Jeff is a partner at Skipper Law who focuses his practice on community association disputes and regularly handles the following:
- Unrepaired property damage to condominium units, including related insurance disputes;
- Architectural disputes and allegations of violating community governing documents;
- Disputes under the Fair Housing Act and Maryland fair housing laws;
- Misrepresentations or nondisclosures by an HOA or condo to a purchaser;
- Disputes among neighbors in a community association;
- Lien challenge actions and instances of illegal debt collection;
- Wrongful election procedures and overreaching boards;
- Invalid governing document amendments that purport to strip unit owners of their rights.
Jeff has handled these matters in District and Circuit Courts of Maryland in the following counties: Prince George’s, Anne Arundel, Montgomery, Howard, Worcester, Harford, Carroll, Baltimore, and Baltimore City. He has also handled these matters in the Court of Appeals and Court of Special Appeals, as well as the United States District Court of Maryland, Maryland Insurance Administration, Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, and the Montgomery County Commission on Common Ownership Communities. Jeff has brought these matters as individual actions and class actions. He has also tried matters at the Office of Administrative Hearings. Even though the majority of his practice is condo/HOA disputes, Jeff also represents clients in other general civil litigation.
Prior to joining Skipper Law, Jeff was a litigation associate at DLA Piper who focused his practice on investigations and complex business disputes. His experience as a defense attorney combined with his practice as a plaintiffs’ attorney provides him the ability to see both sides of a case in order to best advise and represent his clients.
Jeff graduated Magna Cum Laude from Washington University in St. Louis in 2005, with majors in economics and psychology and a minor in philosophy. He was a 2005 Corps Member in Teach for America in St. Louis as a special education teacher.
Jeff attended the University of Maryland School of Law as the Mead Scholar, and he graduated cum laude in 2010. He was a member of Maryland’s Mediation Clinic and a fellow in the school’s Writing Center. He interned for The Honorable Paul W. Grimm of the United States District Court of Maryland and the Honorable Lynne A. Battaglia of the Maryland Court of Appeals.
Jeff has experience at Skipper Law that includes the following representative matters:
- Jury verdict for plaintiff in malicious prosecution action after multi-day trial;
- Plaintiff’s verdict, including attorneys’ fees, in business dispute after multi-day trial;
- Plaintiff’s verdict in temporary restraining order challenging condominium election;
- Homeowner verdict after multi-day hearing in Montgomery County CCOC;
- Petitioner’s verdict after full hearing before Judge Sweeney overturning denial of retirement pension benefits;
- Plaintiff’s verdict in Circuit Court proceeding in breach of contract dispute;
- Plaintiff’s summary judgment for fraud and other counts in construction dispute;
- Successful peace order proceeding on behalf of homeowner in dispute with neighbor.
Jeff has also negotiated many successful resolutions, including a $300,000 resolution for a condominium owner in Anne Arundel County, and various other favorable settlements for property owners (governed by confidentiality).
Prior to Skipper Law, Jeff had experience in many matters at DLA Piper, including successful defense of Marriott in putative class action in the United States District Court of Maryland; compliance investigations of international banks and investment firms; representation of numerous clients being investigated by the SEC and other regulators; representation in the insurance context under the guidance of now Commissioner Kathleen Birrane; successful petition to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention re the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; and, other matters.
Jeff is admitted to practice law in Maryland state courts and the United States District Court of Maryland. He is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, Anne Arundel County Bar Association, and the Civil Justice Network. His hobbies include poker, basketball, and golf.
