On
June 12, 2015, the Maryland Association for Justice, Inc. (MAJ) gathered at the
Grand Hotel in Ocean City to celebrate the association’s 62th Annual
President’s Dinner, welcoming new leadership and honoring excellence in the
legal community.
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| David V. Diggs and David M. Kopstein |
The
highlight of the evening’s event was the transition of the association’s
leadership; outgoing President David M. Kopstein passed the “Bronze Bell of
Justice,” a symbol of the association, to incoming President David V. Diggs, of
Kahn, Smith & Collins, PA.
Following his installation as President, Mr. Diggs
welcomed the other newest MAJ officers: President-Elect Philip C. Federico of
Schochor, Federico & Staton, PA in Baltimore; Vice President Thomas F. Yost
of The Yost Legal Group, LLC in Baltimore; Secretary Elisha N. Hawk of The Yost
Legal Group, LLC in Baltimore; Treasurer David J. Wildberger of Iliff,
Meredith, Wildberger & Brennan, PC in Pasadena; and Parliamentarian Hassan
Murphy of Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, PA in Baltimore.
Also
recognized during the evening’s festivities were award winners for Legislator
of the Year, which was awarded to Maryland Senator Robert A. Zirkin, as well as
Trial Lawyer of the Year, and the Simon K. Walton Civil Justice Award.
The
Trial Lawyer of the Year Award is presented annually to a Maryland trial lawyer
or team of trial lawyers who have made a significant contribution to the public
interest by litigating a case of precedential value. This year the award was
presented to two groups of attorneys.
Benjamin
T. Boscolo of ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers, James K. MacAlister of Saiontz
& Kirk, PA, and Matt M. Paavola of Workers Comp Law Firm, LLC received the
award for their significant contributions to ensuring just compensation for
claimants in workers’ compensation cases.
Howard
A. Janet of Janet, Jenner & Suggs, LLC and Jonathan Schochor of Schochor,
Federico & Staton, PA, received the award for their efforts as lead counsel
in the unprecedented court-approved, final and fully funded class action settlement
of the Jane Doe #1, vs. The Johns Hopkins Hospital case, representing over 8,000 women who were victims of sexual assault.
Susan
Yum was presented with the Simon K. Walton Civil Justice Award for her efforts
to preserve life, promote safety, and eliminate distracted driving through
advocacy, education, and action. Susan
Yum is the founder of the Change for Jake Foundation, Inc., whose mission
is to prevent injuries and fatalities caused by cell phone distracted driving
through awareness and advocacy. In 2014, she advocated for a cell phone
distracted driving legislation, which came to be known as Jake's Law. Jake's
Law makes crashes caused by cell phone distracted driving that results in
a serious injury or death a misdemeanor with up to one year of jail time and up
to a $5,000 fine.
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| Jonathan Schochor |
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| Howard Janet |
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| Susan Yum |
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| Robert Zirkin |
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