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/.

1/4/2019: F&P Announces 2019 Attorney Promotions

Franklin & Prokopik would like to celebrate 2019 by recognizing attorneys who have been promoted to either principal or counsel. These people have demonstrated to be both astute and discerning in the courtroom as well as with their peers at F&P. In addition, they have earned honors within the legal community. Join us in congratulating these members of the F&P team and thanking them for their hard work and devotion to the firm.

F&P’s new principals and counsel are:

Lindsey Lewis, principal, Richmond

John Archibald, counsel, Baltimore

Nirav Patel, counsel, Herndon

1/2/2019: Bert Randall to Speak at the MACo Winter Conference

F&P principal Bert Randall is slated to speak at the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Winter Conference,”Charting the Course.” The conference will be held January 2-4, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, Md. Bert will be speaking on January 3 at 2:00pm during the “When Green Fades to Gray: Workplace Standards in the Cannabis Era” session.  Specifically, he will provide an overview on the national landscape of laws and regulations, advice on county workers’ comp, and termination policies and practices based on case law.

The MACo conference focuses on policies and issues facing Maryland at the start of a new legislative session. Topics will also address how various county governments work and will assist newly elected officials at all levels become up-to-date with local government needs.

For more information regarding MACo, please visit their website at http://www.mdcounties.org/.

 

12/27/2018: Lynn Fitzpatrick Receives Workers’ Comp Honor

Lynn McHale Fitzpatrick, a principal in F&P’s Herndon office, has received the distinction of being elected to the Fellows of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers class of 2019. The college honors attorneys, in the field of workers’ compensation, who have been practicing 20 years or longer, and are nominated based on “the highest professional qualifications and ethical standards, character, integrity, professional expertise and leadership.” In addition to this, an attorney has also written and/or lectured on the topic of workers’ compensation and has shown to be a scholar in the field.

The annual induction dinner will be held at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, FL on March 16, 2019 following the Workers’ Compensation Midwinter Meeting and the College of Worker’s Compensation Lawyers (CWCL) Symposium. For more information about the CWCL visit http://www.cwclawyers.org/.

11/30/2018: Gone But Not Forgotten – F&P Commemorates Bob Franklin

Last Friday, November 23, commemorated five years since the passing of Robert (Bob) T. Franklin.  Bob practiced law for three decades and was a founding partner of Franklin & Prokopik, P.C.  His legal expertise was wide-ranging and spanned personal injury and workers’ compensation defense to trucking and transportation.  He created F&P’s 24-hour response team that handles the investigation of trucking accidents and caring for the driver. Bob had served as general counsel to the Maryland Motor Truck Association, Restaurant Association of Maryland and the Towing and Recovery Professionals of Maryland.  His devotion to his work and inner drive propelled him to the top of his industry as a recognized leader, especially in transportation law.   Bob was also a much-in-demand speaker and was the author of many legal articles.

A friend and colleague, Bob’s presence is greatly missed at F&P every day.  Rather than looking back with sadness, we honor his legacy by remembering all the good times that were shared.  We know that is what he would have wanted.