Joseph A. Pulver, a 2008 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Baltimore Law School who also holds an M.B.A. from the University of Baltimore’s Merrick School of Business, joins the firm’s Banking & Financial Services Group as an associate.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Pulver practiced for four years with another Maryland firm, primarily providing legal services to financial institutions and capital finance companies.

Mr. Pulver will now serve as an associate in Shapiro Sher’s Banking and Financial Services Group, as well as its Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Group. His experience includes representing lenders in commercial loan workouts, restructurings, and loan originations, as well as advising clients in a variety of complex business disputes and bankruptcy cases.

Mr. Pulver earned his M.B.A. and J.D. from the University of Baltimore in a three-year-period. In that time, he served on the University of Baltimore Law Review and as a judicial intern in the Maryland Court of Appeals and the Circuit Court for Howard County. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business, in 2005.

In addition to practicing law at Shapiro Sher, Mr. Pulver also serves as Secretary of Hero Dogs, Inc., a Maryland non-profit that raises, trains, and places service dogs with injured or disabled U.S. military veterans.

Scott W. Foley and K. Lee Riley, co-chairs of Shapiro Sher’s Banking and Financial Services Group, said the hiring of Mr. Pulver is part of an overall expansion of the practice group, which last month began publishing a monthly newsletter, The Banking and Financial Services Report, for the lending community.

“Joe’s experience in the banking industry, combined with his strong business background, make him an ideal fit for our practice group and valuable to our clients,” said Mr. Foley. “We are pleased to have him aboard.”

Shapiro Sher President and business department head, William E. Carlson, is elected Chair of the Maryland State Bar Association Section of Business Law for a one-year term ending in 2013.

Mr. Carlson served as vice chair of the MSBA Section of Business Law from 2011-2012, and he served as secretary from 2010-2011.

Shapiro Sher’s Larry Gibson is quoted in the Maryland Daily Record regarding who will replace the retiring chief judge of Maryland’s Court of Appeals.

Click here to read the Shapiro Sher Banking & Financial Services Report. The July 2012 issue contains articles on receiverships and the SBA Small Loan Advantage program.

The Criminal Justice Section of the American Bar Association has published The State of Criminal Justice 2012, a new book including chapters on cybercrime and on e-discovery; both chapters are co-authored by Shapiro Sher partner Matthew A.S. Esworthy, co-chair of the Section’s Cyber Crime Committee.