Jean Lewis has more than 25 years of experience in trying and litigating complex civil cases for both plaintiffs and defendants. As a leader of the firm's commercial litigation group, she has significant experience representing clients in professional liability claims, bankruptcy-related litigation, class actions, business disputes, and other commercial litigation.
Her representations include multinational law firms, one of the world's largest hotel companies, bankruptcy trustees, corporate directors and officers, businesses, and local governments. In addition to jury trials in courts around the country, Jean represents clients in bankruptcy adversary proceedings, commercial arbitration and internal investigations. She has published several papers on arbitration in Maryland.
Before entering private practice, Jean served as the Deputy Director of the Mayor of Baltimore City's Office on Criminal Justice. She also tried cases as a public defender in Alameda County, California, and worked as an advocate for children at Legal Services for Children, Inc., in San Francisco.
Service
The Leadership, Class of 2022
Job Opportunities Task Force, Board Chair 2013 - 2017; Executive Committee 2017 - present
Fund for Educational Excellence, Board of Directors
Rose Street Community Center, Board of Directors
Maryland Volunteer Legal Services Corporation, former Board Member
KIPP Baltimore, former Board Member
Baltimore Economic Recovery Team, former Co-Chair
Listed in Benchmark Litigation, Best Lawyers, and ranked by Chambers USA for her 'notable experience acting for both plaintiffs and defendants on complex civil litigation.' Chambers sources describe Jean as 'very bright, thoughtful and [with] excellent judgment.'
Selected for inclusion in Chambers USA, Commercial Litigation, Maryland, since 2020
Selected for Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, since inaugural edition 2022
Recognized in Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Bankruptcy and Restructuring Lawyers, 2020
Recipient, The Daily Record, Maryland's Top 100 Women, 2020
Recognized in Benchmark Litigation, "Local Litigation Star," Commercial Litigation, Bankruptcy, since 2020
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, since 2019
- Maryland
- California (Inactive)
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- United States District Court for the Northern District of California
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
- United States District Court for the District of Maryland
- Supreme Court of the United States
American Bar Association
Federal Bar Association, Member; Professional Ethics Committee, Former Member
International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation
Maryland State Bar Association
Serjeant's Inn, Member
Co-presenter, "Litigating Bankruptcy Cases," Maryland Bankruptcy Bar Association Spring Break Weekend, 2019
Presenter, "Cost-Effective, Cloud-Based Data Collection," RICOH Webinar, 2018
Co-presenter, "Preventing, Spotting and Addressing ESI Destruction," Maryland State Bar Association Annual Meeting, MSBA, 2017
Co-presenter, "Introduction to Federal Practice," Federal Bar Association - Maryland Chapter, 2014, 2015
Co-author, "Litigating Against Bad Debtors: Protecting Against the Spoliation of ESI," American Bankruptcy Trustee Journal, 2017
Co-author, "Compelling and Staying Arbitration in Maryland," Thomson Reuters Practical Law, 2017
Co-author, "Enforcing Arbitration Awards in Maryland," Thomson Reuters Practical Law, 2016