Margaret M. Cassidy

Jennifer Eller is co-chair of Groom’s Retirement Services Practice Group and Fiduciary Practice. She’s been with the firm since 1998, beginning as a law clerk, and has been a practicing attorney at Groom since 2000. As a practice group chair, Jenny ensures that the strategic direction and initiatives of the group position Groom to serve the needs of its financial, corporate, and public plan clients. In her practice, she operates from a similar perspective. She advises financial in...

Kristen Klesh is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Advertising Law. Kristen, who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kristen is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jeffrey A. Kolender chairs the firm’s Estate Planning and Estate & Trust Administration practice groups. He concentrates primarily in those areas and also advises small businesses in tax business planning. A former chairman of the Estates and Trusts Section of the Montgomery County Bar Association, Mr. Kolender has participated as lecturer and co-author of outlines for several continuing legal education seminars regarding estate planning. His topics have included “Advising Cli...

David T. Dekker is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Construction Law and Litigation - Construction. David T., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2010. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David T. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Catherine “Kate” Reese focuses her practice on the full spectrum of family law matters in the Northern Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland regions. She has extensive trial experience in contested divorces, child custody and visitation matters, equitable distribution of assets, child and spousal support, and the negotiation and preparation of prenuptial and marital agreements. Ms. Reese is known to be an aggressive and resourceful litigator when representing clients’ bes...

My approach in my practice is one of empathy and support. I provide my clients with peace of mind as I help them plan for the future and guide them through difficult times. Creating an estate plan can be daunting, and it is tempting to put it off. I make the process as easy and stress-free as possible, and my clients leave feeling a sense of accomplishment and relief. My team and I also guide families through the handling of the estate after the death of a loved one. We understand how difficu...

Will Planert is a Partner in the firm’s International Trade practice. He concentrates on representing multilateral and foreign-based corporations in a wide variety of international trade disputes, including antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, Section 201 (safeguards) cases, anticircumvention investigations, and customs compliance matters. Mr. Planert appears regularly before the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Bureau of ...

David F. Klein is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law. David F., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David F. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Julie Christopher is passionate about helping people navigate challenging transformations in their family landscape. She focuses her legal practice on domestic issues including separation and divorce, complex custody suits, child support and alimony, modifications to existing agreements, property distribution and valuations, contempt and enforcement, and pre- and post-nuptial and separation agreements. Julie is driven to ensure her clients maintain the steadfast belief that she is their advoc...

Laura Handman is the co-chair of the firm’s appellate practice and divides her time between the New York and D.C. offices. For thirty years, Laura has been providing pre-publication counseling and litigation services from complaint through trial and appeal to U.S. and foreign broadcasters, film studios, and book, magazine, newspaper and Internet publishers and non-profits. Laura has extensive experience in libel, newsgathering, privacy, right of publicity, reporter’s privilege and...