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JAMES L. OTWAY
 James L. Otway is a principal of Otway, Russo & Rommel. Mr. Otway has practiced law in Salisbury, Maryland for over twenty-five years. He received his law degree from Potomac School of Law (J.D., 1978). He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates, an organization which is comprised of attorneys who have achieved verdicts and/or settlements in excess of one million dollars in cases involving personal injury or death. His practice concentrates on personal injury, medical malpractice and wrongful death cases, and business disputes.
Mr. Otway has extensive experience in resolving business disputes through negotiation, mediation, arbitration and litigation. He provides counsel, guidance and representation in areas such as dissolution of partnerships or other entities, breach of contract, wrongful interference with contract, non-competition agreements, specific enforcement of contracts and commercial agreements.
Mr. Otway is a Fellow of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) and a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation. In 2008, 2009 and 2010 and 2011, he was named as one of Maryland's elite "Super Lawyers" in the area of personal injury. He has served as President of the Wicomico County Bar Association (1990) and serves on the Maryland State Committee for ACTL. In 2008 he was elected to the Board of Governors of the Maryland Association for Justice. Since 1996, he has instructed other attorneys in a professionalism course sponsored by the Maryland State Bar Association. He was appointed by the Maryland Court of Appeals to serve on a statewide Court Commission on Professionalism to develop standards of professional conduct for attorneys. Mr. Otway serves as a character examiner for the Maryland Board of Law Examiners for the First Judicial Circuit. In addition to all Maryland state courts, he has been admitted to the United States District Court (Maryland), United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, United States Court of the Armed Forces, United States Court of Federal Claims, and the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. He is a member of the American Association for Justice, the Maryland Association for Justice (Member, Technology Committee and Publication Committee), and the American, Maryland State and Wicomico County Bar Associations. Mr. Otway was named to the 2008 Montclair Who's Who among Executives and Professionals.
Mr. Otway has been active in serving his community and in the past has served as an officer of Our Community, an organization devoted to improving race relations, and Urban Salisbury, Inc., a non-profit organization established to coordinate downtown revitalization efforts. He has also served as a member and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Life Crisis Center in Salisbury, counseling on legal issues related to domestic violence. His wife, Kathleen Otway, is a high school teacher. He has three children, Michael, Devin and Morgan. He is an avid fly fisherman and well-acquainted with the ins and outs of the waters of the Eastern Shore.
In Loving Memory of Leslie Hayes Russo
Founding Partner
1955-2010
LESLIE HAYES RUSSO (1955-2010)
 Leslie Hayes Russo is a partner of Otway Russo, LLP. Ms. Russo's practice at Otway Russo, LLP focuses on serious personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability actions and appeals to state and federal courts. Ms. Russo received her law degree in 1986 from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. where she was a member of the law review and was selected as commencement speaker for her graduating class.
Ms. Russo previously served as legislative assistant and speech writer to United States Senator Patrick J. Leahy. Before joining Otway Russo, LLP, she served as law clerk to Judge Theodore G. Bloom of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals (retired).
Ms. Russo is on the Board of Governors of the Maryland Association for Justice (MAJ) and has served on its Amicus and Publications Committees. She is Assistant Editor of the Trial Reporter, MAJ's scholarly publication. Ms. Russo is also a member of MAJ's Legislative Committee. She was recently appointed to be a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation. She is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the Wicomico County Bar Association and the Anne Arundel County Bar Association and has been admitted to practice in other jurisdictions in connection with major appeals. She has contributed to amicus curiae briefs on behalf of MAJ in connection with landmark decisions of the Courts of Appeal, including Rivera v. Edmonds. She is a frequent lecturer on the subjects of appellate advocacy and product liability. She was appointed recently to the statewide Joint Commission on Juries.
Ms. Russo has handled numerous appeals to Maryland's appellate courts and writes and lectures on appellate advocacy.
Ms. Russo is the author of numerous publications. Her writing has focused on issues of trial and appellate advocacy and liability for defective products. She is the co-author of Maryland's leading volume on the law related to personal injury cases based on defective products (product liability). Among her other publications are, "MARYLAND PRODUCT LIABILITY LAW" (MICPEL 2d Ed. 2004); "Final Judgments and Interlocutory Appeals," APPELLATE PRACTICE FOR THE MARYLAND LAWYER: STATE AND FEDERAL (1st and 2nd eds. MICPEL), and various articles in The Maryland Association for Justice's publication, Trial Reporter, including, "Top Ten Appellate Tips," (Winter 2005); "Arguments Against a Pale Stipulation," (Fall 2003), "Product Liability Update: Halliday v. Sturm," (Fall 2001); Product Liability: Ford Motor Sales v. General Accident Insurance," (Summer 2002); "Can We Appeal Now?", Trial Reporter (MTLA, Summer 2000).
