Whiteford, Taylor & Preston Elects Five New Partners
January 19, 2005 - Baltimore, MD - Whiteford, Taylor & Preston L.L.P. is pleased to announce that five attorneys have been elected partners. The firm congratulates John B. Gontrum, Gary W. Kuc, Dino C. La Fiandra, Frank J. Mastro, and Gregory M. Stone. John B. Gontrum has been elected partner in the Real Estate and Land Use Law Group. Mr. Gontrum has over 24 years experience in zoning and land use law in Baltimore County. He has represented developers and landowners in a wide range of projects including, Towson Place Shopping Center and the Perry Hall Farms residential community of about 1,000 units. Mr. Gontrum joined Whiteford, Taylor & Preston as Counsel in 2003 from the firm of Romadka & Gontrum, where he was founding partner. He received his B.A. from Duke University in 1973 and his J.D. from Duke University School of Law in 1976. In addition to his extensive legal work, Mr. Gontrum is active in the community, serving as president of the Baltimore County Bar Association, vice chairman of the Franklin Square Hospital Board, and board member of the YMCA of Central Maryland. He is admitted to practice in Maryland and is resident in the Towson office. Gary W. Kuc has been elected partner in the Medical Malpractice Law Group. Mr. Kuc provides advice and counsel to physicians, hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers in connection with claims and actions for professional malpractice. He received his B.A. from the University of California in 1986 and his J.D., magna cum laude, from The Catholic University of America in 1994. Mr. Kuc is a member of the Maryland Society for Healthcare Risk Management, the Howard County Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar Association, the Maryland Defense Counsel, Inc., the Defense Research Institute, and the Bar Association of Baltimore City. He has been published in The Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy, the Managed Care Law Outlook and the Health Care Competition Week. Mr. Kuc sits of the Board of Directors for the STTAR Center, a non-profit organization in Howard County that helps victims of sexual assault/abuse and is a member of the Howard County Board of Social Services. Mr. Kuc is admitted to practice in Maryland and is resident in the Towson office. Dino C. La Fiandra has been elected partner in the Real Estate and Land Use Law Group. Mr. La Fiandra represents a variety of local, regional and national interests before governmental agencies, boards, and legislative bodies to obtain necessary land use approvals. He received his B.A., cum laude, from the University of Rochester in 1991, his M.S. from the University of Rochester in 1992, and his J.D. from George Washington University in 1995. He is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association, the Baltimore County Bar Association, and the Urban Land Institute. He is a 2003 graduate of the Baltimore County Leadership. Mr. La Fiandra is admitted to practice in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia and is resident in the Towson office. Frank J. Mastro has been elected partner in the Business Litigation Law Group. Mr. Mastro represents businesses in a wide variety of commercial matters at the trial and appellate levels in both state and federal court. He received his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 1988 and his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Baltimore in 1996. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law and serves on the Advisory Council of the Learning Bank of COIL, Inc. Mr. Mastro, who is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia Bar Associations, was the 2001 recipient of the Pro Bono Service Award by the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland. Mr. Mastro is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia, as well as in a number of federal courts and is resident in the Baltimore office. Gregory M. Stone has been elected partner in the Technology and Intellectual Property Law Group. Mr. Stone represents clients in diverse technical disciplines in connection with U.S. and foreign patent matters and general intellectual property matters. He is a former U.S. Patent Examiner. He received his B.S.M.E. from the University of Maryland in 1992 and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Baltimore in 1996. He is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the Baltimore City Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He is a frequent speaker on patents and intellectual property issues. Mr. Stone is admitted to practice in Maryland and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and is resident in the Baltimore office.
