Experienced General Practice Maryland Lawyers

 Jon Cardin was elected to serve in the Maryland General Assembly from 2003-2015.  Having earned a strong reputation for his work on election law issues, in 2004 Jon Cardin was invited to serve on the Election Law and Redistricting Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). In 2012, he was elevated to chairman, and under his leadership, the standing committee evolved from meeting once a year to becoming an active, perennial task force for fairness, transparency and safety in state elections. Cardin spoke on pertinent election law issues semi-annually at NCSL meetings in Washington, DC and nationwide. These meetings were attended by legislators, legislative staff, community leaders and even lawyers from across the country as part of their required Continuing Legal Education.

Aside from his legislative experience, the Jon S. Cardin Legal Group includes practice areas of criminal defense and constitutional law.  It also manages issues in contracts, personal injury, probate, civil litigation and administrative law.  We have experience in appellate advocacy, jury trial work, district court trial matters and settlement and negotiation.  In addition, we have handled a number of federal matters ranging from bankruptcy to criminal.  Listening and then solving problems without creating unintended consequences has been our vision as lawyers. Whether in private consultation with a client, in the courtroom or at the negotiating table, we meet the challenge of identifying relevant issues and addressing them efficiently and effectively. 

Through legal and legislative experience we have cultivated the specific competencies necessary for success.  Our professional accomplishments have depended heavily on the ability to write clearly, concisely and persuasively, as well as the ability to analyze and explain complex legal issues including regulatory, procedural and constitutional matters.  Furthermore, as a legislator and a trial lawyer who publically defends bills and clients in the face of mounting opposition, Cardin’s ability to verbally negotiate and persuade are similarly effective and strong.  Thus, this firm is equally comfortable communicating with internal staff, legislative colleagues and legal clients, as we are with the media, constituents, and jurors.  We proudly maintain both a stellar success rate and a reputation for arriving at outcomes where everyone feels as if they have been treated with respect and dignity.

As a lawyer and a subcommittee chair on the Ways and Means Committee, Cardin had ample opportunity to flex his communication and negotiation skills, especially the face of significant opposition. Maryland has181 state legislators, hundreds of local elected officials and scores of appointed members of the administration, most of whom believe they are experts in election law. A large part of his job was to digest concerns raised by my colleagues from both sides of the aisle and advocates from around the state, review best practices from around the country, investigate constitutional concerns raised by every proposed change in the law and incorporate it all into a healthy and balanced election law policy.  In fact, in today’s extreme partisan political culture, it was refreshing to require integrity in keeping a non-partisan perspective and in using his legal skills to maintain a degree of objectivity.  Nevertheless, as demonstration of his impeccable negotiation, verbal and written skills, in his eight years as chair, Cardin never lost an election bill in subcommittee, in committee or on the floor of the House of Delegates.

Our law offices are distinctly qualified to tackle the next generation issues that will arise given both recent Court decisions and technological advances, without losing sight of old and persistent issues of privacy, confidence, transparency and accessibility.