Ms. Patel, a New York City native, moved to Salisbury in 2014 with her husband, a Salisbury local, and has three sons. She started her legal career in California handling primarily civil litigation matters. In 2012, she relocated to the island of Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands, where she initially served as Assistant Attorney General, before being promoted to First Assistant and eventually Chief of the Civil Division. During this time, Ms. Patel routinely advised the Governor, and served as general legal counsel to multiple local agencies, including the Departments of Commerce, Labor, and Finance. Ms. Patel also represented the government in several civil suites before the Commonwealth Superior Court, Commonwealth Supreme Court, and Federal District Court. Most notably, Ms. Patel served as Lead Counsel for the government and successfully negotiated a settlement worth over $1 billion in a class action pension dispute. Ms. Patel has been practicing in Maryland with Hearne & Bailey, P.A. since 2015.
Areas of Practice
- Estate Planning and Administration
- Estate Litigation
- Civil Litigation
- Business & Corporate Law
- Employment Law
- Real Estate
- Landlord/ Tenant
- Debt Collection & Foreclosure
Bar Admissions
- California, 2008
- New York, 2009
- Commonwealth of the Marianna Islands, 2013
- Maryland, 2015
- New Jersey, 2017
Education
- New York University, B.A. – 2004
- Thomas Jefferson School of Law, J.D. (Cum Laude) – 2008
- Thomas Jefferson School of Law, L.L.M. (Summa Cum Laude)- 2009
Professional Associations & Memberships
- Wicomico County Bar Association, President 2020, Vice President 2018 & 2019, Secretary 2017
- Maryland State Bar Association, Member
Civil Involvement
- YMCA, Advisory Board Member
- Sunrise Rotary, Member
- 1 Year to Empowerment, Board Member
