Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler was honored today by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and the Baltimore City Fire Department for the Firm’s participation in the City’s Firehouse Renovation Project.

The Project is an ongoing initiative to renovate kitchens and fitness centers in Firehouses throughout the City. Numerous businesses, including Shapiro Sher, have stepped forward to sponsor the improvements. The goal is to enhance the living conditions, health, and fitness of Baltimore’s firefighters and EMS providers.

The Firm was honored by the Mayor and the Fire Department at a ceremony at City Hall, along with other sponsors of the Firehouse Renovation Project. Shapiro Sher Chairman Joel I. Sher and President William E. Carlson accepted the citation on behalf of the Firm (see photo below), and Firm founder Ronald M. Shapiro spoke at the ceremony.

According to the City’s press release, “The Firehouse Renovation Project was born out of a conversation between Mayor Rawlings-Blake and Ron Shapiro, attorney and business leader.” In its report on the Project, CBS affiliate WJZ also credits Mr. Shapiro for catalyzing the renovations.

Shapiro Sher has sponsored the kitchen renovation for the Baltimore Fire Department’s Engine Company 52, on Woodbrook Avenue in Baltimore. The Shapiro Negotiations Institute co-sponsored the renovation.

Barclays Capital’s motion for summary judgement was denied by the US District Court in Maryland, in litigation brought against Barclays by TMST trustee and Shapiro Sher partner, Joel I. Sher. Law360 reported on this latest development in the long-running case.

Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander of the US District Court for the District of Maryland denied Barclays Capital’s motion for summary judgement.

This is the latest development in the case, which was originally filed in 2011. At that time, Mr. Sher, as US Trustee for TMST, formerly Thornburg Mortgage, filed five separate complaints in Maryland’s bankruptcy court against Goldman Sachs, Barclays Capital, Bank of America, Countrywide Home Loans, Royal Bank of Canada and a group of banks made up of JP Morgan Chase, Citi Group, Credit Suisse, Royal Bank of Scotland, and USB. The suit against the latter group of banks alone seeks approximately $2.2 billion in damages arising from a series of alleged collusive and predatory actions that eventually forced Thornburg into bankruptcy.

Shapiro Sher partner Matthew Esworthy has been named to the 2014-2015 Penn State Alumni Council, the largest alumni association in the United States. Mr. Esworthy also serves as President of the Penn State Law School Alumni Association.

Seven attorneys at Shapiro Sher have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2015 with two of the seven identified as Baltimore Lawyers of the Year: Shapiro Sher Chair and Bankruptcy Group head Joel I. Sher and Paul Mark Sandler, head of the Firm’s Litigation Group.

Best Lawyers, an exclusive guide to the legal industry, named Shapiro Sher Chair Joel I. Sher Baltimore Lawyer of the Year for Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, and named partner Paul Mark Sander Baltimore Lawyer of the Year for Personal Injury Defense. The 2015 guide cites the following attorneys in the indicated practice areas:

• William E. Carlson: Biotechnology and Corporate Law
• Larry S. Gibson: Civil Rights Law
• Richard M. Goldberg: Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, and Litigation-Bankruptcy
• Ann Clary Gordon: Real Estate Law
• Paul Mark Sandler: Commercial Litigation, White Collar Criminal Defense, and Personal Injury Litigation (Defense and Plaintiff)
• Ronald M. Shapiro: Entertainment and Sports Law
• Joel I. Sher: Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as among the definitive guides to legal excellence. Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey. Over 52,000 leading attorneys cast more than 5.5 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas.