Contact:  Sally W. Rankin/Maria Smiroldo
Court Information Office
Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building
Annapolis, MD 
(410) 260-1488

For Immediate Release

MARYLAND JUDICIARY CREATES 
PROFESSIONALISM TASK FORCE

(ANNAPOLIS, MD–April 25, 2002) The Judiciary has established a 26-member Task Force to study and advance professionalism in Maryland’s legal community, Court of Appeals Chief Judge Robert M. Bell announced today.  He has appointed Court of Appeals Judge Lynne A. Battaglia to serve as Chair-designee. 

“In establishing this Task Force, I invite lawyers across the State to identify ways to achieve and maintain the utmost level of civility, legal ethics and professionalism among our State’s lawyers,” Chief Judge Bell said. 

The primary function of the Task Force is to conduct a “self study” of the concept of professionalism through the convening of town hall meetings of lawyers in each of Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions.  The first meeting of the Task Force is May 28 in Annapolis.

The creation of this Task Force is the culmination of many years of work to raise the standard of professionalism in Maryland’s legal community.  Such actions as the adoption of a civility code for lawyers in the 1990's, and the Court of Appeals’ mandate in 1992 that all new Bar admittees take a course in professionalism, helped to pave the way toward the formation of this task force.  The issue was also addressed on a national level in 1996, when the Conference of Chief Justices adopted a resolution that called for the study of lawyer professionalism, and encouraged each state’s highest court to assume responsibility for this important aspect of the legal profession.
 

TASK FORCE MEMBERS
   The Honorable Lynne A. Battaglia, Court of Appeals - Chair-designee
   Allegany County - Nicholas J. Monteleone, Esq.
   Anne Arundel County - Walter S. B. Childs, Esq.
   Baltimore City - Joseph E. Spicer, Esq.
   Baltimore County - Dana O. Williams, Esq.
   Calvert County - Laurence W. B. Cumberland, Esq.
   Caroline County - Anne C. Ogletree, Esq.
   Carroll County - Charles M. Preston, Esq.
   Cecil County - Michael J. Scibinico, II, Esq.
   Charles County - Robert H. Moreland, Jr., Esq.
   Dorchester County - Robert S. Collision, Esq.
   Frederick County - Thomas E. Lynch, III, Esq.
   Garrett County - Cristine Kepple Sweitzer, Esq.
   Harford County - Cornelius D. Helfrich, Esq.
   Howard County - Daniel H. Scherr, Esq.
   Kent County - C. Daniel Saunders, Esq.
   Montgomery County - Gary L. Crawford, Esq.
   Prince George’s County - John C. Frederickson, Esq.
   Queen Anne’s County - Lance G. Richardson, Esq.
   St. Mary’s County - Joseph Ernest Bell, II, Esq.
   Somerset County - Kristy D. Hickman, Esq.
   Talbot County - Michael Francis O’Connor, Esq.
   Washington County - William P. Young, Jr., Esq.
   Wicomico County - James L. Otway, Esq.
   Worcester County - Cathi V. Coates, Esq.

    Lawyer - Reporter  - Norman Smith, Esq.
 

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