Attorneys
Alan Hilliard Legum
Attorney
Alan Legum received his B.A. from Johns Hopkins University on 1968 and his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1971. He has started his general litigation practice in Annapolis, Maryland in 1972. For more than 35 years he’s helped people receive the full amount the law allows, particularly in cases of serious personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice and electrical injury. He has also served as Assistant General Counsel for the Maryland Department of Health and an Assistant Public Defender.
Mr. Legum served as a member of the Juvenile Services Advisory Board from 1972-1976 and of Governor’s Commission on Landlord Tenant Laws from 1978-1984. He has also sat on the Anne Arundel County Trial Court’s Judicial Nominating Commission and has served as a trustee for the Anne Arundel County Bar Association. He is currently a member of the Bar of the State of Maryland.
Mr. Legum is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, the U.S. Claims Court, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Shane Nikolao
Attorney
Shane Nikolao graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2003 with a B.S. in Psychology and Political Science. He received his J.D from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 2006. While attending Hastings, Mr. Nikolao worked as a law clerk for the Hassell Law Group, P.C. in San Francisco, where he assisted in personal injury litigation for two years.
Mr. Nikolao was admitted to the Maryland Bar in February 2007. Mr. Nikolao worked for the law firm of Rosen & Esterson in Baltimore. Since joining Alan Hilliard Legum, P.A., Mr. Nikolao has represented individuals with personal injury, medical malpractice, and general litigation claims in Maryland. Mr. Nikolao has also represented individuals in Maryland criminal courts.
Mr. Nikolao is a member of the Maryland Association of Justice and the Anne Arundel Bar Association. In addition, Mr. Nikolao currently sits on the Board of Directors for Lupus Mid-Atlantic, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting individuals with lupus in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
Judd Cooper Legum
Attorney
Judd Legum received his B.A. from Pomona College in 2000 and his J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University in 2003. While at Georgetown, he was Research Assistant for former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta and a member of the Georgetown Moot Court Team. He has been a member of the Maryland Bar since 2003.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Legum was Research Director for Senator Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Previously he was the Research Director for the Center for American Progress, a progressive policy think tank. His writings have been published in The Nation, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Cincinnati Enquirer, The DC Examiner and Salon. He’s also been a regular guest on television news, including CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.
Staff
Darla Watts
Paralegal
Darla Watts is a graduate of University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a focus on juvenile justice and political science. For the last 30 years, Ms. Watts has worked in the legal profession, specializing in personal injury plaintiff for the last two decades. Previously, Ms. Watts worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Deborah Bishop
Paralegal
Ms. Bishop obtained her B.S. from California State College and her paralegal certificate from Tidewater Community College. She is experienced in civil litigation, real estate and administrative law. Ms. Bishop previously worked for the Enterprise Foundation and St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center on affordable housing issues. In addition, she has been active the past twenty years advocating for victims rights.
Sue Mann
Legal Secretary
Ms. Mann joined the firm in May 1989 and handles the majority of its administrative matters. She also works on many types of legal issues, including civil cases, wills, estates, criminal, and meditations. Ms. Mann is experienced in workers’ compensation, personal injury, wrongful death, products liability, medical malpractice and electric shock cases.
Giselle Hahn Walsh
Paralegal
Ms. Walsh has a B.S. in Social Work from the College of Social Work in Lucerne, Switzerland. She has also completed paralegal studies at Anne Arundel Community College, where she was Vice President of the Paralegal Club. Ms. Walsh is currently a member of the ABA Paralegal Studies Approval Committee. She is fluent in German, French and Italian.