Seven Lerch, Early & Brewer attorneys were recently selected as the 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective practices by Best Lawyers in America.
Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity. The recognized attorneys are:
- James R. Hammerschmidt, Employment Law – Management and for Litigation – Labor and Employment. Jim’s practice includes a range of commercial, corporate, and employment counseling and litigation in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
- Marc DeCandia, Real Estate Law. Marc is a real estate attorney who represents developers and lenders in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia. His practice focuses on the development of complex mixed-use, vertically subdivided projects governed by condominium, covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs), or reciprocal easement structures.
- Erin E. Girard, Municipal Law. Erin is a land use and zoning attorney with significant experience in securing approvals on a wide range of complex commercial, institutional, and mixed-use projects in Maryland.
- William A. Goldberg, Litigation – Trusts and Estates. Bill is a litigator who represents companies and individuals facing a variety of complex commercial disputes. He also represents personal representatives, trustees, beneficiaries, and charitable organizations in fiduciary/ trust and estate litigation.
- Patrick L. O’Neil, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law. Patrick is a land use and zoning attorney who works with real estate developers and property owners to secure approvals throughout Montgomery County. He also serves as outside general counsel for independent schools throughout Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia.
- Raymond J. Sherbill, Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law. Ray counsels businesses of all sizes in the mid-Atlantic region as well as nationally and internationally, in a variety of transactional, financial, employment and tax-related matters, as well as the handling and resolution of complex disputes.
- Trish Weaver, Mediation. Trish is an appellate, corporate and general commercial litigation, and estates and trusts litigation attorney serving businesses and individuals in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year,” making this accolade particularly significant. These lawyers are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the peer-review assessments.
