In this issue:

Shared Parenting - Shared parenting can work, and children today will benefit enormously if there’s more of it.

Build a happy healthy life together:  Part 2 - A happy life also depends on helping each other extend your circle of love and good will beyond the two of you (Pt 2).

Don’t get hung up on fairness - This judge explains how in divorce court, arguing about whether something is fair is usually a waste of time.

The children’s best interest counts most - Nothing is more important than your children, and you must prove this by acting in their best interests. No matter what.

Top six tips to avoid financial disaster - Having your finances in order during your divorce can help avoid a lot of unnecessary added stress.

The California Lawyer published its 2013 CLAY (California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year) Awards, recognizing lawyers throughout California whose legal work made a significant impact in 2012.  One of the cases selected was a class action that challenged certain fee increases at the University of California as a breach of contract.  The court’s award of $48.5 million to nearly 3,000 former students who pursued professional degrees, including law and medical degrees, was affirmed on appeal in 2012.  Andy Freeman of Brown, Goldstein & Levy served as co-counsel.

Link to California Lawyer article

A constitutional victory

The Maryland Board of Public Works reversed course and decided to obey a federal judge’s order to pay $200,000 in attorneys’ fees stemming from a challenge to a state policy that limited First Amendment-protected activities, including voter registration, at transit stops.

Andy Freeman and Laura Abelson represent the plaintiffs in obtaining attorneys’ fees.

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Judge Catherine C. Blake, U.S. District Court, ruled that The Walt Disney Co. and Zone Enterprises of Maryland LLC owe employees of the former ESPN Zone in the Inner Harbor back pay for shutting down in 2010 without giving the notices requires by federal law.

Andy Freeman and Brooke Lierman represent the former ESPN Zone workers.

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Garnishment of state property weighed

Civil rights lawyers say they will take any steps necessary, including garnishing the property of the state or certain state officials, after the Maryland Board of Public Works refused to honor a federal court order to pay their attorneys’ fees in a voter-registration case.  The attorneys’ fee order stems from the settlement of a 5-year-old civil rights lawsuit over a Maryland Transit Administration regulation that prevented voter registration at bus and train stations.

Andy Freeman and Laura Abelson represent the plaintiffs in obtaining attorneys’ fees.

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Joshua Treem, a prominent trial attorney, has joined Brown, Goldstein & Levy.  Dan Goldstein said “The firm is especially pleased that Josh has joined our team.  He is a highly respected member of the legal community and will make a substantial addition to our criminal practice.  I have known and admired Josh since we were both Assistant U.S. Attorneys years ago, and we are thrilled to have him as our partner.”

 Download Press Release PDF

Download Daily Record Article

Brown, Goldstein & Levy is proud to announce that all nine of our partners were selected as 2013 Maryland Super Lawyers and that Greg Care and Brooke Lierman were chosen as 2013 Maryland Rising Stars.

Named Super Lawyers:

C. Christopher Brown

Joseph B. Espo

Andrew D. Freeman

Daniel F. Goldstein

Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum

Andrew D. Levy

Dana W. McKee

Stuart O. Simms

Joshua R. Treem

Selected as Rising Stars:

Gregory P. Care

Brooke E. Lierman

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The Federal Lawyer – December 2012

Access to digital technology is a new frontier in the enforcement of civil rights for persons with disabilities. In these cases, the analysis turns not on accommodations or architectural guidelines, but whether the person with a disability has equal access to a program or activity which, in the digital world, often centers on the need for effective communication.  Dan Goldstein & Greg Care discuss how the inherent flexibility of digital information and the explosion in popularity of digital devices, software, and content in government, business, education, and social life should be a powerful engine for integration of people with disabilities through equal access.

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Lunch Seminar

LGBT Legal 101 will be offered at the offices of Brown, Goldstein & Levy on Tuesday, December 4, 2012 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Topics:
Working with LGBT clients
Transgender Basics- name & gender changes
Current landscape of LGBT family law

Presenters:
Aaron Merki, Esq., FreeState Legal Project
Jessie Weber, Esq., Brown, Goldstein & Levy
Mark Scurti, Esq., Pessin Katz Law

Participating attorneys must be barred in Maryland and agree to take at least one pro bono case from FreeState Legal Project. Mentors, case support, and malpractice insurance will be available to attorneys taking pro bono cases.

Questions? Contact Kiah Elmore, Recruitment & Training Coordinator, at 443-703-3046 or kelmore@probonomd.org.

To register, please complete the form on www.ProBonoMD.org and e-mail it to Kelmore@ProBonoMD.org.

Download PDF of flyer

Same-sex marriage will boost family law practice

Family law attorneys in Maryland predict that the passage of a referendum legalizing same-sex marriage in the state earlier this month will be a boon to business, but are proceeding with caution as they navigate previously uncharted legal territory.  Dana McKee, who was interviewed in the article, said the legalization of same-sex marriages provides a huge opportunity for same-sex couples as to where they go for legal services.

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