Laura Kelsey Rhodes, Attorney

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.

• State v. Woodson 1995

• State v. Hammonds 1993