NILES, BARTON & WILMER - Key Persons
Brett A. Buckwalter draws on his more than 20 years of litigation experience in both private practice and as an in-house attorney to help businesses and individuals overcome a myriad of legal issues.
Brett represents clients in a broad variety of cases across Maryland and the District of Columbia. Through this experience, Brett focuses on tailoring his representation to the client's specific needs, working toward an effective resolution in an efficient and timely manner. He is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell®, awarded by peer review, for the highest standards of professional skill and ethics.
Brett has extensive experience representing insurance companies and their insureds, including professionals and businesses in all matters of litigation. This includes representing realtors, settlement agents, title abstractors, attorneys, mortgage and title companies, and insurance agents against claims of professional negligence and deceptive trade practices. He also defends individuals and business against wrongful death and serious bodily injuries claims, including claims arising out of premises liability, automobile accidents, and products liability.
Brittany M. Edmonson is an associate in the Estates and Trusts Department at Niles, Barton & Wilmer, LLP.
She is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, and the MSBA's Estate & Trust Law Section. Brittany earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and a Master of Science in Accounting and Business Advisory Services from Towson University and the University of Baltimore.
Brittany previously worked as a tax accountant serving investment funds and high-net-worth individuals. Brittany applies many of the skills developed during that time to her legal practice focused on estate administration, trust administration, and estate planning.
Christopher practices in the Litigation Department, concentrating in insurance coverage, first-party property matters and third-party litigation. His experience includes insurance fraud investigation, such as arson and staged auto occurrences, and tort defenses. He has presented to various insurance companies on fraud issues, adjustment of insurance losses involving condominiums, and other insurance law topics.
Christopher has advised community associations on covenant enforcement, drafting bylaws and contract negotiations, as well as litigation and mediation. He has also represented HOA's and Condominiums in liability disputes and administrative hearings involving governmental agencies.
Christopher practices in the state and federal courts of Maryland and Pennsylvania. He has spoken at community association industry seminars and is a member of the Community Associations Institute.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Chairman of the Maryland State Ethics Commission
Craig D. Roswell, concentrates his practice on commercial litigation and business law, including matters involving business disputes and real estate.
Craig's practice includes property insurance law, first-party and third-party insurance coverage matters and the defense of complex general liability claims. His experience includes the investigation and litigation of various coverage issues, including arson, coverage interpretations, and fraud investigations.
Craig's extensive commercial litigation experience positions him to assist companies in a variety of business and transactional matters. He advises business owners in general representation matters, creditor's rights in bankruptcy, as well as effective representation of buyers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions in both privately and publicly held industries.
Craig is the current Chair of the Maryland State Ethics Commission, has served on the Maryland State Judicial Nominating Commission, and has also been appointed as a member of the government task force established to study insurance of last resort programs in the state.
Craig has been ranked as a leader in the area of litigation by several professional publications and organizations. He has been recognized by Chambers USA in the area of Insurance Law in Maryland in 2018 and 2021, describing him as "a very good trial lawyer who is very effective for his clients."
He has also been peer-selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of Insurance Law since 2020. Craig has been recognized by Maryland Super Lawyers in Business Litigation since 2008. He is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a member of the Trial Law Institute, and is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell, awarded by peer review, for the highest standards of professional skill and ethics.
Craig is very involved in the community. He is the past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Law Firm Alliance, a global network of midsize law firms extending the reach of legal services beyond the Mid-Atlantic region for Niles Barton, the exclusive Maryland-based member firm. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the B&O Railroad Museum and is Past Board President of St. David's Day School in Baltimore.
Diane represents leading domestic and international carriers, as well as a significant number of syndicates in the world's leading specialist insurance market: Lloyd's of London. She works with underwriters, brokers, managing general agents and third-party administrators to work through first-party insurance matters and third-party/liability matters, including Representations & Warranty (W&I) claims and coverage disputes, Commercial Crime claims, and Property claims.
In addition to her professional work, Diane is the firm's Hiring Partner and Co-Chair of the Women's Committee. She is also an active member of the Law Firm Alliance (LFA) and Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS).
Jeffrey A. Wothers brings three decades of experience litigating on behalf of major international insurance syndicates, domestic insurance carriers and self-insureds.
Jeffrey's practice is focused on Representations & Warranty (R&W) and Warranty & Indemnity (W&I) claims and coverage; insurance litigation; and commercial litigation defense involving professional liability, construction defects and premises liability. Among his many successful representations are numerous multijurisdictional matters for large, complex enterprises that involved high-dollar claims.
Recognized by Martindale-Hubbell® with its highest AV-Preeminent® distinction in insurance law, Jeffrey skillfully litigates coverage disputes and conducts arson and fraud investigations across North America, His clients include numerous Lloyd's syndicates that underwrite insurance and reinsurance coverage for companies around the world. He also serves as trust counsel to the Local Government Insurance Trust, a nonprofit organization that provides self-insurance for jurisdictions across Maryland.
Jeffrey relies on his background in economics and finance to understand the business and financial context of coverage issues. His thoughtful advice and counsel, informed by more than 30 years of coverage litigation and dispute resolution experience, are designed to provide clients with sensible strategies to resolve commercial insurance disputes.
