Maryland Bar Foundation

The Maryland Bar Foundation is a non-profit charitable corporation organized in 1965, with the objective of obtaining gifts and contributions to be used for the following purposes:

• To foster and maintain the honor and integrity of the profession of the law;
• To improve and to facilitate the administration of justice;
• To promote the study of the law and research therein, the diffusion of knowledge thereof, and the continuing education of lawyer

The Foundation has carried out these purposes by making grants to organizations that work within Maryland to accomplish the goals of the Foundation.

The Maryland Bar Foundation seeks nominations for the J. Joseph Curran Public Service Award for Distinguished Government/Public Interest Lawyers. The recipient of this award is either a government or public interest lawyer known for selflessly serving the public good and furthering the goals of better government and societal standards.

The 2013 Curran Award honoree is Ralph S. Tyler, Esquire, who will receive the award at the Foundation's April 25 meeting at the Annapolis Yacht Club.

The J. Joseph Curran, Jr. Public Service Award is intended to recognize either a government or public interest lawyer known for selflessly serving the public good and furthering the goals of better government and societal standards. Ralph S. Tyler has had a distinguished career in public service at the local, state and national levels. Mr. Tyler has served as Baltimore’s City Solicitor, as a Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Litigation for the Attorney General’s Office, as Chief Counsel to Governor Martin O’Malley, and as Maryland’s Insurance Commissioner. Most recently, Mr. Tyler served as Chief Counsel to the Food and Drug Administration. Additionally, he has been a member of the Baltimore City School Board. While in private practice, Mr. Tyler has demonstrated a strong and lasting commitment to pro bono legal services and similar activities.

The Maryland Bar Foundation seeks nominations for the Fellows Class of 2013. Membership in the Fellows is recognition of your “outstanding dedication and contribution to maintaining the honor and integrity of the legal profession, the improvement and facilitation of the administration of justice, the work of the organized Bar of Maryland and civic leadership.” Membership as a regular Fellow is limited to not more than 2.5% of MSBA membership. Nominations may only be submitted by a current Fellow, and nominees must then be endorsed by the Foundation's Board of Directors. Deadline to submit a nomination was April 19, 2013.

Nomination Form

The Edward F. Shea, Jr. Professionalism Award was created in 1996 to recognize a young lawyer who demonstrates pride, dedication, and adherence to the highest standards of integrity, civility, and compassion. Any lawyer admitted to practice in Maryland, who is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, and who will not reach the age of 38 before the end of 2013, is eligible for nomination .The deadline for nominations for April 15.

More details on the Edward F. Shea Award

Nominations are now being accepted for the twenty-ninth annual H. Vernon Eney Endowment Fund Award. The award is presented by the Maryland Bar Foundation to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in working to improve government and the administration of justice. Nominees should exhibit the four principal characteristics of Mr. Eney, which distinguished his career: excellence in the law; bar leadership; community leadership; and enormous capacity for work. The deadline for nominations for April 15.

More details on the H. Vernon Eney Award

REVISED Meeting & Events Dates (as of 8/14/12)

Presented October 15, 2012, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Maryland

The Advancement of Professional Competence - The Honorable Mary Ellen Barbera

The Advancement of Public Service Responsibility - The Honorable William D. Missouri

The Advancement of Public Understanding of the Law - Andrew D. Levy, Esq.

The Advancement of the Rights of the Disadvantaged - Martin H. Schreiber II, Esq.

The Advancement of Unpopular Causes - Henry E. Dugan, Jr., Esq.

View past winners of the awards

MARYLAND BAR FOUNDATION FELLOWS
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED

Your financial support is vital to the foundation. As a professional and public-minded citizen, you are presented with a unique opportunity to contribute to and encourage an organization designed to serve the highest aims of the legal profession. And each time the Bar Foundation puts the justice system to work in the public interest, it benefits you -- building good will for you and your profession within the State of Maryland and reflecting a real record of accomplishment in the eyes of the public.

