MCGOWAN & CECIL - Key Persons
Alyce Clark assists in many of the large and complex personal injury cases for McGowan & Cecil. She has been with the firm since 2014 and holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Baltimore.
Alyce's unyielding dedication and assertiveness has been a great asset to the firm. It has enabled her to assist our attorneys in obtaining successful and favorable results. In the past year she has aided in the settlement of over one million dollars in recovery for our clients. Her free time is mostly spent assisting her husband in cooking up elaborate meals for guests or lounging around with her pug, Mrs. Pickles.
Ana Vera has been with the firm since 2019. Ana has grown from working as our front desk receptionist to coding documents for our case management software to now being our Circuit Court litigation paralegal.
Since 2019, Ana has also worked with other firms where she has gained experience in other areas of law such as Worker's Compensation, Corporate litigation, and Insurance Defense. Being fluent in Spanish has also made Ana a vital asset to our firm when having to explain the complex process of entering litigation to our Spanish-Speaking clients. Ana's prior experience interning with the Department of Juvenile Services for Baltimore City and working at nonprofit CASA in Action for Maryland just shows the commitment she has to helping her community. At our Firm, you can count on Ana to be there every step of the way for your claim.
Clint graduated in 2003 from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law after which he was a clerk with the 7th Circuit on Maryland for the Honorable Richard H. Sothoron, Jr. He also gained valuable experience from working as an Assistant State's Attorney in Prince George's County.
Job Titles:
- Owner
- Partner
- Chairman of the Torts Section of the Anne Arundel County Bar Association
Mr. Cecil has been a practicing attorney for more than two decades, representing thousands of clients in automobile accidents, truck accidents, premises liability and Federal Tort Claims. He has been recognized as a "Top Lawyer" by Baltimore magazine and was the recipient of the Anne Arundel County Bar Association's 2007 Trustees Award for outstanding contributions to the legal profession.
Mr. Cecil serves as chair of the Torts section of the Anne Arundel County Bar Association. He is a member of the American Association for Justice and the Maryland Association for Justice where he had served on its Board of Governors.
Jennifer Kohlhaus has been with the firm since 2021. Jennifer started at our front desk and has since moved to being a paralegal. Jennifer has also worked with a business and tax firm, where she gained experience drafting documents and multitasking. Jennifer has since maintained client files and assisted our clients. She is a U.S. Navy veteran, and her experience helps with attention to detail and communicating with clients. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband and son, Joel, and building Lego sets.
Marlene Flores joined McGowan & Cecil as a paralegal in 2023. Prior to joining the firm, she worked in banking and helped clients through all aspects, from opening their first accounts to preparing for their first home purchases. Using these experiences, and her fluency in Spanish, she works hard to guide our clients throughout every step of the process.
Michael McGowan is a founding partner in the Law Firm of McGowan & Cecil, LLC. He exclusively represents individuals who have been injured through the negligence of others. This Includes car, truck, motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, falls, defective products and medical malpractice. Mr. McGowan obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Catholic University (Washington D.C.) in 1980, Magna Cum Laude and his Law degree from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in 1983. Upon graduation he completed a judicial clerkship for Judge Melbourne, in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, Maryland. Thereafter he joined O'Malley, Miles, McCarthy & Harrell where he was hired by insurance companies to defend corporations and individuals who were sued for causing personal injuries. During this time he also represented clients who had been injured due to negligence. With the formation of McGowan & Cecil, LLC in 2001, Mr. McGowan limited his practice to exclusively representing the seriously injured.
Mr. McGowan has appeared before the Maryland Insurance Commissioner, the Maryland Court of Appeals, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and the Circuit Courts for most of the counties in the State of Maryland. He is also admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.
Mr. McGowan has made thousands of recoveries for his clients, including multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. Having performed work for insurance companies for over a decade and represented clients injured by negligence for over 35 years, Mr. McGowan has the experience and expertise necessary to maximize his clients' financial recovery within the shortest period of time.
Nathan Desjarlais has been working for McGowan & Cecil since May 2018. Prior to joining McGowan & Cecil, he graduated from Anne Arundel Community College's Paralegal program. Through this program, Nathan completed internships with the Office of the Public Defender, the Maryland Ethics Commission and the Maryland General Assembly. He is happy to bring his prior experience from each to McGowan & Cecil, helping clients achieve the best outcome possible.
Peter focuses on the firm's litigation practice.
Peter is honored to become a life member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum by the Top Trial Lawyers in America, where membership is only offered to those attorneys who have obtained 7 figure settlements or verdicts. He has been named a 12-time "Rising Star" by Super Lawyer in Maryland and the District, a Top 100 Plaintiff's lawyer by The National Trial Lawyers and has previously been named "Top 10 Under 40" lawyer in Maryland. His total recoveries on behalf of his clients total in the tens of millions and he has taken over 150 trials to verdict.
Peter has a particular interest in representing injured children, surgical clients and those diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. He welcomes clients from all walks of life and believes that every client deserves to have their story told and listened to. Peter enjoys fighting for the "underdog" instead of the business is business insurance company. Notably, Peter once represented a Siberian Husky who was injured by someone else while working as a service dog. Thankfully, his client made a beautiful recovery.
Peter lives in a full house with his wife, three young children and three dogs. He enjoys time with his family and is an active member of a USAC cycling team hailing from Baltimore City.
Sarah Peck joined McGowan & Cecil as a paralegal in 2023. She is one of our Circuit Court litigation paralegals dedicated to helping clients through the litigation process. A United States Air Force Veteran with over a decade of experience in the Intelligence Community, Sarah is detail-oriented and passionate about effective communication with her clients. In her free time, Sarah enjoys learning new things and spending time with her family.
Education:
Trident University International, Doctor of Business Administration
University of Maryland University College, Master of Business Administration
Maryland University of Integrative Health, M.A. Health and Wellness Coaching
SUNY Empire State College, B.S. Physics
Turner H. Sothoron was born and raised in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and now resides with his family in Annapolis. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Corporate Communications from Elon University in North Carolina in 2006 and received his Juris Doctorate from North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina.
After graduating law school in May of 2011, he worked as a law clerk to two Prince George's County Circuit Court judges, the Honorable Maureen M. Lamasney and the Honorable Crystal D. Mittelstaedt. Since then, Turner has advocated for hundreds of personal injury victims, handling a wide range of automobile, worker's compensation, and social security disability cases.
He is an active member of the Prince George's County Bar Association and serves as the Prince George's County Circuit Representative for the Young Lawyers Section of the Maryland State Bar Association.