Owings Mills, MD

Bruce Plaxen

Bruce Plaxen is the founding partner of Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A., with over 40 years of experience in personal injury litigation. He is currently the President of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), having previously served as Vice President (2023-2024), Secretary (2022-2023), Treasurer (2021), and Parliamentarian (2020). He has been on the Board of Governors for the Maryland Association for Justice (MAJ) since 1993, serving as President (2001-2002) and Chairman of the Political Action Committee (2001-2016 and 2018-2021). Plaxen has received numerous awards including the MAJ President's Award (2007, 2010, 2024), Maryland Trial Lawyer of the Year (2009), AAJ Wiedemann Wysocki Citation of Excellence (2003, 2010, 2016, 2020), AAJ Distinguished Service Award (2017), AAJ Above & Beyond Award (2019), AAJ Joe Tonahill Award (2023), AAJ Evergreen Award (2023), and was named an Influential Marylander by The Daily Record in 2025. He is also a Super Lawyers Top 100 Maryland attorney (2020-2025) and has been recognized by Super Lawyers for 19 consecutive years (2007-2025). He spearheaded the Trial Lawyers Care program, providing pro bono legal services to 9/11 victims' families, and received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy from the State University of New York at Albany in 2005 for these efforts.

Jonathan N. Portner

Mr. Portner is the President and Managing Partner of Portner & Shure, P.A. He is licensed to practice in MD, VA, and D.C. and represents clients in criminal defense, personal injury (motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, workers' compensation, drug and medical device injuries). He supervises seven offices and ten lawyers, securing millions in settlements and trial awards, with over $400 million recovered. He is known for his aggressive yet fair approach, focusing on client satisfaction and results. He is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Lawyers of Distinction, recognized as a top trial lawyer in America. He has been featured in Time Magazine and The National Law Journal, and recognized by the National Top 100 Trial Lawyers for personal injury, workers’ compensation, and criminal defense. Other accolades include American Top 100 Attorneys, Million Dollar, Best Attorneys of America, and Lawyer of the Year for Criminal Defense. State-level recognition includes "Top 10" in Maryland by the American Institute of DUI/DWI Attorneys, One of Maryland’s Top 10 Attorneys, and "10 Best" for Criminal Law. He was also named Personal Injury Litigator of the Year by the American Institute of Trial Lawyers and a Top Rated Attorney by AVVO. He has dedicated firm resources to non-English speaking clients, providing services in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Michael D. Steinhardt

For over 40 years, Michael D. Steinhardt has practiced law, committed to helping clients receive the best legal information and representation possible. A graduate of the University of Baltimore Law School and Georgetown University Law Center, Mr. Steinhardt concentrates in workers’ compensation, personal injury, Social Security disability, and criminal and traffic law. He is active in the Maryland State Bar Association and serves on the board of Bello Machre.

Elizabeth Anu Lawrence

Elizabeth Anu Lawrence, Esq. is the Managing Attorney of the Law Office of Elizabeth Anu Lawrence, LLC. located in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her Juris Doctor and LL.M at the University of Baltimore School of Law. She also earned an LL.B. from Obafami Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. She is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA), National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, The National Black Lawyers-Top 40 Under 40, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Baltimore City Bar Association, Maryland State Bar Association, and District of Columbia Bar Association. For over 19 years, she has vast experience working as an attorney in Maryland and Washington, DC. Her areas of practice include U.S. immigration law, criminal defense, family law, personal injury, representing small businesses, and international business transactions.

Jack D. Lebowitz

Jack D. Lebowitz received his B.A. from the College of William & Mary in Virginia in 1989 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1992. He is a founding partner of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, focusing exclusively on personal injury and wrongful death cases. He is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia, and has litigated cases in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Mr. Lebowitz is an active member of the Maryland Association for Justice and the American Association for Justice. He has been recognized multiple times on the Maryland Super Lawyers list, and is a member of the National Association of Distinguished Counsel and The Trial Lawyers: Top 100, and holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

David A. Muncy

David A. Muncy joined Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A. upon graduation from law school in 2012 and was made a partner in the firm in 2017. He worked for both plaintiffs’ personal injury firms and an insurance defense firm, deciding to fight for injured people. In law school, he served on the Executive Board of the University of Baltimore Law Review, competed on the Robert Wagner Moot Court Team, and was selected for the Dean Search Committee. He also represented indigent criminal defendants as a Rule 16 Public Defender. He graduated from the University of Maryland College Park in 2009 and the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2012 magna cum laude, inducted into the Heuisler Honor Society. In 2018, David was elected Parliamentarian for the Maryland Association for Justice (MAJ), the youngest attorney in Maryland to hold an elected Officer position. He served as Secretary, Treasurer, and President-Elect before becoming President of MAJ in 2023. He sits on the MAJ Board of Governors and previously co-chaired the Young Lawyers Division, Membership Committee, and Auto Negligence Section. He has testified before the Maryland General Assembly on bills affecting injured victims' rights. David is also a member of the American Association for Justice and attends CLE programs. He was previously Co-Chair of the Howard County Bar Association’s Young Lawyer’s Division. David focuses his practice on personal injury, workers’ compensation, and Social Security Disability cases. He has tried hundreds of cases before various Maryland courts and commissions. In 2015, he was named to the Daily Record’s “20 in Their 20s,” and was selected for Super Lawyers’ list of Maryland Rising Stars (2017-2023). The National Trial Lawyers' Association also named him to the Top 40 under 40 list. In 2019, he was honored with MAJ’s Outstanding Service Award. In 2022, he was named to The Daily Record’s Personal Injury & Medical Malpractice Power List. Since 2013, David has volunteered with Wills for Heroes.

Paul Tolzman

Paul Tolzman is recognized by Lawyers of Distinction and named one of Maryland’s 'Super Lawyers.' He has extensive litigation experience in criminal/DUI defense and personal injury matters, having recovered over $100 million for his clients. Mr. Tolzman was admitted to practice before Maryland Courts in 1977 and is also admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. He is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the Maryland Association for Justice, and the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association. He has also been recognized as one of the country’s 'Top 100 Trial Lawyers,' a 'Top Lawyer in Maryland,' and in 2015, he was selected as one of the '10 Best in Client Satisfaction of the American Institute of DUI/DWI Attorneys.'