ENDOWMENT FUND

The Maryland Bar Foundation Endowment Fund was established to assure long term funding for public and professional service projects. Although gifts of any size are gratefully accepted, those of $500 or more may be designated by the donor to become part of the Endowment Fund. The earnings of the Fund will be used to further the goals of the Foundation.

MEMORIALS

Lawyers and their families are encouraged to remember the Foundation or its Endowment Fund for memorial giving through appropriate provision in their wills.

HOW WILL I BENEFIT?

1. You will have the satisfaction of knowing that your gift is being used in support of projects that enhance the legal profession and improve the administration of justice within the State of Maryland.
2. The Rules of Professional Conduct points out the lawyer's obligation to improve the legal system. Since many lawyers cannot participate in worthwhile programs to the degree they would like to because of constraints placed upon their time, supporting the work of the Maryland Bar Foundation is one of the most meaningful ways to meet this obligation.
3. You will be contributing to the only foundation that works solely within the State of Maryland that is devoted to improving the administration of justice and to improving the public's knowledge of the law.
4. to cause to be published and to distribute addresses, reports, treatises and other literary works on legal subjects
5. to maintain a law library
6. to acquire, preserve and exhibit rare books and documents, objects of art, and items of historical interest having legal significance or bearing on the administration of justice

ACTIVITIES AND GRANTS

The Bar Foundation has funded a number of projects designed to improve delivery of legal services and the administration of justice in Maryland. Recent grants have helped to support Law Links, a joint program through the MSBA and several local bar associations that oversees summer legal internships for at-risk high school students.

Assistance was also provided to the Citizenship Law-Related Education Program for its Baltimore City Teen Court Committee which established a Teen Court in Baltimore City to provide peer-driven alternative sentencing for delinquent teens.

Within the past year a grant was also made to the MSBA's Select Committee on Gender Equality for its ten-year retrospective examination of the progress made in implementing the recommendations of the Maryland Special Joint Committee Report on Gender Bias in the Courts, issued in 1989. These are but a few of the contributions made by the Bar Foundation in furtherance of its goals.  Click here for a Grant Application.

MEMBERSHIP AS A BAR FOUNDATION FELLOW

Membership in the Fellows is, first, recognition of your “outstanding dedication and contribution to maintaining the honor and integrity of the legal profession, the improvement and facilitation of the administration of justice, the work of the organized Bar of Maryland and civic leadership.” Membership as a regular Fellow is limited to not more than 2.5% of MSBA membership. Invitations are extended only after nomination by a current Fellow and endorsement by the Board of Directors of the Foundation.

