County Bar Association

A confidential Carroll County Bar Association survey ranked Westminster attorney Damian L. Halstad, who suddenly withdrew Monday from an appointment to the Carroll County Circuit Court bench, as the lowest qualified of five nominees.Gov. Parris N. Glendening appointed Halstad to replace Francis M. Arnold, who stepped down from the circuit bench in June after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.Halstad accepted the appointment Oct. 13 and then shocked the state and local legal community by declining, noting a battle promised by Republicans in the next election.

Officers named to posts at county bar associationEllicott City lawyer Linda Sorg Ostovitz will become president of the Howard County Bar Association on July 1 for a one-year term.Other association officers are the president-elect, David S. Harvis, a partner in Spahn, Harvis, Greenberg & Broida of Columbia; treasurer, Jeffrey A. Krew, partner in Reese and Carney, LLP, Columbia; and secretary, Janine L. Rice, a sole practitioner in Ellicott City.The association's board of directors also includes members-at-large Betty S. Adams of Adams & Adams, Columbia; county District Judge Neil E. Axel; Assistant State's Attorney Keith M. Cave; Michael W. Davis, a partner in Ahlstrom & Davis, P.A., Columbia; Jo M. Glasco, who practices law in Columbia; and Daniel Vaccaro, an associate in the Columbia law office of Jonathan Scott Smith.

VTCHoll succeeds Shannon at Coca-Cola EnterprisesBill Holl has been named vice president and regional general manager for Coca-Cola Enterprises. He succeeds Robert D. Shannon, who will retire Aug. 1.Holl's region is based in Columbia and includes bottling areas in parts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.Hjortsberg elected head of county Bar AssociationDavid C. Hjortsberg, a partner in the Columbia law firm of Reese and Carney, has been elected president of the Howard County Bar Association.

The Howard County Bar Association has retreated from an earlier request that two candidates for the county Circuit Court pull their television ads from the air, but the lawyers group has released a "statement of facts" that contrasts sharply with assertions in those ads.In its statement released Friday, the bar -- speaking through its executive board for the first time and not its president -- said firmly it has never recommended any candidate in the primary...

Last Sunday's column contained two errors for which I apologize. I mistakenly referred to Judge Lenore Gelfman as administrative judge for the District Court. She is actually an associate judge. Also, I stated that Judge Gelfman was disappointed that she was not recommended for a position on the Circuit Court. In fact, the county bar association did recommend Judge Gelfman. Gov. Parris N. Glendening, however, chose other appointees.

An article in Wednesday's edition of The Sun for Howard County incorrectly identified the positions of Circuit Court judicial nominees Louis B. Willemin and Diane O. Leasure. Ms. Leasure is past president of the Prince George's County Bar Association. Mr. Willemin is a Howard County public defender.The Sun regrets the error.

Six people were nominated yesterday to fill a new spot on the Howard County Circuit Court, including two District Court judges and a public defender.The Howard vacancy is one of four bench openings in Maryland that Gov. Parris N. Glendening must fill in the coming weeks. Vacancies here and in Washington, Charles and Harford counties offer the new governor his first shot at shaping the Maryland judiciary."This is an excellent field from which to select," said Jonathan Scott Smith, a Columbia attorney who is a member of the 9th Judicial Nominating Commission, which screens judicial applicants for Howard County and makes recommendations for filling bench vacancies.

The Baltimore County Bar Association has elected the first female lawyer to serve on the county's Trial Court Judicial Nominating Commission, which screens and recommends candidates for the bench.From a field of 13, the lawyers elected Deborah S. Byrnes, of the firm of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston and wife of Baltimore County Circuit Judge J. Norris Byrnes; Stephen James Nolan; G. Warren Mix; and Alfred L. Brennan Jr., son of another county judge.The bar elections occurred under a revamped process that Gov. Parris N. Glendening said will bring more diversity to the bench.

A quarter of the 21 Carroll lawyers vying for a District Court judgeship aren't qualified for the bench, according to a confidential county bar association report.The report, which lists the results of a secret ballot last month of 67 members of the 100-member local bar, shows that only three of the judicial candidates were rated highly qualified, while nine were listed as qualified.The report listed five candidates as not qualified, while the bar members who voted said that they had no opinion or insufficient information on the ratings of four others.

Gov. Parris N. Glendening appointed four Circuit Court judges in three counties yesterday, including historic choices for Howard County: the first female Circuit judges, one of whom is the first black on the court.Diane O. Leasure, former president of the Prince George's County Bar Association, and Baltimore attorney Donna Hill Staton are the first women to be named Circuit judges in Howard. Ms. Staton will become the county's first black Circuit judge.Others appointed to Circuit judgeships yesterday were attorneys Steven Chappelle in Charles County and Thomas E. Marshall in Harford County.

Beverley Francis chosen for leadership program Beverley Francis, president and chief executive officer of the Columbia Foundation, is among those recently chosen for the Leadership Howard County 2008-2009 Premier Program. The program was launched in 1985 to develop capable people committed to planning for community improvement. The program addresses county issues in monthly, daylong seminars, where participants meet with leaders in business, government and community services. Bonnie Heneson wins Bravo!

