Glenn Etelson is a nationally recognized commercial litigator. He is the Chair of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Group and Chair Emeritus of the firm’s Litigation Department. He is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. He served on the firm’s Executive Committee and as Firm General Counsel. Clients describe him not just as their attorney, but as a trusted advisor and strategic partner.
Glenn’s practice focuses on complex business and corporate disputes, real estate and construction litigation, finance litigation, civil matters arising from government contract disputes, and fiduciary matters involving trusts, estates, wills, and probate. He is known for breaking down complicated disputes and working with clients to build winning strategies. His approach is goal-oriented: often telling his team, “We don’t litigate just to litigate; we litigate to get a result”.
Glenn has made law in Maryland on two separate occasions. In the 1995 case Kalkreuth Roofing v. West Pointe Plaza II, he won a reported appellate decision that changed how mechanics’ liens are pled in Maryland. In Messina v. Krakower, he prevailed before the appellate court in upholding the absolute privilege in confidentiality matters. He has also argued before the Supreme Court of Maryland, where the Court established a new standard on trust interpretation rules.
The Governor of Maryland appointed Glenn to a commission to rewrite the state’s lease litigation law. The Governor also appointed him to an eight-year term (1997-2005) as a trustee of the Chesapeake Bay Trust, a multi-million dollar state trust that funds grants for the rehabilitation of the Chesapeake Bay. He also served as a court-appointed mediator in Montgomery County for more than 20 years.
Glenn handles matters in the Federal and State Courts of Maryland, the District of Columbia, and in Virginia (Pro Hac Vice). He also handles matters in other courts throughout the United States as needed for clients and in arbitration proceedings. He is a lecturer on litigation topics and has taught at the Maryland Institute for Continuing Legal Education and Georgetown University Law Center’s Annual Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute.
