Division of Finance and Procurement Staff Attorneys

Karen L. Federman Henry, Division Chief

Received B.A. in Government and Politics, with minor in English, from the University of Maryland; J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law (1984). Admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1985; joined the County Attorney's Office in 1987. Also admitted to practice in D.C. (1985); the U.S. District Courts for Maryland and D.C. (1986); the U. S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for the D.C. Circuit (1986); and the United States Supreme Court (1998). Member of the Maryland, Montgomery County, Women's (Maryland & Montgomery County), and D.C. Bar Associations. Past President, Montgomery County Chapter of the Women's Bar Association (1989-1990); Chair, Bar Association of Montgomery County Professionalism & Quality of Life Committee (2002-2003; 2005 to present); Section Council, State & Local Government Section (2002 - present); member of the MSBA Litigation Section (1999-present), BAMC Ethics Committee (2002-present). Notes and Comments Editor, Maryland Law Review (1983-1984); published recent decision, Hauch v. Connor--Beginning a Transition in Maryland Conflict of Laws Doctrine?, 43 Md.L.Rev. 204 (1984). Law clerk to the Honorable Rosalyn B. Bell, Court of Special Appeals (1984-1985); summer intern to the Honorable Rita C. Davidson, Court of Appeals (1983). Private practice handling general litigation (1985-1987). Appointed to the Maryland Judicial Commission on Professionalism (2004). Elected to the Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court as a Barrister (2004); elevated to Master (2006). Accepted to the Montgomery County Inn of Court as a Bencher (2005).

Nancy S. Appel, Assistant County Attorney

Received B.A., magna cum laude, from Barnard College/Columbia University (1988); J.D. from Georgetown University (1991). Admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1991; joined the County Attorney's Office in 2004. Also admitted to practice in Maryland state and federal courts, the District of Columbia, multiple federal circuits of appeal, and the U.S. Court of Claims. Member of the District of Columbia Bar Association. Received the Columbia University Young Leadership Council award. Previously a litigation attorney with Arent, Fox; Attorney Advisor with the Securities Industry Qualified, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Attorney Counselor with Trial Lawyers Care, 9/11 Compensation Fund; Special Contractor, U.S. Department of Interior (tribal litigation, trust assets, and Tri-State Natural Resource Damage Activities and Restoration). Agency counsel to the Human Rights Commission; Taxicab regulatory issues.

Erin J. Ashbarry, Assistant County Attorney

Received B.A., magna cum laude, from Syracuse University (1996); J.D., cum laude, from Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law (1999). Admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1999; joined the County Attorney's Office in 2006. Also admitted to practice in D.C. (2001), Virginia (2006), U.S. District Court for Maryland (2000) and D.C. (2002), and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (2005). Member of the Maryland, D.C., and Montgomery County Bar Associations. Editorial Assistant for The Catholic University Law Review. Previously Law Clerk to the Honorable D. Warren Donohue, Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD (1999-2000), and in private practice. Member of the Division of Finance and Procurement, representing the Department of Technology Services.

Scott R. Foncannon, Associate County Attorney

Received degree in Economics from the University of Maryland (1974); J.D. from the John Marshall Law School (1978). Admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1979; joined the County Attorney's Office in 2001. Also admitted to practice in Illinois (1978), Colorado (1983), the United States Supreme Court, and the United States District Courts for Maryland and Colorado. Member of the Colorado Bar Association; Colorado County Attorney Association; past president, Colorado Association of School Board Attorneys; Colorado Bar Foundation; and member of the Colorado Bar Board of Governors. Previously employed as County Attorney for Otero County, Colorado (1989-2001); County Attorney for Crowley County, Colorado (1987-2001); City Attorney for Rocky Ford, Colorado (1987-2001); member and past president of the Rocky Ford Lions Club (1983-2001). Area of concentration is recordation tax. Agency counsel to the Finance Department.

John P. Markovs, Associate County Attorney

Received B.A., cum laude, in Political Science, with a minor in Philosophy, from State University of New York at Albany (1986); J.D. from the American University, Washington College of Law (1989); Managing Editor of the Administrative Law Review of American University (1988-1989). Dean's Fellow to Professor Barlow D. Burke (1988-1989). Admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1990; joined the County Attorney's Office in 2007. Also admitted to practice in Virginia (1990); United States District Court of Maryland (1990); United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland (1990); United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (1990); United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (1991); District of Columbia (1992); United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (1993); United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (1993); United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia (1993); United States Supreme Court (1994); United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (1994); United States District Court for the District of Columbia (1995); Pennsylvania (1997). Member of the American (Sections on Litigation, Public Contract Law, and Labor/Employment), Maryland (Litigation Section Council 2007-present and Labor/Employment Section), Virginia (Board of Governors, General Practice Section 1999-2001), District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Montgomery, Fairfax, Maryland Bankruptcy, and Northern Virginia Bankruptcy (President - 1999-2000; Board of Directors - 1994-present) Bar Associations. Author of Post-judgment Collection Efforts - The Last Attack in Debtor/Creditor Warfare, Virginia Lawyer, October 1998. In private practice from 1989-2006 and a partner in Adams Porter & Radigan, Ltd. and Samek, McMillan & Metro, P.C. Barrister in the Walter Chandler Inn of Court (2000-2002). Barrister in the Montgomery County Inn of Court (2006-present). Assigned to the Division of Finance and Procurement. Areas of concentration are construction, contracts, procurement, commercial law, bankruptcy, arbitration, and litigation.

Richard H. Melnick, Associate County Attorney

Received B.S., cum laude, in Business and Management/Finance from the University of Maryland (1982); J.D. from University of Maryland School of Law (1985). Articles Editor, Maryland Law Forum (1984-1985); Published article, "The Admissibility of Stipulated Polygraph Evidence," 9 Md. Law Forum 4 (1985). Admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1986; joined the County Attorney's Office in 1988. Also admitted to practice in the District of Columbia (1987), the U.S. District Court for D.C. (1987), the U.S. District Court for Maryland (1988), and the United.States Supreme Court (2000). Adjunct Professor, University of Baltimore Law School (2002-Present). Presents educational programs in Negotiation; Contract Drafting and Plain English Usage; Procurement; HIPAA Compliance; Administrative Law; and Contractor vs. Employer Liability Issues. Member of the Maryland (MSBA), D.C., and Montgomery County (BAMC) Bar Associations. Elected as member and Secretary of the BAMC Executive Committee (2003-2008); Received BAMC President's Outstanding Service to the Bar Citation, as Co-Chair of Dialogue on Freedom Project (2002-2003); Chair of the BAMC Alternative Dispute Resolution Section (2001-2003); BAMC Judicial Selections Panel (2001-2003; Vice Chair 2004-2005); Section Council, MSBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Section (2003-Present; Secretary 2006, Vice Chair 2007): Chair, Maryland ADR Conference (2007); Section Council, MSBA Entertainment and Sports Law Section (2003-Present). Appointed to Maryland Mediator Excellence Council (2006-Present). Bencher, Montgomery County Inn of Court (2005-Present). Certified Trained Mediator (1999); Evaluator, Maryland Institute for the Continuing Professional Education of Lawyers (MICPEL). District Court of Maryland ADR Program Volunteer of the Year Award (2006). Board Member, Conflict Resolution Center for Montgomery County, MD (2007). Handles a wide variety of complex matters in the areas of litigation, negotiation, procurement, contract, tort, information technology, intellectual property, administrative, land use, and commercial law. Leads Contract Unit and serves as principal counsel to the Office of Procurement, Contract Review Committee, Department of Technology Services Department of Liquor Control, and Fire and Rescue Commission.