Attorneys

Andrew Graham Andrew Graham

Andrew Jay Graham

Principal
410-347-7422410-539-1269
agraham@kg-law.com
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Biography

“Described in Chambers USA as 'one of the deans of the trial Bar in Maryland' and 'a go-to litigator for bet-the-company cases and defending high-profile individuals.' According to sources, 'There's nothing he can't do, and nothing that he doesn't do well.'”

Andrew Jay Graham is one of the most highly regarded trial attorneys in Maryland. Since co-founding Kramon & Graham in 1975, Andy has been involved in many of the most high-profile cases and jury trials in the state and in the nation. With a versatile litigation practice, Andy handles matters involving complex business disputes, securities litigation, general civil litigation, professional liability, white-collar crime, trade secrets, and executive employment disputes. A former Assistant U.S. Attorney for Maryland with more than five decades of litigation experience, Andy is distinguished for his integrity, analytical thinking, and courtroom achievements. He is regularly retained by other lawyers and law firms in malpractice actions and grievance proceedings as well as by judges in judicial disciplinary matters. Additionally, Andy serves as an experienced mediator and expert witness on legal fees and ethics.


Recognition

Given his national reputation for handling high-stakes litigation, clients frequently call upon Andy to handle matters involving bet-the-company disputes, allegations of serious professional misconduct or negligence, and white-collar criminal charges. Chambers USA, describes him as "a tremendous trial lawyer and one of the most widely respected attorneys in the state." His accolades include:

  • Chambers USA, since 2004
  • Benchmark Litigation, Local Litigation Star, since 2013
  • The Best Lawyers in America, since 1993; named Baltimore "Lawyer of the Year" in Bet-the-Company Litigation, 2019; Litigation - Securities, 2017; Arbitration, 2014; Bet-the-Company Litigation, 2013; Intellectual Property, 2013; Arbitration, 2012; Alternative Dispute Resolution, 2010; Bet-the-Company Litigation, 2010
  • Selected for Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, since inaugural edition 2022
  • AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Maryland Legal Services Corporation, Arthur W. Machen, Jr. Award, 2018
  • Maryland State Bar Association, recipient, Litigator of the Year Award, 2011 - 2012
  • The Daily Record, recipient, Leadership in Law Award

Service

Andy chaired the Maryland Chapter of the American College of Trial Lawyers from 1996 to 1998 and has been a Fellow in the College since 1989. He served as President of the Maryland Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and has held many board and committee positions with various bar associations, including the American Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar Association, and the Bar Association of Baltimore City. He maintains an active membership in four of Baltimore's six historic law clubs, and he is a permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference.

From 2001 to 2003, Andy chaired the Maryland State Bar Association's Ethics 2000 Committee. He also served as a member of the commission appointed by the Supreme Court of Maryland to study and recommend changes to the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct. In 2012, Andy was asked by the Chief Judge of the District of Maryland to lead a committee that was formed to study and recommend changes to the court's rules on attorneys' fees. He has served on several Maryland judicial selection committees for the Maryland State Bar and Federal Bar associations, and formerly served by appointment as a member of the Federal Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel.

Andy has devoted his professional life to raising the ethical standards of the legal profession and improving the administration of justice. He believes deeply that community service is a fundamental responsibility of all lawyers and supports cultural, charitable, educational, and philanthropic organizations, including Everyman Theater, Center Stage, Baltimore School for the Arts, CollegeBound Foundation, and Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. He is a former President of the Baltimore Courthouse of Law Museum Foundation. 

Andy co-chaired and chaired the Maryland Legal Aid's Equal Justice Council for 13 years. In recognition of his service, he was honored with the Council's Executive Director Award in 2011 and Exemplar of Equal Justice Award in 2015.


