Government

A.J. Serafini grew up in Hagerstown, Maryland, and is the son of former State Senator Andrew Serafini, Sr. He graduated from Grace Academy in 2005 and went on to earn his Bachelor of Science in Government from Liberty University, graduating summa cum laude in 2008 after just three years. He further pursued his education at Liberty University School of Law, finishing in the top 5 of his class in 2011. During his time at law school, Serafini was active on the moot court board, mentored first-year students, and coordinated the Street Law program, which educates at-risk youth about the law’s significance. He is part of several legal associations, including the Maryland State Bar Association, the Maryland Association for Justice, The National Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Association for Justice. Professionally, A.J. concentrates on his practice in personal injury, medical malpractice, and nursing home abuse. He has achieved notable successes in personal injury cases throughout Western Maryland. He keeps his legal knowledge current by attending continuing education courses through associations like the American Association for Justice and the Maryland State Bar Association. A.J. is also a board member of the Washington County Bar Association and has served on the Judicial Nominating Commission under Governor Larry Hogan. A.J.’s excellence in his field has been recognized with several awards; he was voted Best Attorney in the Herald-Mail Readers' Choice Award in 2018, and received the Herald-Mail Media's “Best of the Tri-state” award in 2019 and 2020. His peers have recognized his skills and dedication with a Top 40 Under 40 ranking from the National Trial Lawyers Association. He has been four times named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers and was recently designated an Elite Lawyer. To schedule a free consultation, contact Serafini Law by filling out a form online, or calling 240-744-1600.

David Sanford has recovered more than one billion dollars for individual clients and the United States government since 2004. Mr. Sanford has represented CEOs, CFOs, and COOs, as well as non-managerial, hourly employees throughout the United States. Mr. Sanford has served as lead counsel in more than 50 class actions and numerous qui tam fraud cases around the United States. David has represented over 50 General Counsels and attorneys (in house and outside counsel) in contract disputes, employment matters, and severance packages.

R. Julio Aleman focuses his practice on criminal defense, representing clients in matters ranging from multiple DUI offenses and protective orders to administrative hearings tied to alleged violations of the law. Since joining the Maryland State Bar Association, he has defended clients in high-stakes cases and secured acquittals across a wide spectrum of charges. His record includes obtaining not guilty verdicts in cases involving prescription fraud, DUI, and serious felony charges, as well as preserving professional and business licenses in complex hearings. In addition to his courtroom work, Mr. Aleman has served as a lawyer and lobbyist for The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, where he conducted legislative research, prosecuted internal affairs matters, and defended the commission in personal injury cases. He later returned to criminal defense, where his results have included full acquittals, license protections, and the dismissal of attempted first-degree murder charges. With each case, he draws on years of direct service and a deep understanding of both trial strategy and the legal system. Although no attorney can promise results, Mr. Aleman is dedicated to pursuing the best possible outcome for every client. He approaches each case with determination, using the facts and law to fight for his clients’ rights and futures. To discuss your case with Arrested for a DUI, LLC, call 301-479-5466 today or complete our contact form online.

The firm is based on the belief that our clients' needs are of the utmost importance. Our entire team is committed to meeting those needs. As a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat clients and referrals. Principal attorney Charles Chester has served thousands of clients successfully because of his background with judicial clerkships, jury trials, lobbying of public officials, appellate arguments, and years of counseling clients on their options. He has lectured and written extensively on many topics for both bar associations and various industry trade groups. He has been asked to serve on various boards, commissions and committees for county and state governments, bar associations and community groups. His local health care cases were reported on throughout the print and electronic media, including The Washington Post and DC area television stations, and his national election litigation in Florida was covered by CNN and MSNBC.

Pontius Tax Law, PLLC strives to resolve sensitive tax problems through trust, dedication, and value. The law firm was founded by John Pontius. Mr. Pontius regularly represents individual and business clients with sensitive and serious tax matters before the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities. His client base is local, national and international. Over the course of his career, Mr. Pontius has represented businesses and individuals with complex tax issues in the following areas: FBAR examinations, offshore disclosures, FATCA, tax planning, unfiled tax returns, release of tax liens and levies, trust fund recovery penalty, IRS and state audit examinations as well as Appeals, penalty abatement, US Tax Court litigation along with defense of tax fraud and evasion. Mr. Pontius has extensive examination experience with federal and state audits, protests of proposed adjustments and audit reconsideration. He represents clients on tax liens and levies, collection due process hearings, offers in compromises and requests for penalty abatement. He has experience with employment tax issues such as worker classification and the trust fund recovery penalty. Prior to founding Pontius Tax Law, PLLC, Mr. Pontius practiced for five years at Maryland tax controversy law firms in Rockville, Annapolis, and Bethesda. Mr. Pontius has two years’ experience in the international corporate tax group at KPMG in Tysons Corner, Virginia where he researched and analyzed a wide range of complex tax matters in the areas of compliance, provision, planning, and restructuring. At the accounting firm, Mr. Pontius worked with a broad range of U.S. multi-national and foreign-owned clients doing business as corporations and partnerships in the communications, financial services, and defense contractor industries.