Throughout his career, Jeffrey has taken on various leadership roles. He is on the board of LifeBridge Health hospital and is the past chair of the Audit & Compliance Committee and previously served as Chairman of the Carroll County (Maryland) Planning & Zoning Commission. He was also Niles Barton's managing partner for seven years and continues to serve on the firm's Management Committee. In each of these roles, Jeffrey is a trusted advisor who offers tempered leadership, guidance and mentoring.
Justin S. Dunbar has nearly twenty years of experience representing insurance companies and their insured businesses and individuals in complex automobile and premises liability claims, as well as property claims.
His experience in both private practice and in-house at a major insurance company provides his clients with a well-rounded perspective on insurance claims. Justin has also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Maryland Department of Labor (formerly known as "DLLR") providing legal services to many of Maryland's business and professional occupation boards and commissions. Justin is licensed to practice in all Maryland State and Federal Courts, and before various administrative agencies and the Office of Administrative Hearings.
Lawrence F. Haislip concentrates his practice in the representation of owners, developers, borrowers and lenders in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including zoning and land use issues; land development; sales and acquisitions; land acquisition, development and construction financing transactions; sale-leaseback transactions; real property tax appeals; condominiums, homeowners' associations and planned unit developments; as well as the organization and operation of corporations, partnerships, business trusts and limited liability companies for real estate purposes. He has extensive experience in commercial leasing, as well as in all aspects of title insurance as applied to commercial real estate acquisition and financing transactions.
Larry has worked on many significant commercial real estate transactions throughout Maryland. He served as counsel to the master developer of the planned community of White Marsh, Maryland for over twenty-five years, as well as counsel to Bainbridge Development Corporation, in connection with the redevelopment of the 1,200-acre former U.S. Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Maryland, into a planned mixed-use community. Larry was also counsel to East Baltimore Development, Inc., the owner and developer of an 80-acre New East Baltimore renewal project in Baltimore City. As special counsel to Harford and Cecil Counties, Larry was instrumental in obtaining State legislative authority to permit those counties to create special taxing districts to finance infrastructure projects. He advised Cecil County, Maryland on water and wastewater issues, assisting the county in its sale and privatization of parts of its water and wastewater systems, as well as the acquisition of the wastewater system of the Town of Port Deposit. He also represented Cecil County in a significant inter-jurisdictional rate-setting matter before the Maryland Public Service Commission.
Larry also has extensive experience in structuring tax-deductible conservation easements, and served as a director of The Manor Conservancy, Inc., which is dedicated to rural preservation in the area of My Lady's Manor, in northern Baltimore County and northwest Harford County, Maryland.
He also served as an instructor at the University of Maryland's University College, where he lectured on real property. He was a frequent continuing legal education lecturer/presenter on real property matters.
Lily I. MacKenty concentrates her practice in general insurance coverage litigation, construction defects, premises liability cases, related first party insurance matters and commercial litigation.
Previously, Lily served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Mickey Norman in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County for the 2017-2018 term. Lily attended the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, where she participated as a Rose Zetzer Fellow, and as a member of the Maryland Journal of International Law. Lily currently serves on the alumnae board for her high school, Roland Park Country School.
David Stallings is the Chair of the firm's Estates and Trusts group. He is an experienced fiduciary advisor possessing the rare combination of transactional and litigation skills that make him an ideal fit for clients who face complex financial and planning issues. David regularly assists private and institutional clients in matters of wealth and tax planning, trust and probate administration, fiduciary guidance, and business succession strategies.
David has extensive experience handling probate estates throughout Maryland. With offices in Baltimore City and Worcester County, David is also able to service clients on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay. In addition, David's litigation background makes him uniquely qualified to handle conflicts that can arise within estates, trusts, and family-owned assets. In that same vein, David assists private individuals and business owners in navigating commercial disputes and other business-related conflicts. He is a valued resource to his corporate clients when company operations, long-term business strategies and personal wealth planning inevitably overlap. David has been Recognized by Martindale-Hubbell® with its highest AV-Preeminent® distinction in Litigation, Business Law and Commercial Law and has been consistently recognized as a Maryland Super Lawyer®. David is an experienced advisor and trial attorney who has handled numerous cases throughout the state and federal courts in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. His client services have spanned the United States and he is a frequent collaborator with Niles Barton's partner firms in the Law Firm Alliance.
Mark J. Stiller concentrates in general liability, property insurance law, related first party insurance law matters and subrogation. Previously, Mark was a claims adjuster specializing in litigation defense claims, homeowner liability claims and first and third party recreational watercraft claims.
Pete Cosby has practiced law in Worcester County, Maryland, for over 41 years conducting a broad general practice.
Pete's practice has included commercial and residential real estate transactions, commercial by-sell transactions, planning and zoning, estate planning and administration, condominium and homeowner associations, criminal and traffic violations, liquor licensing, collections, construction disputes and contracting, divorce and family law, transfers of stock and leases in cooperative housing corporations, general litigation and appeals.