MARTIN H. FREEMAN, ESQUIRE
ATTORNEY AT LAW

Martin Freeman is the founding partner of Freeman & Freeman, P.C. He has been lead counsel in over 300 civil jury trials. He has handled matters in 22 states, the District of Columbia, and in federal courts across the country. He is rated as pre-eminent counsel in Martindale-Hubbell’s published peer rating system for lawyers, and is Maryland's only diplomat in the American Board of Trial Advocates. The George Washington University National Law Center has honored him with its Professional Distinction Award. Mr. Freeman holds the rank of Master of the Bench in the American Inns of Court. At the request of the Honorable Howard T. Markey, former Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, he introduced the American Inns of Court program to Maryland, enlisting as members the Honorable Robert C. Murphy, then Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, along with other appellate and trial judges and Maryland’s leading trial attorneys. At the invitation of the Maryland Court of Appeals, he was named to the Maryland judicial conference faculty. He is a frequent lecturer to lawyers and judges, and has been featured in American Lawyer Magazine.

A byproduct of Mr. Freeman’s public service assignments has been the development of sharply-honed business instincts. He has served on the Metro Washington Council of Governments, as President and Chairman of the Greater Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce, as People's Counsel to the Maryland Public Service Commission, as Mayor Pro Tem and Councilman for the city of Bowie, and as a member of the Maryland General Assembly Task Force on Utility Rights and Practices.

His Intellectual Property litigation has dealt with weapon systems, apparel design, medical devices, nutritional supplements, and petroleum recovery. Before practicing law, he was a patent examiner with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Mr. Freeman has been retained by insurance carriers to defend their insureds, and to litigate complex insurance disputes. Those carriers have included, among others, Aetna, Allstate, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual, The Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund, The Hartford, Erie, and Lumberman’s Mutual.

He has represented Potomac Electric Power Company for 28 years, dealing with issues relating to the National Electric Safety Code, electrical engineering, construction and road design, and fire analysis. He has also handled matters for Baltimore, Gas, & Electric, Co., Washington Gas Light, Bell Atlantic Mobile Systems and C & P Telephone Company.

His products liability experience includes actions involving toxic chemical exposure, motor vehicle design, warnings and labels, plant industrial hygiene and ventilation systems, power distribution systems, blood products and radioactive isotopes.

Mr. Freeman received Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and Liberal Arts degrees from Lehigh University in 1961, and his Juris Doctor degree with honors in 1965 from George Washington University School of Law, where he served with distinction on the George Washington University Law Review.

MARK A. FREEMAN, ESQUIRE
ATTORNEY AT LAW

Mr. Freeman has been with the firm for twelve years and a principal for the past seven. Mr. Freeman concentrates his practice in the area of business transactions and litigation, trademark, copyright and patent infringement, insurance defense, insurance coverage, and public utility litigation. Mr. Freeman has handled matters in ten states, the District of Columbia, and in federal courts throughout the country.

Mr. Freeman’s experience in intellectual property matters includes counseling and representing clients in a variety of industries including inter alia, medical devices and applications, nutritional supplements, drug compounds, architectural works and drawings, apparel design, defense weapon systems, and microwave technology. Mr. Freeman concentrates his Trademark practice on litigation, prosecution and licensing with a practice focusing on all aspects of trademark infringement and related unfair competition claims, contract and tort claims, and cancellation and opposition proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Mr. Freeman also has built an extensive patent litigation and enforcement practice, which has addressed all manner of patent-related issues including obviousness, inequitable conduct, best mode, on-sale and public-use bars, infringement, means plus function claims, prosecution history estoppel, and damages.

In the field of public utilities, Mr. Freeman is at the forefront of litigation involving electric power transmission and distribution, having obtained defense verdicts in numerous multi-million dollar lawsuits in both state and federal court. He regularly lectures at regional and national conferences to attorneys, claims adjusters, engineers, and utility company management on the legal impact of the latest industry standards, practices, and regulations governing the utility industry. Due to his extensive experience defending utility companies in court, He  is also engaged on a prophylactic basis to evaluate and audit specifications for distribution installation facilities and to ensure compliance with industry standards.