Questions regarding the Maryland Bar Foundation can be directed to Paul Carlin

2012 - 2013
Hon Karen A Murphy Jensen, President Circuit Court for Caroline County 109 Market St Rm 200 Denton, MD 21629-1062 P: (410) 479-2303 F: (410) 479-4063 Private email address	Robert J Kresslein, Vice President Severn O'Connor & Kresslein PA 50 Carroll Creek Way Ste 340 Frederick, MD 21701-7106 P: (301) 682-9840 F: (301) 682-9225 rkresslein@fredericklaw.com
Hon Anne Korbel Albright, Secretary/Treasurer Montgomery County Circuit Court Associate Judge 50 Maryland Ave Fl 8 Rockville, MD 20850-2320 P: (240) 777-9261 F: (240) 777-9265 Private email address
Sara H Arthur, Member Arthur Law Group LLC PO Box 1470 Annapolis, MD 21404-1470 P: (410) 268-7788 F: (410) 268-7785 Private email address	Michael J Baxter, Member Baxter Baker Sidle Conn & Jones PA 120 E Baltimore St Ste 2100 Baltimore, MD 21202-1615 P: (410) 385-8022 F: (410) 230-3801 mjb@bbsclaw.com
Thomas Carl Cardaro, Member Cardaro & Peek LLC 201 N Charles St Ste 2100 Baltimore, MD 21201-4182 P: (410) 752-6166 F: (410) 752-6013 tcc@cardarolaw.com	Alice S Chong, Member National Security Agency 9800 Savage Rd Ste 6648 Fort Meade, MD 20755-6648 P: (410) 854-3910 F: (410) 854-1770 aliceschong@yahoo.com
Henry E Dugan Jr, Member Dugan Babij & Tolley LLC 1966 Greenspring Dr Ste 500 Lutherville Timonium, MD 21093-4119 P: (410) 308-1600 F: (410) 308-1742 hdugan@medicalneg.com	Hon Lenore R Gelfman, Member Circuit Court for Howard County 8360 Court Ave Ste 1 Ellicott City, MD 21043-4550 P: (410) 313-2143 Private email address
Katherine Kelly Howard, Member Regional Management 15 E Fayette St Baltimore, MD 21202-1606 P: (410) 539-2370 F: (410) 539-4810 khoward@regionalmgmt.com	Hughie Duvall Hunt, Member Kemet & Hunt 4920 Niagara Rd Ste 206 College Park, MD 20740-1112 P: (301) 982-0888 F: (301) 982-0889 hhunt@kemethuntlaw.com
Hon Christopher B Kehoe, Member Court of Special Appeals 11 S Washington St Ste F Easton, MD 21601-3031 P: (410) 822-3935 F: (410) 820-5053 Private email address	Paul F Kemp, Member Ethridge Quinn McAuliffe Rowan & Hartinger 33 Wood Ln Rockville, MD 20850-2233 P: (301) 762-1696 F: (301) 217-5617 pfk@eqkmrh.com
Paul R Kramer, Member 1 N Charles St Ste 1104 Baltimore, MD 21201-3719 P: (410) 727-5531 F: (410) 727-2186 Private email address	John P Kudel, Member Kudel McGann & Del Pino LLC 1 Metro Sq 51 Monroe St Ste 600 Rockville, MD 20850-2416 P: (301) 762-3770 F: (301) 762-8435 jpkudel@aol.com
M Natalie McSherry, Member Kramon & Graham PA 1 South St Ste 2600 Baltimore, MD 21202-3291 P: (410) 752-6030 nmcsherry@kg-law.com	John J Murphy III, Member Walker & Murphy LLP 9210 Corporate Blvd Ste 210 Rockville, MD 20850-6245 P: (301) 519-9150 F: (240) 599-1144 jmurphy@walkermurphy.com
Thomas D Murphy, Member 31 Wood Ln Fl 2 Rockville, MD 20850-2227 P: (301) 424-0400 F: (301) 340-0598 tmurphy@murphyslawmd.com	Mark F Scurti, Member Pessin Katz Law PA 901 Dulaney Valley Rd Ste 400 Towson, MD 21204-2695 P: (410) 938-8718 F: (410) 832-5607 mscurti@pklaw.com
Michael Wisit Siri, Member Bowie & Jensen LLC 29 W Susquehanna Ave Ste 600 Towson, MD 21204-5214 P: (410) 583-2400 F: (410) 583-2437 siri@bowie-jensen.com

20 Members

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2012 - 2013
Sara H Arthur, Chair Arthur Law Group LLC PO Box 1470 Annapolis, MD 21404-1470 P: (410) 268-7788 F: (410) 268-7785 Private email address	Mark F Scurti, Vice-Chair Pessin Katz Law PA 901 Dulaney Valley Rd Ste 400 Towson, MD 21204-2695 P: (410) 938-8718 F: (410) 832-5607 mscurti@pklaw.com
Hon Anne Korbel Albright, Secretary/Treasurer Montgomery County Circuit Court Associate Judge 50 Maryland Ave Fl 8 Rockville, MD 20850-2320 P: (240) 777-9261 F: (240) 777-9265 Private email address

3 Members

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