Lawyers

Experience

An experienced trial lawyer, Mr. Ryan is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an elective body limited to 1% of the trial lawyers in each of the states of the United States and the provinces of Canada, "who are outstanding and considered the best in a state or province."
 
During more than 25 years as an active trial attorney, Mr. Ryan has had a national commercial litigation practice, handling and taking to trial cases covering a broad range of business-related matters, including class actions, fiduciary duty, business disputes, corporate governance, complex accounting and auditing standards, and shareholder and partnership issues. In addition to being admitted to practice before the Maryland courts, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Fourth Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
 
Mr. Ryan has represented clients in numerous state and federal courts across the United States, including courts in Alabama, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. A representative sampling of his cases of public record follows:

• Defense of individual and class action securities fraud claims.
• Represented St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers of New York Litigation Trust in prosecuting professional malpractice and related claims against attorneys and management consultants in New York state and federal courts.
• Prosecuted claims in Alabama state court against corporate officers, directors and accounting firm on behalf of court-appointed trustee.
• Defended Long Island, New York commercial property owner in civil actions by federal government and the State of New York arising out of environmental contamination.
• Lead trial counsel, and obtained defense verdict after multi-week trial, for Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and Housing Authority of Baltimore City in class action by ACLU on behalf of 14,000 public housing residents alleging discrimination in public housing.
• Represented court-appointed trustee in adversary proceeding against underwriters and bondholders arising out of $200 million bond offering.
• Defense of estate tax planning and other legal malpractice actions.
• Defense and prosecution of accounting firms regarding auditing, accounting and business valuation and purchase matters.
• Represented New York stock exchange restaurant chain accused of trademark and trade dress infringement and unfair trade practices.
• Represented software developer in patent infringement litigation regarding precoding scheme for transmitting data over intersymbol-interference channels.
• Represented national telecommunications carrier in consumer class action.
• Defended, and obtained dismissal of, consumer class action in New Jersey federal court alleging violations of federal Fair Credit Reporting Act against multi-state shoe retailer.
• Represented international real estate developer in litigation concerning various construction projects in New York City, London and Barcelona, Spain.
• Defended, and won by summary judgment, class action by 7,800 retired maritime officers.
• Represented property manager in winning injunctive proceedings regarding various commercial real estate properties in Washington D.C. metropolitan region.
• Obtained 7-figure result for corporate plaintiff in legal malpractice claim arising out of antitrust counseling and advice.
• Represented software users against copyright infringement claims.
• Represented Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission and obtained defense jury verdict for multiple nuisance claims arising out of sewage sludge facility.
• Obtained 7-figure result against national franchise chain in breach of contract claim.
• Represented petroleum companies in environmental contamination claims.
• Defended national bank in alleged defamation and breach of contract claims.
• Defended and obtained defense jury verdict for orthopedic surgeon after six-week medical malpractice trial.
• Defended and obtained defense verdict in defamation action against child psychologist.
• Defended and obtained judgments in favor of national manufacturer in product liability lawsuits seeking damages for multiple chemical sensitivity and other injuries allegedly caused by manufacturer's products.
• Defended and won state anti-trust and injunction claims against national trade association accused of restraining commerce.
• Defended, and won by summary judgment, declaratory judgment action by a chemical manufacturer seeking insurance coverage for $48 million judgment in underlying toxic tort suit.
• Defended national railroad transportation company, and obtained defense verdict, in stock appraisal action by minority shareholders of another railroad company following merger of those two companies.

General Information

• AV Peer Review Rated: Martindale-Hubbell
• Fellow:  American College of Trial Lawyers
• Chair:  Litigation Department
• Listed as a "Local Litigation Star" in Benchmark Litigation: The Definitive Guide to America's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys, 2009 & 2010
• Listed in Baltimore's Legal Elite, 2010 - Baltimore SmartCEO Magazine
• Listed in Maryland Super Lawyers, 2007 - 2010; Named among "Top 50 Maryland Lawyers," 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
• Listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 (Chambers and Partners)
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America, 2005-present
• Maryland's Leadership in Law Award, 2008 (The Daily Record)
• Member: Advisory Board of the Advanced Real Estate Litigation Strategies Institute, Georgetown University Law Center

Recent Speaking Engagements

• "Private Company and Non-Profit D&O Claims Activity," Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) D&O Symposium, Marriott Marquis, New York, New York, February 9, 2012
• "Personal Liability for Directors and Officers: The Next Wave in 'Economic Meltdown' Litigation," 2010 Spring Meeting of International Law Section, American Bar Association, New York, New York
• "Know the Mine Field: Risks for Holders of Distressed Debt," Fourth Annual Global Forum on Investing in Distressed Debt, March 30-31, 2009, Los Angeles, California

Education

• Princeton University (A.B. 1976) with honors
• University of Baltimore School of Law (J.D. 1979) with honors
  
  • Editor-In-Chief, Law Review