E. Pete Summerfield

E. Pete Summerfield is a lifelong resident of Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. He obtained his J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1973 and is licensed to practice before all state and federal courts and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Mr. Summerfield served as an Assistant General Counsel to the Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1973 to 1975 and as an Assistant Attorney General with the State of Maryland Department of Budget and Fiscal Planning from 1975 to 1977. Mr. Summerfield was a member of the United States Army Reserve before entering private practice.

In 1977, Mr. Summerfield co-founded the Owings Mills law firm of Summerfield, Willen, Silverberg & Limsky, LLC, which provides diverse and specialized legal services to clients within the greater Baltimore and Washington metropolitan areas. Mr. Summerfield's practice focuses on litigation, including civil litigation involving corporations and estates, construction law, and serious personal injury cases. He has successfully argued before the Maryland Court of Special Appeals in cases involving domestic law (Jensen v. Jensen), mechanic's lien law (Skinner Logsdon v. First United Church), and tax apportionment and estate litigation (Geduldig v. Posner) and (Doughtery v. Rubenstein).

Clients represented by Mr. Summerfield are well served by his superb litigation skills combined with more than 30 years of experience and devotion to their cause. He is married with two adult children, and lives with his wife in Baltimore County.

 

Mark T. Willen

Mark T. Willen graduated from the University of Baltimore in 1967 with a B.S. in accounting. He went on to study law at the University of Baltimore, obtaining his J.D. in 1973, and was admitted to the practice of law in Maryland by the Maryland Court of Appeals in the same year. He was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1977, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland in 1988, and the United States Tax Court in 1988.

From 1967 to 1974, Mr. Willen was a revenue agent for the Internal Revenue Service, gaining extensive experience examining individual, partnership and corporate income tax returns. In 1974 he launched his own law practice before teaming up with E. Pete Summerfield to form the original law firm of Summerfield & Willen in 1977.

Mr. Willen's current practice focuses on tax and business planning, contracts, estate and trust planning, and administration and elder law. For more than 30 years, he has represented small and midsize businesses engaged in manufacturing, distribution, wholesale and retail sales, as well as personal service corporations, including physicians, accountants and fellow attorneys. He is a member of the Baltimore County and Maryland State Bar Associations and serves on the board of directors for a number of business clients. Mr. Willen is married with four adult children and nine grandchildren and lives in Baltimore County.

 

Alan H. Silverberg

Alan H. Silverberg graduated from American University in 1967 with a B.A. in psychology and obtained his J.D. from the University of Baltimore in 1970. After several years of travel, he became licensed to practice law by the Maryland Court of Appeals in 1973, and was licensed to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Maryland in 1978.

From 1974 until joining the law firm in 1982, Mr. Silverberg served as an Assistant Public Defender in Baltimore City, practicing before the Circuit Court, District Court and Juvenile Court, as well as providing representation to those involuntarily admitted to state and private mental health facilities. Since beginning his private practice, he has honed his litigation skills, representing thousands of clients in the areas of family law and complex business and estate litigation. He has also successfully recovered millions of dollars for those wrongfully injured both in and out of the workplace.

Mr. Silverberg has represented clients and litigated cases in Baltimore City and surrounding counties, including Baltimore, Carroll, Howard, Anne Arundel, Harford, Prince George's, Montgomery and Somerset Counties, as well as the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. He maintains a membership in the Maryland State Bar Association, Baltimore County Bar Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America and Maryland Association of Justice (formerly Maryland Trial Lawyers Association.)

Mr. Silverberg provides patience and understanding for the difficult legal situations confronting his clients, and the skill, focus and passion to obtain the needed results, whether by way of negotiation or litigation. He is married and lives in Baltimore County with his wife. Outside of practicing law, his passions include running (a 39-year veteran with four marathons, including The Boston Marathon, to his credit), skiing in Colorado, supporting the Ravens, enjoying movies, and spending time at the beach.

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Michael R. Limsky

Michael R. Limsky was born and raised in Freehold, New Jersey, and graduated from the University of Maryland in 1983 with a B.S. in finance and economics. He earned his J.D. in 1986 from Howard University Law School, in Washington, D.C., and a Master of Law degree in taxation in 1987 from the Georgetown University Law Center, also in Washington. Mr. Limsky was admitted to the practice of law in Maryland in 1987, and is also admitted to practice in New Jersey, the District of Columbia, the United States Tax Court, and the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.

