Baltimore, MD – July 22, 2005 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Maryland Lawyers for the Arts (MLA), an organization providing legal support to artists, announces its officer elections for 2005-2006.
President E. Scott Johnson Esq. is a partner with Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver. He chairs the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group and focuses on intellectual property matters, including copyright, trademark and licensing, technology, entertainment and media law. He was recently named a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation. Mr. Johnson is the current chair of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and serves on the boards of The Maryland State Arts Council, Creative Alliance, CityLit Project and the Washington Area Music Association. He is a voting member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Baltimore Magazine profiled Mr. Johnson as one of Baltimore’s top attorneys and named him one of Baltimore’s 115 best lawyers. The Baltimore Business Journal listed him in “Who’s Who in Intellectual Property Law” and he appears in The Best Lawyers in America.
Vice President Michael S. Yang Esq. is an attorney with the Baltimore-based law firm of Gorman and Williams and is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Baltimore School of Law. Prior to attending law school he worked as a graphic designer and as a medical researcher utilizing computer imaging. He has a great interest in the visual and performing arts. Mr. Yang is currently a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Baltimore School of Law and his practice concentrates in the areas of intellectual property law (including copyright and the arts), Internet and technology law, corporate and business law, and litigation.
Secretary Joel A. Smith Esq. is a principal with Kahn Smith & Collins. He has served as legal counsel and advisor to elected officers and representatives of labor and civic organizations on the local, national and state levels. He has represented workers in occupations as diverse as national professional sports, television, movies, theater arts, building trades, public schools, community college and undergraduate instruction, retail sales, manufacturing, public transit and heavy industry. Mr. Smith has appeared in The Best Lawyers in America since 1990 and Baltimore Magazine regularly recognizes him for his area of specialization. He is a former member of the Administrative and Labor Law Section Councils of the Maryland State Bar Association.
Treasurer Stephen W. Oliner, CPA, CFE, CVA is a partner at Hertzbach & Company. As a senior member of the Litigation Consulting Group, Mr. Oliner concentrates his practice in business valuations, forensic accounting, shareholder disputes and economic damages. He has testified as an expert witness in various circuit courts in Maryland. Stephen is a member of the ACPA, the MACAPA, the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA), the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Turnaround Management Association, Associated Builders & Contractors, Building Congress & Exchange, the Association for Corporate Growth, and the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA). In addition, he serves on the board of the Historic Electronics Museum.
Maryland Lawyers for the Arts, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that provides lawyer referral services and pro bono legal assistance to income-eligible artists and arts organizations. In addition, MLA presents educational workshops and seminars that focus on the legal aspects of arts related issues such as copyright, contracts, and entity formation, including nonprofit, tax-exempt corporations. Maryland Lawyers for the Arts is committed to protecting the legal rights of the arts community and to providing legal assistance and education to artists and arts organizations in all creative disciplines.