Neighbor Ride selects Dearborn Jim Dearborn of Ellicott City will serve as "driver representative" on the board of directors of Neighbor Ride, which provides volunteer drivers for older residents in need of transportation. Also named to the board were Nancy McCord, a Long & Foster real estate agent; Michael Mercurio, a partner in the law firm of Offit & Kurman; Elizabeth Noble, director of Howard Community College's Center for Entrepreneurial and Business Excellence; and Cheron Wicker, deputy director of communications for the Maryland Transit Administration.

A scholarship fund for graduating female athletes has been established at Mount Hebron High School in memory of Judge C. James "Kit" Sfekas, a Howard County District Court judge who died in June at age 49. The fund, initiated by the Columbia Soccer Association and the Howard County Bar Association, was established by Sfekas' wife, Lauren, and Debra Fieldhouse, a Mount Hebron parent and friend of the family. Sfekas coached his daughters' soccer, lacrosse and basketball teams with the Howard County Youth Program and the Soccer Association of Columbia.

Hours have been cut at Baltimore County's land records office, a move that the head of a key county bar association committee described as "catastrophic" with interest rates declining and the demand for mortgage refinancing rising. Circuit Court Clerk Suzanne K. Mensh instituted the new hours Oct. 22, expressing concern over security and what she termed acts of vandalism that have occurred in the office. Mensh cut the daily closing hour from 9 p.m. to 6 p.m. and eliminated the Saturday hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office opens at 7 a.m. Monday through Friday.

The Carroll County commissioners agreed yesterday to spend $12,000 to upgrade resources at the law library used by judges and local attorneys. "In order for attorneys to practice, they need to know the most up-to-date laws," said Commissioner Robin Bartlett Frazier. The county bar association had asked for $22,000. Much of the library's funding is from fines and forfeitures exacted in Circuit Court. Those revenues have declined about 30 percent in the past five years. County funding - about $20,000 annually - has not met the need.

A 45-year-old litigator from Towson has been appointed by Baltimore County Executive C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger to the $130,000-a-year post of county attorney. Edward J. Gilliss will oversee a staff of 25 lawyers whose duties range from lobbying for state aid to defending ordinances in federal court. He replaces Virginia W. Barnhart, who resigned after seven years to return to private practice. Barnhart was a key player in Ruppersberger's administration, advising both the executive and County Council on the legal issues involved in day-to-day decisions.

County police to offer seminar on ways to burglar-proof a home The Howard County Police Department will offer a free home security seminar on burglar-proofing the home from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in the community meeting room of the Howard County Police Station, Northern District, 3410 Court House Drive, Ellicott City. Registration is required Information or registration: 410-313-3750. Robey will receive honor at bar association event The Howard County Bar Association, in cooperation with the Waring-Mitchell Law Society and the Women's Bar Association of Howard County, will honor County Executive James N. Robey at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Elkridge Furnace Inn, 5745 Furnace Ave., Elkridge.

Sales Manager opens offices in Clarksville Sales Manager, LLC, a start-up sales management consulting firm, has opened offices in Clarksville. The company provides sales management expertise and training, including marketing plans, sales strategies and e-commerce consulting, training and coaching. William J. Brennan is president. Attorneys Davis, Agnor unite to start firm Michael W. Davis and Jeffrey T. Agnor, former principals at Ahlstrom & Davis, P.A., have joined to start a Howard County law firm, Davis & Agnor, P.A. Davis is chairman of the Howard County Bar Association's Estates & Trust Section, vice chairman of the Howard County Commission on Aging and the Maryland State Bar Association's Elder Law Council, a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and a member of the board of trustees for the Columbia Foundation.

A confidential Carroll County Bar Association survey ranked Westminster attorney Damian L. Halstad, who suddenly withdrew Monday from an appointment to the Carroll County Circuit Court bench, as the lowest qualified of five nominees.Gov. Parris N. Glendening appointed Halstad to replace Francis M. Arnold, who stepped down from the circuit bench in June after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.Halstad accepted the appointment Oct. 13 and then shocked the state and local legal community by declining, noting a battle promised by Republicans in the next election.

Officers named to posts at county bar associationEllicott City lawyer Linda Sorg Ostovitz will become president of the Howard County Bar Association on July 1 for a one-year term.Other association officers are the president-elect, David S. Harvis, a partner in Spahn, Harvis, Greenberg & Broida of Columbia; treasurer, Jeffrey A. Krew, partner in Reese and Carney, LLP, Columbia; and secretary, Janine L. Rice, a sole practitioner in Ellicott City.The association's board of directors also includes members-at-large Betty S. Adams of Adams & Adams, Columbia; county District Judge Neil E. Axel; Assistant State's Attorney Keith M. Cave; Michael W. Davis, a partner in Ahlstrom & Davis, P.A., Columbia; Jo M. Glasco, who practices law in Columbia; and Daniel Vaccaro, an associate in the Columbia law office of Jonathan Scott Smith.