While enrolled at Georgetown University, Mr. Limsky worked as a legal assistant under Commissioner Lila Schifter at the Maryland Public Service Commission. In 1987, Mr. Limsky joined the law firm that is now known as Summerfield, Willen, Silverberg & Limsky, LLC, and was admitted as a Member in 1992.

Mr. Limsky's practice includes the areas of federal and state taxation, business planning, business transitions, mergers and acquisitions, contracts, estate and trust planning, real estate, and estate administration. In his 20 years of practice, he has represented numerous dentists, physicians and other professionals in the acquisition or sale of their professional practices, along with general representation of small and mid-sized businesses. He is a member of the Baltimore County and Maryland State Bar Associations. Mr. Limsky is married with two children, is an avid racquetball player, and lives in Howard County.

 Click here to see what what Mike's clients have to say.

 

Alan J. Van Luven

Alan J. Van Luven was born in Dover, Delaware, in 1961 and received a B.S. from the University of Delaware in 1985. Mr. Van Luven earned his M.B.A. in 1988 from Wilmington College in Wilmington, Delaware, and his J.D. in 1988 at Widener University School of Law, also in Wilmington. Mr. Van Luven was admitted to the practice of law in Delaware in 1998, in Maryland and the District of Columbia in 1999, and to the United States Tax Court in 2002.

Before obtaining his law degree, Mr. Van Luven was employed by Allstate Insurance Company in various positions, including Financial Division Manager, Staff Financial Analyst, and Claim Representative, giving him significant experience in management, customer relations and corporate financial matters. After law school, Mr. Van Luven practiced in the District of Columbia before joining the law firm of Summerfield, Willen, Silverberg & Limsky, LLC, in 1999.

Mr. Van Luven's areas of practice include estate and trust planning, individual and fiduciary income tax planning, business planning, estate and trust administration, and the representation of clients before the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities. He is a member of the Baltimore County Bar Association, Maryland State Bar Association, Delaware State Bar Association, District of Columbia Bar Association, and American Bar Association. Mr. Van Luven has two children and lives in Baltimore County.

 

Lee Carpenter

Lee Carpenter offers personalized solutions for a broad range of legal needs, including estate planning and administration, trusts, and business and corporate law. His estate-planning work includes a special emphasis on the unique needs of same-sex couples and other members of the LGBT community.

Before law school, Mr. Carpenter worked as an editor at the Library of Congress, Telecommunications Reports, and National Journal magazine. His work as a freelance writer has appeared in numerous publications, including Legal Times.

He earned his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law, where he was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Business & Technology Law and a staff member of The Business Lawyer. He prepared federal and state tax returns for low-income clients through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program and was a member of the Phi Delta Phi Legal Honors Fraternity.

As a student, Mr. Carpenter served as a Judicial Intern to the Hon. Lynne A. Battaglia, of the Maryland Court of Appeals. Upon graduation from Maryland Law in 2006, he received the William P. Cunningham Award for exceptional achievement and service to the law school.

Before coming to Summerfield, Willen, Silverberg & Limsky, Mr. Carpenter served as the first Dean's Fellow to the head of the University of Maryland School of Law and established his own successful estates and trusts practice in Baltimore. He holds memberships in the Estates & Trusts sections of the Maryland State Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and is a member of the ABA Advisory Panel. An active member of the community, he has testified before the Maryland Legislature concerning LGBT issues on behalf of Equality Maryland.

Mr. Carpenter is a Maryland native who grew up in Montgomery County. He lives in Baltimore with his partner of more than 12 years. 

 

Amy Stampfer

Amy Stampfer holds a B.A. from Columbia University and a J.D. from Boston University.

Before moving to Baltimore from Boston in 1999, Ms. Stampfer's practice focused on health care law. As a Health Law Consultant and Special Counsel to the Massachusetts Hospital Association, the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine, and other medical organizations, Ms. Stampfer assisted her clients with health policy issues such as managed care, practice guideline development and implementation, public disclosure of physician information, regulatory issues, and health care fraud and abuse. She also co-authored an affiliation manual for mental health providers and a report titled Making informed Choices About Doctors.

After moving to Baltimore, Ms. Stampfer took several years to stay at home with her children. In 2005, she became the Assistant Director of Admission for grades PK–4 at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School, in Pikesville.

Ms. Stampfer returned to the practice of law in 2009 and is now a valued and highly proactive member of the SWSL legal team. The newest associate at SWSL, Ms. Stampfer assists client with estate planning and administration, trusts, business and corporate law.