Memberships

American Bar Association -- Vice-Chairman, Committee on Class Actions, 1976 - 1977; Member, Committee on Advocacy, 1978 - 1979, 1982 - 1983; Member, Committee on Commercial Law, 1982 - 1983

American Bar Foundation, Life Fellow

American College of Trial Lawyers, former Maryland Chapter Chair, Fellow

Baltimore Bar Foundation, Lifetime Fellow

Bar Association of Baltimore City -- Treasurer, 1981 - 1982; Secretary, 1982 - 1983; Program Chairman, 1984 - 1985; Member, Executive Council, 1979 - 1985; Board of Trustees, 2003 - 2004

Federal Bar Association -- Maryland Chapter President, 1980 - 1981; Chairman, Judicial Selection Committee, 1978 - 1984

Federal Court Advisory Committee, 1991 - 1994

Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference, Permanent Member

Magistrate Judges' Merit Selection Panel 2010 - 2016

Maryland Bar Foundation, Fellow

Maryland State Bar Association -- Judicial Selection Committee, 1977 - 1980; Board of Governors, 1980, 1983 - 1985; Executive Committee, 1984 - 1985; Commercial Transactions Litigation Committee, 1979 - 1980; Chairman, Ethics 2000 Committee, 2001 - 2004

The Lawyers' Round Table, Wednesday Law Club, The Barristers' Club, and The Rule Day Club


Events

Panelist, “You Have Been Hacked! Cyber Security Pitfalls and Liability,” Maryland Bankruptcy Bar Association, 22nd Annual Spring Break, 2018

Panelist, "Tips & Advice for Responding to the Commission on Judicial Disabilities," Maryland Circuit Judges Association, 2017


Publications

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

Author and Lecturer, MICPEL -- Federal Procedure, Civil Discovery, Trial Practice and Employment Law, 1980, Successful Strategies for Winning Commercial Cases in Federal Court, 2004


Representative Matters

Successfully obtained a dismissal of a putative class action lawsuit alleging, among other counts, fraud, RICO violations, and negligent misrepresentation, on behalf of a medical professional. The case was covered in the Law360 article, “Miners Can't Sue Johns Hopkins Over Black Lung Benefits,” August 29, 2017. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the decision in favor of the firm's client by published opinion. See Day v. Johns Hopkins Health Sys. Corp., 907 F.3d 766 (4th Cir. 2018).

In a dispute over a 93-acre real estate development project, Kramon & Graham successfully secured a jury trial victory for its client. Following a six-day trial, firm attorneys Andrew Jay Graham and Ryan A. Mitchell prevailed in obtaining a $2.84 million judgment. After one and one-half days of deliberation in the Circuit Court for Frederick County, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Kramon & Graham's client on claims of negligent misrepresentation, tortious interference with contractual and/or economic relations, and breach of contract. The development project is located near Ft. Detrick in Frederick, Maryland.

Served as a member of the defense team that successfully represented one of six Baltimore police officers who were charged in connection with the death of Freddie Gray. The firm's client faced the most serious charges among the six officers charged. Following extensive discovery, motions, and a two-week bench trial, the defense team secured acquittals on all seven counts of the indictment, including second-degree murder, three manslaughter counts, assault, reckless endangerment, and misconduct in office. In this highly publicized trial, the defense team relied on the depth of its criminal defense experience, exceptional facility with complex medical issues, and extensive trial practice. By obtaining key pre-trial evidentiary rulings combined with the team's presentation at trial, the firm succeeded in acquiring a not-guilty verdict as to all charges. 

Successfully defended a national financial institution in a four-week class action jury trial. The federal court case was instituted by plaintiffs who alleged that the financial institution and others were liable to them for alleged irregularities in home mortgage transactions over a 20-year period. Plaintiffs sought hundreds of millions of dollars in compensatory damages. The jury decisively rejected the plaintiffs' claims and returned a verdict in the financial institution's and the other defendants' behalf.

Successfully obtained judgment in favor of a national lender, on the eve of a class action trial, after demonstrating that plaintiffs were unable to prove their claims. The federal court case was instituted by plaintiffs who alleged that the lender and others were liable to them for purported violations of Maryland's finders fee law over a 20-year period. Plaintiffs sought hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

Podcasts

News

Publications

Events

Recognition

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