Areas of Experience

Personal injury, premises liability, products liability, business dissolution; family law including child/spousal support, custody/visitation and equitable distribution; trusts & estates, real property, civil rights, consumer, contracts, defamation, disability, employment, environmental, financial, governmental, insurance coverage and professional liability.

Professional Experience

• Judge, Court of Appeals of Maryland, 2008-2018.
• Judge, Court of Special Appeals of Maryland, 1998-2008.
• Associate Judge, Circuit Court for Wicomico County, 1st Judicial Circuit, 1996-1998.
• Former Partner, Adkins & Allen, LLP.
• Former Partner and Associate, Adkins, Potts & Smethurst.

Affiliations

• Fellow, Maryland Bar Foundation.
• Past President, Wicomico County Bar Association.
• Past President, Women’s Bar Association of Maryland, Eastern Shore Chapter.
• Former Member, Maryland Judicial Conference, Civil Law and Procedure Committee.
• Past Chair, Advisory Committee to Explore the Feasibility of Maryland’s Adoption of the Uniform Bar Examination.
• Past Chair, Commission on Judicial Disabilities.
• Former Member, Judges, Masters and Juvenile Justice Committee.
• Former Member, Trial Court Judicial Nominating Commission, 1st Judicial Circuit.
• Former Member, Ethics Commission, Wicomico County.
• Former Member, Attorney General’s Advisory Council, Family Court Committee.
• Recipient, The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, The Mary Ellen Barbera ’84 Judicial Excellence Award, 2022.
• Co-Recipient, Rita C. Davidson Award, Women’s Bar Association of Maryland.
• Recipient, Dorothy Beatty Memorial Award, Women’s Law Center of Maryland.
• Member, Maryland State Bar Association. Former Member, Committee on Judicial Personnel Issues; Committee on Laws.
• Former Member, Committee for Dean Search, University of Maryland, Carey School of Law.

Education

• University of Maryland, Carey School of Law, J.D. (with honors), Member of Law Review
• Lawrence University, B.A.