Mary Ellen Flynn
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Mary Ellen Flynn

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Mary Ellen Flynn

Mary Ellen Flynn, Esq

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I primarily practice in the areas of family law, estate planning, collections, and other civil litigation including jury trials. My largest referral source is my clients, past and present. I have a reputation for being aggressive, effective, and thorough, without ever forgetting that I am serving my clients’ needs and goals first and foremost. I believe that my job is not only to be an excellent advocate for my clients but also to educate and inform them so that they are empowered to make important decisions in their cases and in their personal and professional lives. Whether I am representing a client in highly-contested litigation or resolving outstanding matters through collaborative law, mediation or settlement negotiations, my primary goals are to provide my client with a clear understanding of how the law applies to his/her particular situation, to keep my client advised of the current status and next steps in the case process, and to obtain the best results for my client.

Judges and domestic relations masters have shown confidence in my abilities by appointing me as a legal representative for children and elderly persons who are in need of legal protection for themselves and/or their property in domestic, guardianship and trusteeship situations. The business community has sought my assistance in areas such as business contract enforcement, debt collection, and property damage claims, and I am a member of the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce. From 1988-1998, in addition to my practice of law, I served as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Takoma Park, Maryland. Throughout my career, former clients have returned and/or referred friends and business associates to me when legal questions or concerns arise for them, and I have been honored by many awards. I have achieved an AV® rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest possible peer review rating of attorneys for ethics and legal ability. In the Spring of 2010, the Montgomery County Bar Association honored me with the Professionalism Award. The Maryland State Bar Association’s Solo & Small Firm Practice Section and the Howard County Bar Association presented me with the 2009 David Hjortsberg Award, which is given in appreciation of a solo/small firm’s practitioner who raises the consciousness of all attorneys and non-attorneys through her/his professionalism, civility, intelligence, respect and commitment to community. The Daily Record recognized me in 2008 as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, an award for outstanding achievement of women as demonstrated through professional accomplishment, community leadership and mentoring, and also as one of 24 Marylanders to receive a Leadership in Law Award, for significant and consistent contribution to the legal profession and the community. Additionally, Baltimore Magazine and Maryland Super Lawyers Magazine have named me a ‘Super Lawyer’ for eight consecutive years, spanning 2008 – 2015. In the fall of 2010, I was honored as one of “DC’s Finest” for Collaborative Family Law and Mediation in the Washington City Paper.

I am honored to and enjoy giving back to my profession in a variety of ways. Recently I served as President of the Montgomery County, Maryland Bar Foundation, Inc. and immediately prior to that position, I served as President of the Bar Association of Montgomery County, Maryland (and was only the 5th female to do so in the Association’s 113 year history at that time). In addition, for the Montgomery County Bar Association I presently serve on the District Court Bar-Bench Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Personnel Transition Committee, and I am the Chair of their Courthouse Construction Committee. For the Maryland State Bar Association I serve on both the Board of Governors and the Local and Specialty Bar Committee. Recently, I was appointed to be a Trustee for the Bar Associations Insurance Trust. I have held many other elected and appointed positions including Treasurer of both Montgomery County’s Bar Association and its Bar Foundation; Treasurer, President, and Board of Directors Member of the Women’s Bar Association of Montgomery County; Chair of the Solo and Small Firm Practitioners Section for the Maryland State Bar Association; and Treasurer and Finance Co-Chair for the Campaign to Elect Sitting Judges of Montgomery County. I have taught many continuing legal education seminars for the American Bar Association, Maryland State Bar Association, Montgomery County Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association, Inns of Court of Prince George’s County, and conferences, including a state-wide conference of county government attorneys. My speaking engagements also include Montgomery County Cable TV, radio programs, and guest lecturing at neighborhood and civic organizations. My publications are included in national, state and county journals and in local newspapers.