Mr. Freeman’s business and commercial law practice involves the successful representation of over 20 companies on a variety of business and commercial law issues. He has handled share-holder derivative actions, minority share-holder oppression claims, trade secrets enforcement claims, contract enforcement actions, and malicious prosecution claims. He regularly counsels corporate clients on all of their business transaction and development needs.

Mr. Freeman’s Insurance and indemnity coverage experience focuses primarily on defense of covered actions, reservation of rights issues, coverage opinions and coverage litigation related to construction contract disputes and litigation.

Mr. Freeman is a member of the bar of Maryland, the District of Columbia, the United States District Court for the Districts of Maryland and Northern California, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the United States Court of Claims. Mr. Freeman regularly practices before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

THOMAS R. FREEMAN, ESQUIRE
ATTORNEY AT LAW

Mr. Freeman comes to us from one of the world’s largest law firms, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, where he specialized in labor and employment law and complex litigation. His first rule in any legal representation, whether litigation or transactional work, is to work hand-in-hand with the client – keeping the client apprised of all legal matters as the representation ensues and the impact of the law on critical business decisions.

Mr. Freeman’s labor and employment practice primarily involves management-side representation in labor and employment related litigation, and advisory and transactional work in all areas of labor and employment law.

Mr. Freeman has represented clients on a vast array of employment law matters, including sexual harassment, employment discrimination and wage and hour claims, EEOC investigations, DOL wage and hour investigations, wage and hour compliance audits, in-house investigations, contingent workforce issues, and the preparation of various legal documents including, inter alia, comprehensive employee handbooks, individual employment contracts, non-competition and confidentiality agreements, severance agreements, and releases.

On the traditional labor side, Mr. Freeman advises clients on complex questions of federal labor law and represents clients in unfair labor practice proceedings before the NLRB and related litigation in federal court; in union organizing drives, in unit clarification and representation proceedings before the NLRB; in union election campaigns; and in all aspects of collective bargaining.

Mr. Freeman’s business and commercial law practice involves a wide range of services, including, inter alia, licensing arrangements, contract negotiation and enforcement, service agreements, commercial leases, and corporate transactions. Where necessary to protect the business interests of our clients, He has successfully prosecuted and defended our business clients in both state and federal court. More recently, He has expanded his business and commercial practice to include the protection and enforcement of our clients’ intellectual property rights, including litigation at both the administrative level and in federal court for trademark and copyright infringement.

Mr. Freeman is a member of the bar of Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, and is also certified as a Public Accountant (CPA) in Maryland. He graduated Beta Gamma Sigma with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting with Highest Distinction from Indiana University, and received his J.D. with High Honors from the George Washington University Law School. Mr. Freeman is a member of the Order of the Coif, was a Dean’s Fellow at the George Washington University Law School, and served as an Editor on the George Washington University Law Review. He has been the Keynote Speaker on employment law from the management perspective before the National Association of Catering Executives and is published in the 64th volume of the George Washington University Law Review.

MARTIN L. VEDDER, ESQUIRE
ATTORNEY AT LAW

Mr. Vedder joined Freeman & Freeman, P.C., as a new attorney in 2001, after receiving his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. Before joining the firm Mr. Vedder worked as a law clerk with corporate counsel for State Farm Insurance Company, concentrating in insurance defense and claims litigation. Prior to pursuing a career in the legal field, Mr. Vedder worked for several years in management for small and medium size companies. This experience provides him first hand insight into the priorities of businesses and the concerns of incorporating effective legal representation into the business plan.

Mr. Vedder’s business and commercial law practice encompasses a variety of services, including license agreements, business asset purchase agreements, corporate registration and compliance, and registration of trademarks and copyrights with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the United States Copyright Office. On the litigation side, Mr. Vedder concentrates on the protection of clients’ intellectual property rights by enforcing and defending those clients’ rights at both the agency level and in federal court.

Mr. Vedder is a member of the bar of Maryland and the United District Court for Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Prior to his admission at Georgetown University Law Center, Mr. Vedder received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with High Distinction from George Mason University. Mr. Vedder is a member of the American Bar Association and the Maryland Bar Association.