Callegary & Steedman, P.A.

Ellen A. Callegary, a practicing attorney for over 30 years and a founding partner of the Baltimore law firm of Callegary & Steedman, P.A., focuses on special education , disability and family law issues. Ellen is trained in civil and family law mediation. She is also a member of the Maryland Collaborative Law Association ( http://www.marylandcollaborativelawassociation.com ) and handles collaborative family law cases. She represents children and adults with disabilities to help them get appropriate services such as special education and rehabilitation services throughout the state. She also helps families through the guardianship, mental health, and health care decision making processes.

Ms. Callegary has a long history of involvement in disability issues. During her ten years as an assistant attorney general for the State of Maryland, she worked directly with two Attorneys General advising state agencies on matters related to the rights of persons with disabilities and serving as principal counsel for the Department of Juvenile Services. She has lectured extensively on special education and health law, and taught an AIDS Legal Clinic and a Mental Health Law Clinic as a clincal law professor at the University of Maryland School of Law where she most recently taught the "Civil Right of Persons with Disabilities Seminar" as an adjunct professor. In 2003, Ellen completed three years as the Chair of the Juvenile Law Committee of The Bar Association of Baltimore City.

Ms. Callegary is the author of The IDEA"s Promise Unfulfilled: A Second Look at Special Education & Related Services for Children with Mental Health Needs After Garret F, 5 J. Health Care LAW. & Policy 164 (2002) and author of Chapter 2, "Consent & Competency" in "Best Practices in Developmental Disabilities: A Maryland Resource", Office of External Affairs, University of Maryland (2005). She is the Co-Author of "A Special Education Primer", Md. Bar Journal Vol. XXXIII, Number 2. Ellen is a member of the Education Advocacy Coalition for Students with Disabilities. "The Daily Record" named Ellen one of Maryland's Top 100 Women for 2000, 2004, and 2008 putting her in "The Circle of Excellence" as a three time awardee. Ellen is a past president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland and a former Woman's Law Center Board Member. Ms. Callegary is an honors graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law and an honors graduate of the Johns Hopkins University.

Wayne D. Steedman is a partner in the law firm of Callegary & Steedman, P.A. His practice is devoted primarily to the representation of children with disabilities. He has represented his clients in administrative due process hearings and state and federal courts. Mr. Steedman obtained his J.D. degree from the University of Maryland Law School. In addition to his law degree, Mr. Steedman has a Masters degree in social work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Prior to practicing law, Mr. Steedman was in charge of the clinical treatment program at the Forbush School at Shepherd Pratt Hospital where he was employed for more than 20 years. Additionally he served for approximately ten years as a Due Process Hearing officer in special education cases. In Gerstmyer v. Howard County Public Schools, Mr. Steedman was able to convince the U.S. District Court Judge that a Montessori School was able to provide a free appropriate public education for a child with a learning disability. The Judge thus found that a school which is not a traditional special education school can be an appropriate placement for children with disabilities.

Sally Fite Stanfield grew up on a working family dairy farm in Baltimore County and received her undergraduate degree in Sociology from McDaniel College. Sally earned her J.D. from Washington & Lee University School of Law in 1981, after which she clerked for the Honorable Marvin Smith on the Maryland Court of Appeals.

Prior to joining the law firm of Callegary & Steedman in March of 2004, Sally practiced as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for King County, Washington, during which time she handled numerous felony jury trials and appeals. Sally thereafter entered private practice in Seattle, Washington and then in Baltimore after returning to Maryland in 1995. Sally worked in her family's farm businesses for several years and taught in a Title One physical education program for pre-kindergarten students in the Baltimore County Public Schools from fall 2000 through spring 2004. She has coached high school girls' lacrosse and officiated high school field hockey. Sally recently retired from showing her Arabian horses.

As a senior attorney with Callegary & Steedman, Ms. Stanfield represents both children and adults with disabilities who need services and supports in school or in post-high school settings. Sally also represents children who have special education needs in school disciplinary meetings. If police charges result from the school violation, Sally represents these children throughout the ensuing juvenile court proceedings. Beyond her practice, Sally volunteers time to youth detention issues through her association with the Maryland Juvenile Justice Coalition.

James F. Silver Before beginning his legal career with Callegary & Steedman, P.A., Jim Silver served in the Peace Corps and had a five-year career as a journalist in Northern Virginia. Jim is a 2007 graduate from American University - The Washington College of Law and a 1997 graduate from New York University. Jim spent a year of law school working in special education and disability law in Washington, D.C., and continues to practice in special education, disability law, and family law while at Callegary & Steedman, P.A..

Of Counsel:

Harold W. Pskowski has been practicing law in Maryland and Washington D.C. since 1984, when he moved from the Boston area. His wife, who is a Montgomery County native, persuaded him to make the move and he has not regretted it. His practice focuses on trusts and estates, including planning for persons with special needs and their families. He can advise clients on how to preserve assets for the use of a loved one with a disability, while still qualifying the beneficiary for government assistance and creating a structure for his or her long-term care. Although he believes that family needs are paramount when advising clients, his tax background enables him to advise on the tax implications of client planning and how taxes can be minimized.

Harry’s undergraduate degree is from Boston University, his law degree from Northeastern University and he has an advanced degree in tax law from Boston University. He is a member of the Maryland, D.C., and Massachusetts bars, and is admitted to the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the U.S. District Court for Maryland.

Harry is active in professional organizations, currently serving on a publications committee of the Real Property, Estate and Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association. He was previously the Chair and Co-Chair of the Montgomery/Prince George’s County Tax Study Group of the Maryland Bar Association. He is a past editor of the Estates, Gifts and Trusts Journal, published by BNA Tax & Accounting, and was a contributor to the ABA Family Legal Guide (2004) and the ABA Guide to Wills and Estates (2004), both published by Random House Reference. He has spoken to many professional groups and public audiences on trust and estate planning topics.

Harry’s wife, Ellen Pskowski, is a licensed clinical social worker with the Jewish Social Service Agency in Montgomery County, where she provides counseling to families and individuals. He has three children, all now on their own, one of whom was a special education student in the Montgomery County Schools. As a result of his personal experience, he is familiar with the opportunities for special education, as well as the difficulties that families face in qualifying for and implementing it.

Paralegals:

Paulette C. Matteson has been a paralegal at Callegary & Steedman, P.A. since 2004. She is the mother of three wonderful children and brings a special sensitivity to her work because she has family members with disabilities. Paulette has a B.S. in Textile Design from Philadelphia College of Textiles Science and is an accomplished seamstress, designer, knitter, and woodworker.

Betsy K. Gamse joined the law firm of Callegary & Steedman, P.A. in 2005. She serves as an office manager and paralegal. Previously, Betsy has worked in the field of special education in the summers and school years as a camp counselor for special needs children, teaching adaptive aquatics through the Towson YMCA, short and long-term substitute teaching at The Ridge School and The Chimes School and most recently; acting as a year-long personal aide to a special needs 5th grader at the Fort Garrison School. On the business end of things, Betsy and her husband Jon owned and successfully ran Balloon Town and Mt. Washington Florist for over 20 years. She has three children and also actively participated in their schools by volunteering for classroom activities and projects and chairing or serving as member of the school boards during their pre and then secondary school years. In addition to taking various graduate courses in Special Education and Social Work Studies from Towson University, Loyola College, University of MD School of Social Work, Betsy is a graduate of The Park School of Baltimore and earned her B.A. degree in Classics and Religious Studies from Beloit College in Wisconsin and has studied at Stevenson University in Maryland for her B.S. degree in Paralegal Studies.