F&P Welcomes Three Attorneys to Baltimore Office and One to Richmond Office

F&P is pleased to welcome four attorneys to the firm, three in the Baltimore office and one in the Richmond office.  Michael Essig joined our Richmond office as counsel concentrating his practice in construction, liability defense, and trucking and transportation. Prior to joining F&P, Michael worked for another local defense firm defending individuals, small businesses and corporations from personal injury and property damage claims. He also has experience defending insurance carriers and employers in workers’ compensation claims.

Associates Michael Baruch and Ryan Posey joined the Baltimore office’s liability team. Michael has prior experience as a prosecutor involving all components of the litigation process, including investigation, research, and trial. Michael also clerked for the Connecticut State’s Attorney’s office, where he gained experience with workers’ comp claims.

Ryan Posey worked for a civil litigation firm prior to joining F&P. He served as the lead trial counsel for personal injury cases and workers’ compensation appeals. After graduating from law school, Ryan served as a public defender for the state of Maryland, handling thousands of cases ranging from simple driving offenses to serious life felonies.

Theresa Teixeira joined the the Baltimore office as a workers’ compensation and employers’ liability associate. She brings more than 24 years of experience to the F&P team. She has successfully tried cases involving work-related injuries before the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission, including matters appealed from workers’ compensation to the circuit court.

 

 

James Temple Presents at the MSBA Negligence Insurance and Workers’ Compensation Section

On May 9, F&P associate James Temple III attended the MSBA Negligence Insurance and Workers’ Compensation Section presentation of 2019 Hot Tips in Workers’ Compensation at the Loyola Graduate Center in Columbia, MD. James was included on a panel of speakers addressing the topic of “Defense Attorneys are People too (and so are claimants’ attorneys) – Pet Peeves Divided and Uncensored.”

The MSBA (Maryland State Bar Association) represents lawyers in Maryland, providing services to members and promoting professionalism and diversity. To learn more about the MSBA and their programs, please visit their website at https://www.msba.org/.

4/8/2019: Bert Randall and Sarah Lemmert to Speak on Medical Marijuana at Captive Resources

Franklin & Prokopik principal Bert Randall is slated to speak on April 9 for the GCI (General Contractors Insurance, Ltd.) Captive at Captive Resources in St. Louis, MO. The topic will be “The Grass Isn’t Always Greener.” This presentation will focus on the latest developments in compensation remedies and workplace accommodations and drug policies regarding medical marijuana. Counsel Sarah Lemmert will be making the same presentation for NCI (National Contractors Insurance, Ltd.) Captive at Captive Resources in Salt Lake City, UT on April 11.

Captive Resource is an independent consulting firm focused on helping businesses with insurance costs and maximizing efforts to achieve the best safety and loss prevention services. For more information about Captive Resources, please visit the website at https://captiveresources.com/.

3/26/2019: The Daily Record Selects F&P Principal as 2019 Leadership in Law Generation J.D. Honoree

Baltimore, Md., March 26, 2019 — F&P is proud to announce that The Daily Record has selected firm principal Imoh Akpan to receive a 2019 Leadership in Law Generation J.D. Award.

Leadership in Law Awards recognize Maryland’s legal professionals – lawyers and judges – whose dedication to their occupation and to their communities is outstanding.

The top winner of this year’s Leadership in Law Awards will be announced at the celebration event May 16 at the BWI Hilton. The honoree will be determined by a vote of this year’s Leadership in Law winners.

In addition, The Daily Record ‘s Leadership in Law Awards include honors recognizing up-and-coming legal professionals through Generation J.D. and legal professionals with exemplary careers through the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Nominations for all the awards were received from The Daily Record’s readers in addition to area law firms, bar associations, chambers of commerce and the business and legal communities at large. Nominees were asked to complete an application that outlined their career accomplishments, community involvement and mentoring activities that would distinguish them as outstanding leaders in the law. Winners were selected by a panel of legal and business leaders.

The Daily Record launched the Leadership in Law Awards in 2001 as a way to recognize the outstanding work being done by members of the legal community throughout Maryland.

“This year’s Leadership in Law honorees have had a tremendous impact on his or her profession, the community and the State of Maryland. They have demonstrated professional excellence. They maintain leadership roles in the communities where they live and work, and they demonstrate a strong commitment to mentoring,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, publisher of The Daily Record. “We at The Daily Record are so pleased to honor their many achievements.”

The 2019 Leadership in Law Awards will be presented May 16 at a reception and dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. at the BWI Hilton, 1739 West Nursery Road in Linthicum Heights. The event hashtag is #TDRawards.

