Laura Kelsey Rhodes Rockville, Maryland
Partner
| | phone | (301) 424-0094
| | fax | (301) 424-8732
| | email | Email Me
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Ms. Rhodes had ten years of litigation experience before she co-founded ALBRIGHT & RHODES , LLC . Besides her respected criminal defense work, she is responsible for the firm's distinguished immigration practice and civil litigation. She has conducted close to one hundred bench and jury trials in Maryland and Washington, D.C., and appears in both State and Federal courts. The attorneys of ALBRIGHT & RHODES , LLC , have successfully represented clients with charges ranging from drunk driving and vehicular assault to sexual offenses, homicide and white collar fraud.
In State v. Alvarez Ms. Rhodes represented a client charged with multiple homicides in a Death Penalty post-conviction case. In 1999 she successfully fought outrageous charges brought against a woman for simultaneously "driving too slowly" and "fleeing" from the police. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty in this nationally publicized case.
Ms. Rhodes represents businesses and individuals in filings, applications, and litigation with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. She has developed unusual approaches to successfully challenge convictions in State courts, thus enabling clients to avoid the immigration consequences of prior offenses. Business clients rely upon her for their employee I-9 compliance issues and potential liability problems, and she has represented employers and employees with H-1B and similar visas in both routine and complicated situations.
Ms. Rhodes gained a great deal of her litigation experience before starting ALBRIGHT & RHODES , LLC , when she served in various capacities for the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. As Director of Attorney Training, she was responsible for the continuing legal education for three hundred criminal defense lawyers. While Chief of the Drug Defense Division in Prince George's County, she led the trial teams on felony drug cases including cocaine and marijuana importation charges, DEA wiretap cases, and multiple-kilogram cocaine distribution cases.
Governor William Donald Schaefer appointed Ms. Rhodes to the Maryland Governor's Commission on Hispanic Affairs I, in 1991, and Governor Parris Glendening renewed that appointment in 1996. She also served on the Maryland Judicial Conference's Task Force on Interpreters in 1994-95, following an appointment by Chief Judge Robert C. Murphy. - Maryland, 1987
- District of Columbia, 1990
- U.S. District Court District of Maryland, 1996
- U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, 1997
- U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 1996
- The University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan,
1985
J.D.
Law Review:
Michigan Yearbook of International Legal Studies, 1983 - 1985
- College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia,
1981
A.B. Major: Government
- State v. Woodson, 338 Md. 332, 658 A.2d 272
( 1995)
- State v. Hammonds,
(Court of Special Appeals 1993)
- "Hot Topics in Immigration Law", Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys' Association,
1999
- "Drug Cases, Drug Trials", Office of othe Public Defender,
1997
- "How to Testify So the Jury Hears You", Maryland State Police Training Academy,
1995
- "Winning in Opening Statement", Office of the Public Defender
- "Client Interviews, Investigation Techniques", Office of the Public Defender,
1995
- "Introduction to Jury Trials", Office of the Public Defender,
1995
- "Handling Misdemeanor Jury Trials", Presented for Piper & Marbury Pro Bono Program,
1994
- 'Creating an Attorney Training Program", National Legal Aid and Defender Association, New Orleans,
1994
- "Tricks of the Trade in Drug Cases", National Legal Aid and Defender Association, Baltimore,
1994
-
1919
- "Closing Arguments the Jury Wants to Hear", Office of the Public Defender,
1993
- Appointed by Governor Schaefer to Maryland Governor's Commission on Hispanic Affairs,
1991
- Appointed by Governor Glendening to Maryland Governor's Commission on Hispanic Affairs,
1996
- Appointed by Chief Judge Murphy to Maryland Judicial Conference's Task Force on Interpreters,
1994
- Testified before Maryland Legislature re: "English Only" bill,
1998
- Testified before Maryland Judicial Conference re: Court Interpreter Problems,
1997
- Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys' Association,
2000
-
2001
- President - Elect
- Maryland Hispanic Bar Association
- Board of Directors 1996-1997; Judicial Nominating Committee, 1996-2000
- Montgomery County Women's Bar Association,
1996
-
2000
- Montgomery County Bar Association;
- Member, Bench-Bar Committee, 2000
- Maryland State Bar Association
- Member
- Business Network International,
1997
-
2000
- Maryland Public Defender Office, Director of Attorney Training,
1995
-
1996
- Maryland Public Defender Office (Prince George's County), Chief, Drug Defense Division,
1991
-
1994
- Maryland Public Defender Office (Montgomery County), Staff Attorney,
1989
-
1991
- Public Citizen's Congress Watch, Staff Attorney,
1987
-
1989
- Koonz, McKenney and Johnson, Law Clerk (products liability and medical malpractice),
1986
-
1987
- D.C. Court of Appeals, Hon. John M. Steadman, Judicial Law clerk,
1985
-
1986
- Provide Legal Advice to Spanish Catholic Center of Washington, DC
- Assist Office of Public Defender with Special Cases
- Governor's Commission on Hispanic Affairs,
1991
-
1996
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- English
- Kappa Alpha Theta
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