WTP Hires Three Nonprofit Attorneys for Its District of Columbia Office
Baltimore – Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP (WTP) is delighted to announce the hiring of attorneys from O'Brien, Butler, McConihe & Schaefer, PLLC for its Nonprofits Organizations Group in D.C. – Jerome C. Schaefer, Steven P. Benson, and Stephen M. Schaefer.
Jerome “Jerry” C. Schaefer joins WTP as a partner; he was the managing partner of O'Brien, Butler, McConihe & Schaefer (formerly Hanson, O'Brien, Birney and Butler; and O'Brien, Birney and Butler). Schaefer acts as outside general counsel to a wide variety of nonprofit, trade/professional, and scientific organizations headquartered throughout the country. He has been the President and a member of the Board of Directors for the Mutual Insurance Company, Ltd., since October 2002, and has served as their U.S. General Counsel since 1997. He is a current member of the Inquiry Committee for the Board of Professional Responsibility of the District of Columbia Bar, and a former member of the Inquiry Committee for Montgomery County Bar and the Attorney Grievance Commission of the Maryland Bar. Additionally, he is a former member of the Client's Security Fund of the District of Columbia Bar. From 1975 to 1978, Schaefer was a partner in Smith & Schaefer in Rockville where he practiced general litigation. He began his legal career as an Assistant State's Attorney for Montgomery County. He earned his J.D. in 1972 from Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law and his B.A. in 1969 from the John Carroll University. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Maryland.
Steven “Steve” P. Benson also joins WTP as a partner. With over 22 years of experience representing nonprofit, trade/professional, and scientific organizations, he serves as outside General Counsel for many organizations and provides governance, tax and other legal advice. Benson began his career in the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the U.S. Navy achieving the rank of Lieutenant where he handled extensive appellate criminal litigation matters before the Supreme Court, the Court of Military Appeals, and the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Northern Virginia Christian Academy, the National Maritime Heritage Foundation, the Everymay Society, and the Potomac Heritage Partnership. Benson earned his J.D. in 1981 from George Washington University's National Law Center and his B.A. in Political Science in 1978 from the University of Massachusetts. He is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and Massachusetts.
Stephen M. Schaefer joins WTP as counsel with over nine years of experience representing and serving as outside general counsel to nonprofit, trade/professional, and scientific organizations. He has eight years of experience as claims counsel to the Mutual Insurance Company, Ltd. Schaefer earned his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law in 1999, and his B.A. from Villanova University in 1996. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Maryland.
“Jerry, Steve, and Stephen augment our offerings for tax-exempt organizations and associations, including trade and professional groups” noted Albert J. Mezzanotte, Jr., Whiteford, Taylor & Preston's Managing Partner. “And it's a win-win situation. Not only do we gain three excellent attorneys, but their clients gain access – through Whiteford's team approach to handling client matters – to our corporate, litigation, labor and employment, and technology and intellectual property attorneys.”
The attorneys at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston are dedicated to helping our clients achieve their business goals through strategic legal counsel. We serve our clients across the nation and around the globe, wherever your business takes us, from our base of six offices in the mid-Atlantic region.