S. W. Dawson, Esq., is the founder and managing member of Dawson, P.L.C. Mr. Dawson specializes in bespoke litigation strategies, particularly in the realm of state and federal criminal defense. Mr. Dawson regularly represents clients throughout the entire Commonwealth of Virginia, but maintains his most active presence in the Hampton Roads and Northern Neck regions of Virginia. Over the course of his career, Mr. Dawson has successfully defended countless Virginians and visitors who have faced serious felony or misdemeanor charges in either state or federal court. He has successfully defended clients facing the most serious allegations imaginable, to include: homicide, money laundering, fraud, narcotics violations, rape, driving under the influence (DUI/DWI) and more. Mr. Dawson has also represented clients all over the United States in asset forfeiture cases (which are matters in which the Government attempts to seize and keep a citizen's property). Mr. Dawson also helps clients both in prosecuting and defending claims for monetary damages. Mr. Dawson particularly enjoys collecting debts owed to businesses and individuals. Active in his professional community, Mr. Dawson is a member of the Virginia State Bar, the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Northern Neck Bar Association, and he has lectured on legal topics for several organizations. He sits on the board of directors of Norfolk Festevents, Ltd., and GraceInside, a prison ministry founded in 1920. In recognition of his accomplishments, Mr. Dawson has been recognized for many years in peer-to-peer review publications such as Virginia Super Lawyer Magazine, Virginia Business Magazine, and Coastal Virginia Magazine, among others. Mr. Dawson holds a license to practice law before all Virginia state courts, the United States District Courts for the Eastern District and Western District of Virginia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Ask J. Taylor Bell what he most enjoys about his criminal defense law practice and his response is unequivocal: “Fighting the power.” “Criminal defense attorneys are the shield that protects the individual from the almighty government machine,” he says. “It doesn’t care about feelings or individual circumstances. It’s a machine, and it wants to roll. If you get caught in it, you just get run over unless you have somebody who’s going to stand up for you.” A North Carolina native who grew up near Charlotte, Bell received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2007. After working in the financial services industry for a year, Bell decided to go to law school after realizing he wanted a direct hand in helping people. Bell has focused on representing criminal defendants ever since his student days at the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor degree in 2011. During law school, he clerked at the Richland County Public Defender’s office in Columbia and continued to work there as an attorney after earning his law license. He remained at the public defender’s office for six years, handling the full spectrum of criminal defense cases, ranging from the most serious felonies to misdemeanors. He tried numerous jury trials in both general sessions court and magistrates’ court, and was one of the lead defense attorneys in the first human-trafficking case ever brought before the South Carolina Grand Jury. In 2015, Bell received intensive additional training in the art of jury persuasion at the National Criminal Defense College Trial Practice Institute.

Ms. Sullivan is a licensed, practicing attorney who has been practicing for nearly 20 years 14 of which she has been in private practice. Her practice areas include Immigration Law, Business, Real Estate, and various general practice areas. Prior to private practice, she worked in city and state government mostly on issues of diversity and civil rights. ​Ms. Sullivan grew up in North Minneapolis, served in the United States Army and upon receiving an honorable discharge from the Army, joined the Minnesota National Guard. She graduated from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management (BSB), Hamline University School of Law (JD) and the University of St. Thomas Graduate School of Management (MBA). ​Practicing law is a career; however, Ms. Sullivan has been called by God to serve His people. She served for several years as Congregational Care Pastor at her church. She has a passion for empowerment through education and leadership. She is also the founder and CEO of HER Story, Inc. which is an organization that seeks to provide a forum for women to share their personal stories in an effort to heal, empower and restore one another. HER Story, Inc. provides an opportunity for women to support one another in various aspects of life including financial, emotional, educational and spiritual. Through HER Story, Inc. Ms. Sullivan hosts a Facebook group that inspires women to think, to pray, to make change and to grow through the use of daily posts. In addition, Ms. Sullivan hosts and annual retreat that allows space to just be still! Ms. Sullivan has finished her first book “Activate Your Purpose: A Guide to Spiritual Goal Setting” which was released October 2018. This is a self-help publication that encourages the reader to take their spiritual growth seriously, to set goals, to place and to be intentional. ​Ms. Sullivan is a dynamic public speaker, trainer and small group facilitator. She is passionate about the personal advancement of women, empowerment and transformational change. She has presented as a keynote speaker at colleges, churches, community events and other forums. She has provided small group training to church leadership, facilitated courses in leadership, vision casting and goals setting. The goal of every presentation, speech, training and facilitation is provide a mechanism for change, for growth, for inspiration and for empowerment. The projected outcome is to give hope, to encourage, to spark a flame in the individual that will encourage them to assess where they are in life, what they want from life, and what has to change in order to get it. Target organizations and clients are colleges and universities, businesses, churches, non profit organizations and any organization that values the people that it serves or employs. Ms. Sullivan also works with individuals and small groups through personal coaching and training

At the Botelho Law Group we have different attorneys, with different specializations; to help your case is individual needs. When choosing a lawyer or law firm, one size does not fit all, for this reason, we employ a number of attorneys and legal professionals who are equipped to handle any situation that may arise. Many legal issues that arise for our clients have overlapping matters in different Areas Of Law. Maybe during your Divorce, it would be better if you filed Bankruptcy to handle your financial situations; in a case such as this, we can service all your needs. It’s this type of full-service that allows us to best represent our clients and all their legal needs.

Joseph Bogdan is a registered pharmacist and an attorney. He received his Pharmaceutical Doctorate degree from the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy at Chicago and his law degree while attending night school at John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He has his own law practice which handles healthcare and other law cases. His legal focus is representing healthcare professionals to state boards and federal agencies. He is also an expert witness in many different pharmaceutical cases including cases dealing with controlled substances. To schedule a free initial consultation with Attorney Bogdan, visit his website, or call 630-310-1267.