Our Management Team
Management Committee and Administration Management
When you partner with Offit Kurman Attorneys At Law, you get more just than a top-notch team of legal experts that specialize in your specific area of personal or business need. You also get a dedicated management team of experienced business professionals helping attorneys provide the highest level of client service in the mid- market business environment.
Our integrated team of administrative and legal professionals are constantly striving to achieve outstanding results for clients, anticipating and responding to changing environments while supporting a positive and collegial company culture.
Management Committee
Theodore Offit
Chairman
toffit@offitkurman.com | 301.575.0304
Ted Offit is a business attorney, co-founder of Offit Kurman Attorneys At Law and Chairman of the firm. He serves as general counsel to a significant list of privately held organizations and often serves in an advisory capacity to the board of directors of the firm's entrepreneurial clientele. He often serves as special counsel to businesses seeking to implement succession plans through a sale (merger and acquisition) or through transfers to affiliates (family members and employees). Mr. Offit also often serves as special counsel regarding the design and implementation of compensation plans for executive level staff.
Administrative Management
Brandi Hobbs
Director of Operations and Process Improvement
brandi.hobbs@offitkurman.com | 704.716.0852
Brandi Hobbs, the firm’s Director of Operations and Process Improvement, has over 15 years of professional services management experience, as well as a master’s degree in law firm management from the George Washington University, and a Yellow Belt Certification in Legal Lean Sigma from the Legal Lean Sigma Institute®. As Director of Operations and Process Improvement, Brandi is responsible for leading project management initiatives, overseeing the Firm’s employee onboarding/offboarding processes, and driving continuous process improvement across the organization. She also oversees several functional areas of the firm’s operations and collaborates firm-wide to ensure lawyers and clients alike are receiving the best value from the firm’s resources. Brandi was previously the Chief Strategy Officer of a small North Carolina-based firm, the Director of Client Service and Strategy at a mid-sized firm, and started her professional career managing and brokering professional speakers.
Accounting & Finance
Lisa Kloster
Chief Financial Officer
Lisa.Kloster@offitkurman.com | 240.507.1768
Lisa Kloster has 30 years of professional experience in finance, accounting, business administration, and human resources, as well as in auditing and consulting. She spent the last 14 years as Chief Financial Officer of Pace Harmon Inc., an employee-owned management consulting firm, where she was part of the executive leadership responsible for the strategic direction of the firm and all financial, operational, and HR- related matters, including the ultimate sale of the company. Lisa was formerly an Audit Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopersLLP. She led audits of both publicly held and private companies and managed teams of accountants and consultants on long-term, complex projects. Lisa is a CPA who graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Michael Collins
Rachel Fuller
Carlos Pardilla
Human Resources
Michael DiGennaro
Attorney Recruitment Manager
Michael.DiGennaro@offitkurman.com | 929.476.0072
Michael has over ten years of global legal recruitment experience. He is responsible for identifying and evaluating talented individuals to join Offit Kurman. He served the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, DC as a bank regulatory attorney before becoming a legal recruiter. Prior to attending law school, he developed expertise in economics, quantitative and qualitative analysis, consulting, and brand management. Michael holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and an M.A. in Statistics from Columbia University.
Charlotte Gillespie
Kelly Leiras
Brian Spiegel
Karla States
Jani WillisInformation Technology
Tim Rodgers
Director of Information Technology
Tim.Rodgers@offitkurman.com| 410.209.6446
Tim is an IT executive with over 30 years of hands on technology experience across a broad range of industries including government, manufacturing, non-profit, and legal. For the past two decades he has successfully lead the daily operations of IT teams as well as large scale enterprise wide projects. Tim has a bachelor's degree in Information Technology Management and an MBA from Loyola University Maryland.
Learning & Development
Tony Gerdes
Knowledge and Innovation Director
tgerdes@offitkurman.com | 410.209.6421
Tony Gerdes guides Offit Kurman’s Learning and Development Department. A skillful educator with over 15 years of experience, Tony is responsible for creating training content, marketing new initiatives and rollouts, and delivering technology training and professional growth opportunities. He also administers the firm’s learning management system, Offit Kurman University. In addition, Tony serves as a Contributing Member of LTC4 (the Legal Technology Core Competencies Certification Coalition).
Desiree GareauLegal Operations
John Raftery
Managing Principal, Legal Operations
jraftery@offitkurman.com | 240.507.1702
Mr. Raftery serves as a Regional Practice Group Director and is a member of the firm's management committee. Mr. Raftery’s practice focuses on real-estate litigation, contractual disputes, and representation of managers and owners of residential and commercial real estate, including negotiating and drafting management and vendor agreements, leases, tenant-workout agreements, and policies and procedures for residential fair-housing compliance. Mr. Raftery handles all types of real-estate disputes and litigation in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Mr. Raftery is known as an industry leader in litigating commercial and construction claims, mold and pest-infestation claims, business torts, and defense of discrimination (Fair Housing Act and employment related) claims.
Linda OstovitzMarketing
Nicole Rodgers Houston
Director of Marketing
Nicole.Houston@offitkurman.com | 240.507.1758
Nicole is Offit Kurman’s Director of Marketing. She leads the firmwide Marketing team and works closely with firm leadership and management to develop and implement targeted marketing initiatives that align with firm strategy. She is also responsible for firm branding and promotion, public relations, communications and business-focused events. Nicole has more than 20 years of legal services experience managing marketing, communications and business development programs and working across offices to raise the visibility and profile of individual professionals, practice groups and law firm brands. She received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Penn State University and holds an M.B.A. from George Mason University.
Regional Directors
John Brunnett
Regional Director
jbrunnett@offitkurman.com | 301.575.0392
John Brunnett is an accomplished manager with over 15 years of experience in finance and business operations management. John received his MBA from Loyola University in Maryland and continues to share his business experiences as the Regional Director of the Baltimore region offices. He is responsible for leading and managing attorneys in the following practice areas: Bankruptcy, Business Transactions, Commercial and Business Litigation, Estate Planning, Family Law, Government Contracts, and Labor and Employment Law. His primary responsibilities include overseeing administrative functions, creating business development initiatives, measuring annual performance versus budget objectives, and ensuring compliance with the firms established policies and procedures.
Ian Stewart
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