Laura N. Steel

Appellate
Laura’s impressive record in appellate practice speaks to her persuasive brief writing, strong oral advocacy skills, mastery of technical procedural rules and ability to anticipate areas of potential inquiry on the part of an appellate panel. She has handled numerous appeals before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and the Maryland Court of Appeals, as well as the federal appeals courts for the District of Columbia and Fourth Circuits.

Employment & Labor
Laura has defended sexual harassment claims as well as defamation and employee contracts that address at-will employment issues. She has personally handled employment cases on behalf of a number of carriers and other corporate and government clients both at the administrative level (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, District of Columbia and Maryland Office of Human Rights, now the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights) and in the state and federal courts of the District of Columbia and Maryland. Laura has handled a number of matters involving the enforcement and defense of restrictive covenants, including non-competition and non-solicitation provisions. She has counseled clients on the drafting, interpretation and negotiation of contracts and responding to cease-and-desist letters. Laura has handled the defense of actions involving alleged violations of the District of Columbia Human Rights Act and Maryland Human Relations Act; wrongful termination and retaliation claims related to filing a workers' compensation claim; and numerous age, sex, personal appearance, pregnancy, religious and disability discrimination claims brought under federal, state and local county laws.

Professional Liability
Laura has handled civil actions and other dispute resolution proceedings relating to professional liability as well as assorted ethics and disciplinary proceedings. She has had experience in a multitude of areas, including legal malpractice cases, and has defended attorneys, accountants, title agents, real estate appraisers and insurance brokers in a variety of professional liability contexts. The nature of the legal malpractice claims that she has handled covers the spectrum from underlying general liability to complex matters involving real estate and commercial transactions, securities, patent and trademark (including lawyers serving as counsel in connection with real estate transactions or as closing agents), and fraud schemes as well as real estate “flipping” and “equity stripping” cases. She has also dealt with matters relating to the legitimacy of executed powers of attorney in connection with real estate transactions. Other claims Laura has handled have arisen from federal racketeering charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and failures to comply with the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), the Maryland Protection of Homeowners in Foreclosure Act (PHIFA) and local consumer protection statutes, among others. She has devoted more than two decades to civil litigation and other dispute resolution proceedings relating to professional liability as well as ethics and disciplinary proceedings. Her practice includes active trial and appellate cases.

Lawyers' Liability
Laura has defended attorneys in a wide variety of professional liability contexts, including general liability, general civil and commercial litigation, complex securities transactions, medical malpractice, trusts and estates, real estate and commercial transactions (including lawyers serving as counsel in connection with real estate transactions or as closing agents), domestic and matrimonial proceedings, criminal defense, landlord-tenant, immigration law, and patent matters, among other areas. Many of these issues have also raised allegations of federal racketeering under the Civil Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) as well as failure to comply with several local statutes.

Medical Malpractice / Psychiatric
Laura has represented individual practitioners (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and counselors), hospitals, psychiatric facilities and other mental health care providers in matters alleging negligence, malfeasance or sexual abuse/misconduct. She also has represented individuals and entities directly and through insurers. As part of the defense of litigation of 238 cases against several local psychiatric hospitals in connection with the treatment of individual adult and adolescent patients, Laura was responsible for the retention of experts to defend the care rendered, including decisions with respect to hospital admission, diagnosis, medication, length of stay and discharge planning. Of particular relevance is her defense of two psychiatric hospitals sued for negligently hiring, training and supervising employees who engaged in sexual relationships with hospital patients. In six “related” cases, she represented a residential treatment center that had unknowingly employed a pedophile who engaged in sexual relations with numerous adolescent male patients. She has also handled numerous claims involving allegations against individual practitioners accused of having had romantic or sexual relationships with their patients, as well as misdiagnosis and negligent treatment.

Product Liability / Toxic Tort
During her career, Laura has supervised asbestos litigation in the District of Columbia and Maryland for a major automobile manufacturer, a boiler company, an oil refiner/producer and a national retailer. These representations totaled more than 500 cases. In the area of product liability, Laura has also served as local counsel for a major electrical manufacturer, a firearms manufacturer and an automaker.