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state law required a public hearing. Te hearing that ensued was attended by hundreds of angry neighbors, he recalls. “I would ask the witness a question, and when the administrative law judge would rule on an objection, the crowd would either hiss or cheer wildly—it was like a cross between the Jerry Springer Show and Perry Mason.” Levy remembers how “funda-


mentally un-American” it seemed to him for any family unit to have to endure such a process. To underscore this point, he compares the situation to a black family being required to suffer through a public hearing before being allowed to move into a white neighborhood. “Tere are some days [when] you


really feel like a lawyer, like you’ve accomplished something very tangi- ble, and representing someone against that mob was one of those days,” Levy says, recalling this hearing prior to the Potomac case. “It was very scary. I was the one between the client and the mob.” After successfully representing the


group home for emotionally disturbed boys, Levy sought to eliminate the state law that required such hearings. His firm began looking for an appro- priate test case by spreading the word among nonprofits that they wanted to bring a challenge to the law. It was difficult because most of the agencies feared reprisal, but then Potomac agreed to take on the challenge. Levy argued that the practice violated 1988 amendments to the federal Fair Housing Act. His victory led to a change in the state law. Levy has been with Brown,


Goldstein & Levy since 1990, and handles both criminal and civil litigation. “My civil practice focuses on plain-


tiff’s malpractice and personal injury as well as commercial litigation of all kinds on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants,” he says. “I have signifi- cant experience representing senior executives in employment-related matters and health care providers and


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other professionals in administrative licensure proceedings. I have also rep- resented corporations, such as Waste Management, in litigation.” Levy is highly respected by his


peers and he has made a number of best-lawyer lists compiled by those in the legal profession, including white collar criminal defense, commercial litigation, and so-called “bet-the-com- pany litigation.” But the courtroom is not the only arena in which he excels. “Professor Levy teaches with such


enthusiasm and deep knowledge of the law, it is incredible to listen to him lecture,” says a student at the University of Maryland School of Law, where Levy was recently named Outstanding Adjunct Professor of the Year for a third consecutive year. “I love teaching,” Levy says. “It


gives me a chance to mentor and give back, and the students appreciate having a practicing lawyer instructing them. Also, the classroom dialogue with the law students—who are, by the way, very smart—helps me in court with cross examination of experts. Testing an expert is like


like you could go out and know what the laws mean in reality after learn- ing from him. His enthusiasm for the subject matter and for the learning process of his students can be felt in each class. It was a pleasure coming to class each night.” As a defender of people with dis-


abilities, Levy also has become a true champion of the law itself. His firm also demonstrates its commitment to growing the ranks of lawyers with disabilities by awarding the annual Brown, Goldstein & Levy Disability Rights Fellowship. “We offer a one-year fellowship to a


recent law school graduate or judicial clerk with a significant disability who spends a year with us litigating cases that focus on disability rights. It’s a way to help a young lawyer get a start, but it’s not totally altruistic on our part, because it has given us the opportunity to work with some extremely talented young lawyers.” As anyone who knows Levy will


tell you, having a disability has absolutely not impaired his abilities as a lawyer. To the contrary, it is part of


People with disabilities are still the most poorly served, and this cuts across race, gender, ethnicity, even class.


teaching law school, in that each is pushing the intellectual envelope.” Further insight to what Levy


brings to the classroom can be gleaned from what a student once wrote in a course evaluation: “(Professor) Levy’s extensive experience with the subject matter in real life gives the classroom a vibrant and tangible tone. It feels


what drives his passion, energy, and self-described “fascination with the world of the courtroom,” all of which contribute to making him one of America’s finest lawyers. D&B


Tom Calarco is a freelance writer based in Altamonte Springs, Fla.


JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 DIVERSITY & THE BAR®


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