ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today announced appointments to the Anne Arundel County Trial Court Judicial Nominating Commission.
“I am deeply grateful for the appointees’ commitment and desire to serve,”
said Gov. Moore. “The Anne Arundel County Trial Court Judicial Nominating Commission helps ensure the quality of Maryland’s judiciary and will also reflect the diverse makeup of the jurisdiction that it serves.”
There are thirteen Trial Court Judicial Nominating Commissions established by
Executive Order 01.01.2023.04. The commissions advertise judicial vacancies, seek recommendations for judicial candidates from their own membership, bar associations and members of the general public, set closing dates for the submission of judicial applications, and evaluate applicants based on a variety of factors including their integrity, temperament, legal knowledge, and professional experience.
Governor Moore’s appointees include:
Elizabeth Ysla Leight, ChairElizabeth Ysla Leight has spent 30 years as Director of Government Relations and Legal Affairs at the Society of Professional Benefit Administrators and is a fellow of the American College of Benefits Counsel. Leight is a former member of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans and served as president of the Maryland State Parent Teacher Association. She is a member of the Maryland Latinos Unidos Steering Committee and the Maryland Hispanic Bar Association.
Andrew BurnettAndrew Burnett is a partner at Potter Burnett Law. Prior to that, Burnett was an associate at Wharton Levin Ehrmantraut & Klein, served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Anne Arundel County, and was a member of the City of Annapolis Board of Appeals.
Phil CulpepperPhil Culpepper has long served in the Anne Arundel County Office of Law and currently is the Supervising County Attorney. Culpepper previously worked in private practice. He is active in the Anne Arundel County Bar Association and serves on the Peer Review Committee for the Attorney Grievance Commission.
James KeattsJames Keatts is the managing partner at Keatts Law Group, a criminal defense, personal injury, and family law firm. Keatts previously served as an Assistant State's Attorney in Anne Arundel County and as an adjunct Legal Studies professor at Anne Arundel County Community College. He volunteers with the Anne Arundel Civil Self-Help Clinic and is the Diversity and Inclusion co-chair of the Anne Arundel Bar Association.
Jessica QuincosaJessica Quincosa is the Executive Director of Community Legal Services, an organization that provides legal services to low income residents of Prince George’s County. Quincosa previously served as a supervising attorney with Maryland Legal Aid, and prior to that was an associate at the Annapolis-based Rodriguez-Nanney Law Firm, as well as Howery, LLP. While in private practice, Quincosa focused on a range of matters from immigration, criminal, and domestic law to complex civil litigation.
Patrick Joseph DonahuePatrick Joseph Donahue is a partner at Annapolis-based Donahue Law Firm where he has a wide-ranging criminal and civil trial practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia, representing both individuals and businesses on the plaintiff and defense side. Donahue graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, and served as a Surface Warfare Officer with the Navy.
Mandeep Singh ChhabraMandeep Singh Chhabra is a partner at Annapolis-based law firm Cochran & Chhabra, LLC, where he handles personal injury and criminal matters. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of law, and an active member of several professional associations, including the Maryland Association for Justice and the American Association for Justice, where he served as a board member.
Jamaal Willie StaffordJamaal Willie Stafford is the founder and managing member of J.W. Stafford, LLC, a professional license defense and employment law firm. He served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Robert M. Bell on the Maryland Supreme Court and is a member of the Maryland Employment Lawyers Association and American Association of Nurse Attorneys.
Doris Green WalkerDoris Green Walker is a sole practitioner representing clients in a wide range of administrative, civil and criminal matters. She previously served as chief attorney at the Howard County office of the Legal Aid Bureau and also served as a staff attorney in the Prince George’s County office. Walker is also a volunteer with the Maryland Volunteer Lawyer Services.
Beverly WinsteadBeverly Winstead is the founder and manager of the Law Office of Beverly Winstead, a law firm specializing in tax, estate planning, sports and entertainment law. Winstead is also a clinical instructor in the Tax Clinic at the University of Maryland’s Carey School of Law. She was named a Maryland Super Lawyer in 2022 and 2023.
Susan Stobbart ShapiroSusan Stobbart Shapiro is a partner at Council, Baradel, Kosmerl & Nolan, P.A. where she leads the firm's labor and employment and information privacy practices. She has 30 years of experience representing clients in state and federal courts, in administrative proceedings, as well as in alternative dispute resolutions. Shapiro is a member of the Anne Arundel County Bar Association’s Board of Trustees.
Magaly Delisse BittnerMagaly Delisse Bittner is a partner at Jimeno & Gray, P.A. where she litigates family, criminal and personal injury cases. Bittner is a member of the Maryland Association for Justice, as well as the Trial Advocacy Leadership Counsel for the University of Maryland Carey School of Law, where she also coaches the National Trial Team.
Michelle Dawn SmithMichelle Dawn Smith is a partner at Trainor, Billman, Bennett, Milko & Smith, LLP, where she litigates family law and criminal cases. Smith served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Anne Arundel County for over 20 years. She also currently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, and on the board of directors for the Anne Arundel County Bar Association.