, an AV rating, which signifies and confirms that Mr. Heaviside is highly respected, his legal abilities are of the highest standard and his professional ethics are unquestioned. Mr. Heaviside has been called upon extensively to lecture at seminars and conferences for legal and business professionals. Mr. Heaviside is a licensed member of the Bar in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia and is admitted in the local, state, and federal courts in these jurisdictions, as well as the Supreme Court of the United States. He is a member of the American Bar Association, American Trial Lawyers Association and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Heaviside practices out of the District of Columbia office.
Rebekah R. Miller was born in Long Island, New York. Ms. Miller began her professional career in 1982 as a Registered Nurse. She attended Hunter College of the City University of New York where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1990. As a healthcare professional, Ms. Miller was well known for her zeal to improve the quality of patient care through systematic monitoring of patient care and implementing changes in health care administration that resulted in better and safer patient care. In addition to local health care research, Ms. Miller's epidemiological research includes participation in the CDC's national "Look-Back" study and appointment to the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Oversight Committee of the nation's largest managed care health system for participation in national drug usage evaluations. Ms. Miller received the Veteran's Administration's Special Contribution Award in 1989 & 1990 for her efforts in developing hospital-based quality assurance and risk management programs. After receiving her Juris Doctor degree from Catholic University of America, cum laude, in 1996, she was admitted the same year to the Virginia State Bar. She has published the articles, "The Maternal-Fetal Controversy: Protecting a Woman's Right to Choose Fetal Surgery" in the Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy and "Qualifying Experts" in The Journal for The Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. Ms. Miller is a member of the District of Columbia, Virginia and American Bar Associations and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. Ms. Miller practices out of the District of Columbia office.
David B. Vermont was born in New York, New York. He attended the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1992. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University School of Law in 1996, Mr. Vermont was admitted to the New York State Bar. Immediately after law school, Mr. Vermont practiced as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, New York. As such, he was responsible for the investigation, prosecution, and trial of all types of criminal offenses. After four years as an Assistant District Attorney, Mr. Vermont continued his career in the private sector working for a New York law firm specializing in the defense of medical malpractice cases. In 2001 he was admitted to the bar of the District of Columbia and has now become a valuable addition to the firm of Ashcraft & Gerel.
Salman H. Elmi was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he completed the pre-med course requirements, graduating with two Bachelor of Arts Degrees in 1997. During the period of his undergraduate education, Mr. Elmi added to his pre-med studies by serving as both a research assistant at the University Medical Center's Pediatric Cardiology Laboratories and in a volunteer capacity with the University Medical Center's Radiology Department. Mr. Elmi attended law school at Emory University School of Law, receiving his J.D. degree in May, 2000. While at Emory, he was awarded a letter of commendation for excellence in the Law School's prestigious Kessler-Eidson Trial Techniques Program. Mr. Elmi was admitted to the bar of the State of Maryland in 2000 and to the District of Columbia in 2001. Mr. Elmi spent the first few years of his legal career focusing on FDA/Healthcare Regulatory matters at law firms in Washington, D.C. and New York City, before joining Ashcraft and Gerel, LLP in June 2004. Mr. Elmi is a member of the American Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association, and the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. His practice areas include pharmaceutical litigation, negligence, mass torts, and products liability litigation.
Susan Minkin is of counsel to the law firm of Ashcraft & Gerel, LLP. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology, cum laude, from California State University, Long Beach, and her Masters in Social Work degree from San Diego State University. After working as a clinical social worker for several years, Ms. Minkin received her law degree from the American University Washington College of Law in 1987. Ms. Minkin practiced law at Ashcraft & Gerel from 1987 to 1991, specializing in personal injury and medical malpractice. She rejoined the firm in 2000 and has focused her practice on pharmaceutical litigation. She serves on the Plaintiff's Liaison Committee for the Ephedra-Metabolife Federal Court Multi District Litigation (MDL) Global Settlement as well as the Discovery Committee for the Ortho-Evra Federal Court Multi District Litigation (MDL). During her years away from Ashcraft & Gerel, Ms. Minkin practiced in the areas of personal injury and family law. She also was a certified family mediator and trainer in the Commonwealth of Virginia and served as Board President of the Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center, a community nonprofit mediation center in Warrenton, Virginia. Ms. Minkin is admitted to practice law in the local and federal courts in the District of Columbia, State of Maryland and Commonwealth of Virginia. She is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) and the District of Columbia Trial Lawyers Association (DCTLA).
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