Clients

Before sunrise Monday, Kevin and Shelley Taylor set out from their Millersville home to a new employment center for the Maryland Live! Casino, a slots parlor next to the Arundel Mills mall seeking workers for 1,500 jobs. Having tracked the progress of what will be the state's largest casino, the Taylors believe the facility could provide opportunity for their five-member family. Though Kevin Taylor has a job, he wants a better-paying one. And Shelley Taylor has been out of work for several months.

The defense attorney for 28-year-old Michael Johnson, charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Phylicia Barnes, told reporters on Thursday that his client had been struck and kicked during his arrest. He disputed a statement from the city's top prosecutor that the arrest went down "without incident. " But trying to track down what actually happened has been a frustrating ordeal, not just on the allegations of mistreatment, but the aura of secrecy surrounding this high-profile case.

Robert L. Oatman does executive protection - and no, he isn't a beefy, brainless bodyguard. He is a fit, trim and congenial figure who likes to wear crisp suits and who works with his team to draw up complex plans for shielding people they're paid to protect. It's a point of professional pride that none of his clients have ever been attacked on his watch over the past 20 years. "If you've got to touch your gun, it means you've made a mistake," said Oatman, 62, whose R.L. Oatman & Associates Inc. is based in Towson.

Public officials often say they can't reveal information because it's subject to “attorney-client privilege,” even though it would be legal to do so. That was the case with a story this week about Baltimore County's deliberations over whether to file suit against Merrill Lynch over losses on a $21 million investment . Earlier this week, four council members attended a meeting with County Attorney Mike Field and members of Kevin Kamenetz's...

Tens of thousands of lawsuits against Maryland debtors over unpaid bills are being tossed out of court because the law firm pursuing the debt-collection cases has abruptly shut down. The move gives a temporary reprieve to Marylanders in default on a variety of bills, particularly credit card payments, and burdens the already strained District Court system, which now has to sort through the legal morass left behind. It is unclear whether the creditors will refile the lawsuits seeking payment.

For a little over a century, starting with the end of the Revolutionary War, Maryland craftsmen were producing some of the finest home furnishings anywhere. Inlaid bellflower furniture, painted furniture, repousse silver, case clocks and other goods made in Baltimore, Annapolis, Frederick and elsewhere during this period are still admired for their design, quality and craftsmanship. Today, furniture from all over the world is easy and often inexpensive to come by, but there remains a demand for quality furnishings made by hand.

Message from Bruce Bereano to rival Annapolis lobbyists: Forget about scooping up his clients. He's not dying. He's just on a diet. The prominent Annapolis arm-twister has dropped 61 pounds in seven months. He feels better than ever, but fellow lobbyists have mistaken svelte for sick. "Any smell of a health problem, they immediately go to the client list and get ready," Bereano said. "I’m sure I disappointed a lot of them. I’m alive and well and kicking. It’s a cold, heartless world, lobbying.

Sandy Hillman Communications, a public relations agency based in Towson, launched a new service where clients seeking limited help on a tight deadline could pay hourly rates for such tasks as writing and distributing news releases, e-mail blasts and media alerts. The firm said it has received repeated requests for short-term assistance from smaller companies and nonprofits during the past year. The new service, called prXpress, guarantees that the work will be done within 48 hours of the request.

A contractor accused of stealing from clients was acquitted of two counts of theft scheme Wednesday, after an Anne Arundel County judge said the cases turned on civil, not criminal, law, and that criminal penalties wouldn't apply. Gregory L. Haigis, 51, of Arnold was found not guilty by Judge Laura S. Kiessling in a nonjury trial that began Monday. Prosecutors dropped three other charges in April. Clients claimed Haigis took money for work that was not completed, asked them for more money and did a shoddy job. "The judge indicated these cases were controlled by contract law," said David P. Putzi, Haigis' attorney.

A Reisterstown financial advisor was sentenced Friday to four years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for mail fraud in connection with defrauding clients, including a child suffering from cerebral palsy, the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office announced. U.S. District Court Judge Catherine C. Blake also ordered Ralph Edward Thomas Jr. to pay $838,350 in restitution and to forfeit property in order to do so, including funds related to investment accounts, his home and his luxury cars.

