EDUCATION
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
Bachelor of Arts Degree
September 1973 through June 1977
Potomac School of Law
Watergate Office Building
Washington, D.C.
September 1977 through May 1980
TEACHING
I am a former member of the faculty of the National College of District Attorney located at the University of South Carolina, in Columbus, South Carolina. I taught trial advocacy at the National Advocacy Center. I have taught Trial Advocacy I, Trial Advocacy II, and cross Examination. These are one week courses for young prosecutors to learn and practice trial advocacy skills in a state of the art Federal Facility.
BAR ADMISSIONS
I was admitted to the Maryland Bar on December 10, 1981.
I was admitted to the United State’s District Court for the State of Maryland on December 11, 1981.
I am also admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia, however my bar membership is inactive.
WORK EXPERIENCE
After Graduated from law School in 1980, I worked for Jack Dunlap, Esquire, an attorney located in Berlin, Maryland. I did title searches, legal researches and writing. After I passed the Maryland Bar, I remained in Mr. Dunlap’s employ for approximately one year. I then entered into an arrangement whereby I handled work for Mr. Dunlap in return for office space as I began to establish my private practice.
While working in Mr. Dunlap’s office, I also handled numerous criminal cases for the Public Defender’s Office as a panel attorney, which led to my being hired as an Assistant Public Defender for Worcester County. This was a part-time position, which allowed me to maintain a private practice.
In the fall of 1983, I moved my office to 4100 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, Maryland. There I shared office space with two other attorneys; Peter A. Wimbrow, III, Esquire and Walter P. Drake, Esquire. My practice consisted of criminal defense work, landlord-tenant cases, divorce and child custody disputes, wills, estate planning and some real estate settlement work.
In the fall of 1998, I resigned as an Assistant Public Defender to devote more time to my growing private practice and to handle private criminal cases. I maintained a general practice of law emphasizing criminal and civil trial work. I accepted panel cases for the Public Defender’s Office for major felonies from September 1990 through October 1994. I also served as attorney for the Ocean City Board of Zoning Appeals from 1985 through 1992.
In January of 1995 I accepted a part time position with the State’s Attorney’s Office and began my career as a prosecutor. On May 10, 1999 I was appointed to the position of Deputy State’s Attorney Circuit Court Division. I was responsible for major felony trials in Worcester County. This was a full time position, so I closed my private practice.
On January 1, 2007 I was assigned to take over the position of Deputy State’s Attorney for the District Court Division.
I left the State’s Attorney’s Office in April of 2007 and resumed my private practice. My practice is now devoted exclusively to criminal defense.
SIGNIFICANT CASES
State vs. Benjamin Sifrit and State vs. Erica Sifrit. This was a two-defendant double homicide case. Benjamin Sifrit was tried in Montgomery County before Honorable Judge Paul H. Weinstein. Erica Sifrit was tried in Frederick County, before the Honorable Judge Edward Dwyer. Opposing counsel in State vs. Benjamin Sifrit was William Brennan, Esquire, and Burton Anderson, Esquire. Opposing counsel in Erica Sifrit was Archangelo Tuminelli, Esquire and Thomas Ceraso, Esquire.
These were DNA cases in which the major legal issues were the exigent circumstances search of the Defendants condominium without a warrant, the interpretation of an agreement for Erica Sifrit to testify for the State and an allegation that the State used alternative or inconsistent theories of prosecution. I was lead counsel in both these trials which were tried to juries.
The trial of Benjamin Sifrit took seven days and the trial of Erica Sifrit took eight days. Benjamin’s trial was the most difficult, as much of the physical evidence pointed to Erica. Benjamin Sifrit was convicted of second degree murder, burglary and handgun violation. He was sentence to thirty-eight years in prison. Erica Sifrit was convicted of first degree murder, second degree murder, burglary and handgun violation. She was sentence to life plus twenty years. The Court of Appeals has upheld both verdicts unanimously. 383 Md. 77 (2004)
Warner vs. German, Circuit Court for Baltimore County. This was an automobile accident case involving an Ocean City Police Sergeant, who was driving a department vehicle. The Town of Ocean City sued Mr. German for damages to the police car. Ocean City lost due to a finding of contributory negligence. When Sgt. Warner sued for his injuries in Baltimore County, the case was dismissed on the grounds of res judicata.
I appealed that ruling to the Court of Special Appeals and the lower court was reversed in a reported opinion, Warner vs. German, 100 Md. App. 512 (1994). The matter was then tried before the Honorable J. Norris Byrnes in a two day jury trial. Sgt. Warner prevailed and received a substantial monetary judgment.
State vs. Robert Sutton, Circuit Court for Worcester County, The Honorable Theodore Eschenburg presiding. This was a first degree murder jury trial which lasted three days. Opposing counsel was W. Burton Anderson, Esquire. The case involved the following issues: The voluntariness of the Defendant’s confession; the jury instructions regarding self defense and voluntary intoxication; and the Defendant’s termination of counsel mid trial and continuing the trial pro se. Mr. Sutton was convicted of First Degree Murder and sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The verdict was upheld on appeal. 139 Md. App. 412 (2001) |
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