Born and raised in Queens, New York, I graduated from State University of New York in Binghamton with honors in 1985 and then received my law degree from Washington College of Law (WCL) at American University, cum laude, in 1988, and I now serve on the WCL Dean’s Advisory Council. During my law school years, I contributed to the publication Journal of International Law, clerked in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for Magistrate Arthur Burnett, served as a Rule 13 prosecutor for the State’s Attorney’s Office for Anne Arundel County, and clerked as a Dean’s Fellow for Professor Candace Kovacic, assisting her on several law review journals. I began practicing law in Maryland in 1988 and in the District of Columbia in 1989. I very much enjoy being a successful litigator, advocate and counselor for all of my clients, and I consider it a privilege to serve the community through my practice of this worthwhile and honorable vocation.

Professional Experience

Andalman & Flynn, P.C., Silver Spring, Maryland

  • Managing Partner (1998-present)
  • A/V Rated Attorney by Martindale Hubbell

Silber, Andalman, Perlman & Flynn, P.A., Takoma Park, Maryland

  • Managing Partner (1991-1998)

Law Offices of Susan Silber, Takoma Park, Maryland
(predecessor to Silber, Andalman, Perlman & Flynn, P.A.)

  • Associate (1988-1991)
  • Law Clerk (1987-1988, during law school)

City of Takoma Park, Maryland

  • Assistant Corporation Counsel (1988-1998)

During Law School

  • Law Clerk, US Magistrate for US District Court for District of Columbia (Summer 1987)
  • Law Clerk, Offices of Stephen Trattner, Washington, D.C. (Sept 1986 – June 1987)
  • Rule 13 Student Prosecutor, District Court and Circuit Court, Office of State’s Attorney for Anne Arundel County, MD (Sept 1987- June 1988)
  • Law Clerk, Professor Candace Kovacic, Washington College of Law (1987-1988)

Education

  • Washington College of Law at American University, Juris Doctor, cum laude, 1988
  • State University of New York at Binghamton, Bachelors of Science, with honors, 1985
    Majors: Political Science and Law & Philosophy

Awards & Recognition

  • A/V® rating from Martindale Hubble®, the highest possible peer review rating of attorneys for ethics and legal ability
  • Maryland Super Lawyer, Baltimore Magazine and Maryland Super Lawyers Magazine (2008-2016)
  • Washington D.C. Super Lawyer, Law and Politics Magazine and Washington D.C. Super Lawyers Magazine (2008-2016)
  • 25+ Top Divorce Attorneys in Montgomery County, Maryland, Bethesda Magazine (Nov./Dec. 2013 Issue)
  • Executive of the Year Award, National Association of Professional Women (NAPW), presented at the NAPW Annual Meeting in New York City, recognizing a handful of women nationally each year for their success in business and their outstanding abilities to interact, exchange ideas, educate, and empower professional women (2011/2012)
  • Annual Professionalism Award presented by the Bar Association of Montgomery County, Maryland at their Annual Meeting (2011)
  • The David Hjortsberg Award, presented by the Maryland State Bar Association’s Solo and Small Firm Practice Section and the Howard County Bar Association, in appreciation of a solo/small firm practitioner who raises the consciousness of all attorneys and non-attorneys through her/his professionalism, civility, intelligence, respect and commitment to community (2009)
  • Maryland’s Leadership in Law Award, bestowed by The Daily Record, celebrating the success of 24 Marylanders who contribute significantly and consistently to the legal profession and to the communities in which they work (2008)
  • Maryland’s Top 100 Women Award, bestowed by The Daily Record, recognizing the outstanding achievement of women as demonstrated through professional accomplishment, community leadership and mentoring (2008)
  • Honoree, Annual Meeting of the Montgomery County Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland (2007)
  • President’s Outstanding Service Award, Bar Association of Montgomery County, Maryland (2007)

Professional Contributions

Seminars and other speaking engagements:

  • Speaker, “Getting Paid for the Work You Do: How to Increase Your Income from Domestic Relations Cases,” American Bar Association Section of Family Law and the ABA Center for Continuing Legal Education, Teleconference/Live Audio Webcast Program, November 18, 2009
  • Speaker, “Collections: The Pursuit and Defense of Claims,” Bar Association of Montgomery County, Maryland, New Practitioner’s Nuts and Bolts CLE. November 4, 2009
  • Speaker, “Getting Paid for the Work You Do: How to Increase Your Income from Domestic Relations Cases,” ABA Family Law Section, 2009 Annual Conference, April 24, 2009
  • Featured Speaker, “How to Have Your Cake and Eat It Too,” Montgomery County Chapter of the Maryland Women’s Bar Association, May 30, 2007
  • Speaker, Bar Admission Ceremony of New Maryland Attorneys, Court of Appeals, Maryland, December 11, 2006
  • Panelist, “Fees: The Fine Art of Setting, Contracting & Collecting—Without Being Sued or Grieved,” MICPEL, November 18, 2005
  • Speaker, “Getting Paid For the Work You Do,” MSBA Solo and Small Firm Conference, November 5, 2005
  • Panelist and Moderator, “Collect Your Fees Without Getting Burned,” MSBA Annual Convention in Ocean City, June 19, 2004
  • Speaker, “Collections and Law Firm Management,” Gary Simpson Memorial CLE Seminar, January 2003
  • Guest Lecturer, “Finding the Money and Other Collections Tips,” Marlboro Inns of Court, November 2001
  • Guest Lecturer, Montgomery County Attorney’s Office Debt Collection Retreat. June 2001
  • Speaker, “Hanging out your Shingle,” Maryland State Bar Association Conference, January 1999
  • Speaker, “How to PDA,” MSBA Annual Convention in Ocean City, June 17, 2000
  • Guest Lecturer, “Family Law,” Montgomery Community College, Summer 2001
  • Panelist with the Honorable Patrick Woodward, “Law School for the Public,” Montgomery County Cable TV, 1999
  • Speaker, “Creating and Maintaining a Law Firm,” Annual Meeting of the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland, May 1999
  • Speaker, American Collectors Association Dinner, October 1997
  • Moderator, “Judicial Selections Process,” Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD (1995)
  • Panelist, “Providing Effective Legal Representation to Demonstrators,” American University (1991)
  • Speaker, numerous times for Montgomery County Public School System, rotary clubs, homeowners associations and other civic organizations

Publications

  • Author, Getting Paid, American Journal of Family Law, (in press for early 2010)
  • Author, President’s Message, The Bar Association of Montgomery County, Maryland Newsletter, 11 Columns for Monthly Issues, June 2007 – May 2008
  • Contributor, Fees: The Fine Art of Setting, Contracting & Collecting—Without Being Sued or Grieved, MICPEL, 2005.
  • Author, Getting Paid for the Work You Do, The Law Clerk (a publication of the MSBA), appearing in parts over three of the four newsletters in 2004.
  • Author, Petition for Relief from Domestic Violence, Practice Tips, The Law Clerk (a publication of the Maryland State Bar Association), Spring 1999.
  • Author, The Bad Check Law is Back! (Did you know it was missing?), The Law Clerk (a publication of the Maryland State Bar Association), Winter 1998.
  • Contributor, Legal Column, Montgomery County Journal, 1993-1995.
  • Co-Author, Demonstrating in the District of Columbia; A Handbook for Demonstrators and Lawyers(District of Columbia Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild), 1991.
  • Author, What Gender is Your Parachute, Newsletter of Women’s Bar Association of Maryland, 1992.

Civic Organizations

Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce

  • Member (1998-present)

Stonegate Homeowner’s Association

  • Treasurer (2001–present)

Silver Spring Rotary Club

  • Chair, Distinguished Speaker Series (2003-2008)
  • Member (1998-2008)

Girl Scout Association

  • Leader. Cadette Troop 375 (2008-present)
  • Leader, Junior Troop 375 (2005-2007)
  • Member (1969-1980; 2003-present)

Clara Barton Awards Luncheon Committee, American Red Cross

  • Member (1997-1998)