T. Rowe Price executive R. Todd Ruppert, who oversaw the firm's relationships with clients and partners abroad, is retiring after 27 years with the Baltimore money manager, the company announced Wednesday. Ruppert, who will leave the firm on June 30, plans to focus his time on philanthropic activities and other personal interests. Ruppert's responsibilities as head of Price's global investment services will be assumed on an interim basis by executives Keith W. Lewis and Flemming Madsen.

Mirlande Wilson sat back Wednesday and observed the worldwide media spectacle she caused when she claimed she bought one of the winning $656 million Mega Millions tickets at a Baltimore County convenience store. But after a 23-minute news conference called by her attorney, people were left with just as many questions about the McDonald's manager and 37-year-old mother of seven - including whether she really does have the ticket. Wilson, dressed in a pink T-shirt and baseball cap with a cartoon pig and the words "Sweet Swine," wouldn't so much as nod to acknowledge whether she is the winner.

A disbarred Annapolis lawyer was ordered Thursday to serve 18 months in the Anne Arundel County jail plus five years on probation for siphoning nearly $308,000 from a client. Jerold K. Nussbaum, 60, whom Karen Gunther hired to handle her mother's estate, stole most of it in 2005 and 2006, according to prosecutors and court records. He had pleaded guilty in January. "Mr. Nussbaum not only stole my money, but I've lost my home," Gunther, the heir, told Judge Paul A. Hackner, according to a recording of the court hearing.

A Columbia-based affordable housing organization will announce today that it is merging a mortgage division with a Cleveland firm and will own a majority of the new company. Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit founded by Columbia developer James W. Rouse and wife Patty Rouse, is combining its Multifamily Mortgage Finance business with Bellwether Real Estate Capital, which focuses on commercial and apartment lending. Enterprise's for-profit arm, Enterprise Community Investment, will own 65 percent of the new outfit, Bellwether Enterprise Real Estate Capital.

Some years back, I found a letter in my mailbox at The Sun addressed to Jeanne Moreau, the iconic French actress of the 1950s and '60s, in Paris - a rather glamorous and mysterious missive, given that the bulk of my correspondence tends to come from PR people or prisoners. But the international intrigue was short-lived. It was just a returned letter, popped by the mail guy into my slot (only in the newsroom is Jean Marbella the closest thing to Jeanne Moreau) rather than into the slot of the person who actually sent the letter.

A Reisterstown financial advisor was sentenced Friday to four years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for mail fraud in connection with defrauding clients, including a child suffering from cerebral palsy, the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office announced. U.S. District Court Judge Catherine C. Blake also ordered Ralph Edward Thomas Jr. to pay $838,350 in restitution and to forfeit property in order to do so, including funds related to investment accounts, his home and his luxury cars.

The bonding company for a defunct homebuilder is paying $460,000 to Maryland consumers who weren't refunded the deposits they'd made for new homes that were never built, the state attorney general's office said Tuesday. Arch Insurance Co. — the bonding company for Equity Homes — has handed the money over to the attorney general's Consumer Protection Division, which will handle the consumer claims. The Fairfax, Va.-based Equity Homes, which closed in 2008, was building in Prince George's and Montgomery counties, the state says.

Like other law firms, a fledgling legal practice in Annapolis is looking for clients. But this one is targeting clients who need but can't afford a lawyer, has a retired judge on the payroll and is being financially supported so it doesn't need to turn a profit. The law firm of Michelle J. Moodispaw teams the former public defender with Joseph P. Manck, who retired from the Anne Arundel County bench three years ago. The goal is to attract people who earn too much money to qualify for free legal services — that's a poverty-level income — but can't pay full freight.

The Environmental Business Journal has recognized Sovereign Consulting Inc., an environmental consulting and remediation firm with an office in Edgewood, as one of the top medium-sized environmental businesses in the United States. Sovereign received a Bronze Medal for Business Achievement in 2011. The Environmental Business Journal honored Sovereign Consulting for its business successes over the last five years. Sovereign's 2011 revenue was approximately $48 million in 2011, up from $26.6 million in 2007.

About 20 of High Street Partners' employees are based at its Annapolis headquarters. The rest of its 160 workers are spread around the world, from California to London to Shanghai — which makes sense, considering its niche. The company helps firms set up international operations and keep them humming, whether it's a U.S. corporation trying to break into Brazil or a European company expanding here. High Street is finding plenty of call for those services: Revenue increased by more than 50 percent in 2011, and the company expects to repeat the performance in 2012.