Winners will be profiled in a special magazine that will be inserted into the May 17 issue of The Daily Record and will be available online at www.TheDailyRecord.com.

 

 

 

3/19/2019: Imoh Akpan Receives Membership Into the FDCC

Franklin & Prokopik is excited to announce that principal Imoh Akpan’s nomination for membership into the prestigious Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC) has been unanimously approved by their Board of Directors. The Federation is a distinguished composition of legal community members who are at the forefront of defending clients in civil lawsuits. Imoh’s selection demonstrates that he possesses the Federation’s desired qualities of professionalism, fellowship and the promotion of knowledge of the law.

Membership is by nomination only and currently stands at more than 1400 throughout the United States, Australia, Canada, Europe, Puerto Rico as well as other geographic areas.

For more information about the FDCC and its mission, please visit the website at https://thefederation.site-ym.com/.

3/8/2019: Andrew Stephenson Secures Defense Verdict After Three Years of Litigation

Following a two week jury trial, F&P principal Andrew T. Stephenson secured a defense verdict after three (3) years of contentious litigation in the case of Gell, Thomas (Deceased), et al. v. Pitt-Ohio, et al. in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, case number 03C15003282 MT. The case arose out of a March 30, 2012 motor vehicle accident in which Thomas Gell (“Decedent”) sustained injuries that ultimately resulted in his death five (5) years after the subject accident.

F&P was retained immediately following the subject accident as part of the emergency response to catastrophic loss services offered to clients, to investigate the accident and preserve all relevant evidence in anticipation of litigation. The facts surrounding the subject accident revealed that F&P’s client, a driver of a tractor trailer, was parked in the right hand lane of a two (2) lane roadway with his hazard lights activated. Decedent, a 64 year old male salesman, was attempting to make a right turn out of a parking lot perpendicular to the roadway on which the tractor trailer was parked. Decedent’s view of oncoming traffic was obstructed. While attempting to make a right turn into the left of the two (2) travel lanes, Decedent was struck by an oncoming box truck, sustaining serious injuries.

Following the subject accident, Decedent was in a coma, underwent numerous surgeries, sustained scores of fractures, and a traumatic brain injury. Decedent allegedly died as a result of the injuries sustained in the subject accident after five (5) years of treatment.

Decedent’s Estate and eligible beneficiaries sought damages in the total amount of $4,136,735, which included the Estate’s past medical expenses in the amount of  $1,390,667, past lost wages in the amount of $858,568, non-economic damages on the part of the Decedent’s Estate in the amount of the applicable statutory cap of $755,000.00, and the Decedent’s eligible beneficiaries’ noneconomic damages claim in the amount of the applicable statutory cap of $1,132,500.

Due to F&P’s response immediately following the subject accident, we were able to obtain and preserve pertinent evidence related to vehicle location and positioning and witness testimony that was critical in securing a defense jury verdict and a finding of no primary liability on the part of our insured driver.

2/22/2019: Bert Randall to Present on Employment Law at Spring Trade Expo

The 45th Annual Ocean City Spring Trade Expo, hosted by the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association (OCHMRA), will be held March 3 and 4, 2019. Prior to the expo opening at 9:00am on Monday, March 4, F&P principal, Bert Randall, will speak on the area of employment law. Topics include overtime wages, sexual harassment, tip pools and more. This session provides legal advice at no cost and is intended to help employers understand labor laws. Bert also represents the legal team of the Restaurant Association of Maryland.

The expo, spanning three exhibit halls at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center, affords attendees the opportunity to experience the newest trends in all facets of the hospitality industry. Vendors will showcase regional and national companies and products allowing for interpersonal interaction between the exhibitors and attendees. This event is not open to the public, only buyers and guests in the industry.

OCHMRA is “an advocate of the Ocean City Hospitality Industry, and is a Tourism activist.” For more information regarding this event, please click on story below.

 

1/21/2019: Tamara Goorevitz to Speak at American Bus Association CEO Roundtable

Franklin & Prokopik principal, Tamara Goorevitz, is slated to speak at the American Bus Association (ABA) exclusive CEO Roundtable  on Saturday, January 26, in Louisville, Ky. The conference is themed “Protecting the Value of Your Business,” and hosts a panel of legal experts addressing such topics as litigation strategies, social media as a resource for businesses and how to prepare for a sale or merger, as well as a variety of other topics. Tamara will present on “Using Social Media Investigations to Defend Claims.”  This seminar targets CEOs, company owners and partners of ABA’s motorcoach members.

For more information about ABA, please visit their website at https://www.buses.org/.