Ms. Russo enjoys writing literature for children, and is the published author of many poems, including "The Cows of Connemara," CHERUBIC CHILDREN'S NEW CLASSIC STORYBOOK, Vol. I. She is on the Board of Trustees of the Wicomico County Free Library. She and her husband, Chris, live in Salisbury. Together they like to canoe and to explore the Eastern Shore.
CHRISTOPHER J. RUSSO, JR.
 Christopher J. Russo Jr. serves of counsel to Otway, Russo & Rommel. He received his law degree from Syracuse University in 1979. He is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia. He is on the Board of Governors of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., a member of the Maryland Association for Justice; the American Association for Justice and the Anne Arundel Bar Association. During the last ten years, his practice has focused on plaintiff's cases, with a particular emphasis on medical negligence cases. Mr. Russo is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates which recognizes attorneys who have obtained verdicts or settlements in excess of one million dollars. In 2011, he was named as one of Maryland's elite "Super Lawyers" in the area of medical malpractice.
Before joining Otway, Russo & Rommel, Mr. Russo clerked for the Honorable Raymond G. Thieme and E. Mackall Childs, then Circuit Court Judges of Anne Arundel County.
Mr. Russo represents clients throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C. Examples of some of the cases he has successfully handled are set forth in the section entitled Case Studies.
LUKE A. ROMMEL
 Luke A. Rommel is a principal of Otway, Russo & Rommel. He received his law degree from the Ohio State University. (J.D. 2004) In 2004, he was admitted to practice law in Maryland. He is a member of the Wicomico County Bar Association; the Maryland State Bar Association and the Maryland Association for Justice. Mr. Rommel is licensed to practice in Maryland, the United States District Court, and the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. He has successfully argued numerous appeals in the Maryland Court of Appeals.
Before joining Otway, Russo & Rommel, Mr. Rommel served as law clerk to The Honorable Daniel M. Long, Circuit Administrative Judge for the First Judicial Circuit in Maryland and Circuit Court Judge for Somerset County, Maryland.
In 2004, Mr. Rommel received the Judge Joseph H. Harter Memorial Award for Most Outstanding Record in Trial Practice. He was an Academic Honors Convocation award recipient in 2004. In 2002, Mr. Rommel studied Comparative Legal Professions and Legal Ethics at Oxford University in England.
Mr. Rommel is an adjunct professor at the Salisbury University Perdue School of Business, where he teaches business law.
AMY TAYLOR SEVIGNY
 Amy Taylor Sevigny is an associate at Otway, Russo & Rommel. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University (B.S. 1995) and law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law (J.D. 2008). While attending the University of Baltimore School of Law, Ms. Sevigny was Editor in Chief of the Journal of Environmental Law. In 2008, she was admitted to practice law in Maryland. She is a member of the Wicomico County Bar Association and the Women's Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar Association, and the Maryland Association for Justice. Before joining Otway, Russo & Rommel, Ms. Sevigny served as law clerk to The Honorable Daniel M. Long, Circuit Administrative Judge for the First Judicial Circuit in Maryland and Circuit Court Judge for Somerset County, Maryland.
She was the co-author with Ms. Russo of a Trial Reporter article "Preemption in Product Liability: The Giving And Taking Away". (Trial Reporter Winter 2010 Issue)
Ms. Sevigny has been active with the Make-A-Wish Foundation; the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassadors Network and is Vice-Chair of the Delmarva Zoological Society.
Prior to attending law school, Ms. Sevigny worked for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts as Director of Sales and Marketing.
KRISTIN N. SMITH
 Kristin N. Smith is an associate at Otway, Russo & Rommel. She received her undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University (B.A. Magna Cum Laude with Honors, 2007) and law degree from William & Mary School of Law (J.D. 2010). While attending William & Mary School of Law, Ms. Smith was the Membership Coordinator of the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal; Articles Editor of the William & Mary Business Law Review and Graduate Research Fellow (merit-based scholarship and research assistantship). In 2005, while attending The Ohio State University, Ms. Smith studied abroad in Dijon, France. In 2008, Ms. Smith participated in the William & Mary Summer Law Program in Madrid, Spain.
While attending law school, Ms. Smith interned with Professor Paul Marcus as a research assistant, served as a Judicial Extern to The Honorable Tommy E. Miller, United States Magistrate Judge, Norfolk, VA and served as a Legal Intern to the Richmond City Attorney, Richmond, VA.
In 2010 Ms. Smith was admitted to practice law in Virginia, and in 2011, she was admitted to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia. She is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, Virginia State Bar, District of Columbia Bar, Wicomico County Bar Association, Women's Bar Association, Maryland Association for Justice, American Association for Justice and American Bar Association.
Before joining Otway, Russo & Rommel, Ms. Smith served as law clerk to The Honorable Kathleen L. Becksted, Wicomico County Circuit Court in Maryland.
Ms. Smith has been active with Chi Omega, Fraternity; the Make-A-Wish Foundation; the United Way Young Leader's Society; and is the Vice President of Individual Development for the Salisbury Jaycees.
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