Brown, Goldstein & Levy is proud to announce that Chelsea Crawford has become a partner and that Lauren DiMartino and Lauren Kelleher have joined the firm as associates.

Congratulations, Chelsea Crawford 

Brown, Goldstein & Levy is proud to announce that Chelsea Crawford has become a partner at the firm. An associate since 2015, Chelsea’s promotion to partner reflects her diverse and successful civil rights practice and substantial work in wrongful conviction, police misconduct, and disability rights cases. 

At Brown, Goldstein & Levy, Chelsea has been lead counsel, or part of the legal team, on some of the largest wrongful conviction and police misconduct cases in Maryland history, including:

• A $6.5 million settlement on behalf of the family of Eric Sopp, an unarmed man in distress who was shot and killed by a Baltimore County police officer. 
• An $8 million settlement for two men who were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned after plainclothes Baltimore Police Department officers planted drugs in their car. 
• A $9 million settlement on behalf of a man who was wrongfully convicted and incarcerated for 21 years after Baltimore homicide detectives concealed exculpatory evidence. 

Chelsea is a former journalist who covered daily news in Philadelphia, and her passion for storytelling eventually led her to pursue a career in law. Her career journey is detailed in a feature story included in the 2022 Maryland Super Lawyers Magazine issue. She has also been recognized as a Maryland Rising Star each year since 2018 and was named to the 2022 Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch list for her work in civil rights law, criminal defense (general practice), and litigation (labor and employment). 

Prior to joining Brown Goldstein & Levy, Chelsea clerked for the Honorable Andre M. Davis on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for the Honorable Stephanie A. Gallagher on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. During law school, Chelsea served as the Executive Articles Editor of the University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class, Vice-President of the Black Law Students Association, and member of the law school’s National Moot Court Team. Chelsea received the 2013 Elizabeth Maxwell Carroll Chestnut Prize, known as the “Dean’s Award,” for her scholarship, personal drive, and excellence in writing and was awarded Order of the Barristers. 

Chelsea is active in several bar associations and organizations in Maryland. She is Co-Chair of the Leadership Committee for the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service’s Community Advocacy Network and a member of the Executive Board of the Alliance of Black Women Attorneys of Maryland. Previously, she served on the Young Lawyers Section Council of the Maryland State Bar Association and the Executive Board of the Monumental City Bar Association, the oldest and largest specialty bar association in Baltimore City. 

If you or someone you know needs legal representation in civil rights, commercial litigation, employment law, personal injury, or wrongful death, contact Chelsea today. You can reach her by email at [email protected] or by phone at (410) 649-1344. 

Lauren will advocate for her clients across various areas of civil rights matters, including fair housing, education and disability rights, police misconduct, and workplace discrimination. Her practice also includes appeals, commercial litigation, and criminal defense. 

Education:

• B.A. in Psychology from Penn State University
• M.S. in Academic Advising Administration from Kansas State University
• J.D. from City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law

What made Lauren choose law?

Prior to becoming an attorney, Lauren worked as an academic counselor and the assistant director of an accelerated education program aimed at removing systemic barriers to obtaining a degree. There, she was inspired by her students to attend law school to better advocate for marginalized communities. Lauren is passionate about education equity and remains active in higher education work.

Find Lauren’s full bio by clicking here.

Lauren joined Brown, Goldstein & Levy because of our reputation of practicing relevant, meaningful civil rights work and emphasizing a strong social justice conscience. She has experience representing individuals and groups of plaintiffs in workplace discrimination and harassment cases, as well as consumers in products and financial services litigation.

Education:

• B.A. in Journalism from Northwestern University 
• J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center

Before BGL, Lauren…

• Served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Maryland Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.
• Investigated and litigated against pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid epidemic, including work on the Purdue bankruptcy.
• Clerked for the Honorable Terrence G. Berg on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
• Worked at a prisoners’ rights non-profit in California that successfully challenged overcrowding in the state’s institutions before the Supreme Court.

What does Lauren do outside of work? 

When she’s not working, Lauren spends time with her husband and their new baby. She loves cooking with and for her family and friends, including (sometimes) successfully churning out Kosher versions of French recipes. She also organizes locally with Jews United for Justice and is a member of the Baltimore Leadership Council and co-chair of the Baltimore Action Team.

Read Lauren’s full bio here. 

Baltimore Office

120 East Baltimore Street, Suite 2500

Baltimore, MD 21202

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Washington, DC 20006

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