F&P Spotlight on Principal Cindy L. Armstrong

What is your practice area and how did you choose it?
I focus solely on representing Employers and Insurance Companies in Workers’ Compensation matters. I took a Workers’ Comp class in law school and found it interesting. My first job out of law school was with a Workers’ Comp firm and I’ve been doing it ever since.

What is your favorite aspect about working at F&P?
I have two favorite aspects about working at F&P. The first is that I have the best support staff that I have ever had in 16.5 years of practicing law. The second is that someone is always willing to stop what they are doing to answer questions, brainstorm on a case, etc. Although I am the only attorney in the Hagerstown office, my colleagues in Baltimore and Easton let me know that they are available if I need help with anything.

What’s your proudest accomplishment?
In addition to passing the bar, my proudest accomplishment is completing the Frederick Half Marathon in 2014. I got up 5 days a week at 4:30 a.m. for 12 weeks to train with my next-door neighbor. All of the training was outdoors, including a 7-degree morning in February. My kids were 3 ½ and 6 months old when we started training. It was exhausting but completing the half marathon was something I am very proud of.

Tell us something about you that few of your colleagues and clients would know.
Few of my colleagues know that I am a diehard Baltimore Orioles’ fan, and have been since I was in middle school, when I would carry my parents’ portable AM radio throughout the house during games to make sure I didn’t miss a play. If I went outside to play, the radio came too. I have one tattoo, and it’s an Orioles’ tattoo.

Have you read any good books or seen any good movies that you would recommend?
I recently got back into reading books. Verity by Colleen Hoover and The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides are both very good books, with an unexpected twist at the end.

Do you have any bizarre talents?
I have a weird ability to remember numbers. I can see a number once or twice and never forget it-phone numbers, license plate numbers, etc. When I was in college, if my roommate needed to remember a phone number, she would just tell it to me rather than writing it down. I still remember my childhood phone number, and several neighbors’ phone numbers, from a neighborhood that we moved out of when I was 8.

F&P Spotlight on HR Director Tara L. Valenza

How did you choose your profession?
I “fell” into HR. The company I worked for split into separate business units and an HR Coordinator was need to support the team and the HR Manager. I am very outgoing and it is easy for me to talk to people, so HR seemed like a natural fit. 24 years later….

What’s your favorite thing about working with your clients?
My clients are the people of F&P. I truly enjoy helping the team understand their benefits and policies.

What is your favorite aspect about working at F&P?
I love the culture at F&P. I feel as though I was given the opportunity really grow into my role and was very supported by the leaders.

What do you like to do outside the office?
I like spending time with my friends and going to concerts and shows.

What is your all-time favorite city or town, and why?
I like going to NYC. Each time I go, there is something new to see or experience. I go about 2 times per year and see play then explore.

What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?
Octopus – not calamari – real octopus and it was delicious!

F&P Spotlight on Principal Stephen J. Marshall

What’s your favorite thing about working with your clients?
When the phone rings at 3:30 a.m., it’s usually not good news, but working with clients through the really bad times and difficult cases makes the good results we obtain together extremely gratifying.

Tell us something about you that few of your colleagues and clients would know.
I had aspirations to be a classical singer.  I had six years of classical voice training, and as I was graduating high school, I passed up on a scholarship offer to be a vocal performance major in order to pursue pre-law.  Back in the day, I could carry a tune.

What do you like to do outside the office?
I’m actively involved in Stonewall Baltimore, a sports league that raises funds for local LGBTQ charitable causes. Travel, baking, checking out the exceptionally good food scene in Baltimore, and hanging out with my very bestest good boy Gus also keeps me pretty busy.

What is your all-time favorite city or town, and why?
At the very tip of Cape Cod, where the Pilgrims first landed after crossing the sea, sits a former Portuguese fishing village called Provincetown. The ocean, the beaches, the climate, the architecture, the food, the people – it’s just perfect.

What was the best news you ever received?
That I was going to be a big brother – twice.

F&P Spotlight on Associate Kara Parker

What is your practice area and how did you choose it?
Employment Law and Workers’ Comp.  I like the high pace of the Commission work and the “we must protect this house” aspect of employment law and defense litigation.

What’s your favorite thing about working with your clients?
I love the problem-solving aspect of what we do and working with my clients on strategies to meet their needs and limit exposure – Teamwork makes the dream work!

What is your favorite aspect about working at F&P?
Without a doubt, the teamwork and culture.  When I first started at F&P, I knew this was the place for me.  We have fun, work hard, and with the help of everyone from the partners on down work together to make each one of us better every day.  Truly.

What’s your favorite restaurant/show/event in Baltimore?
I love a sporting event – ESPECIALLY, a Ravens game.

What’s your proudest accomplishment?
Passing the bar!

Tell us something about you that few of your colleagues and clients would know.
My Frenchie’s name is “Taybur” after Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton – I’m an old movie freak.

What do you like to do outside the office?
I love being outside.  My fiancé and I do a lot of biking, hiking, and hanging out in bars watching international rugby (Go Wales!)

Have you read any good books or seen any good movies this year that you would recommend?
I read A LOT – If you like fantasy, I HIGHLY recommend the Fourth Wing series.  It’s excellent!

What is your favorite food?
Mashed potatoes.

What is your all-time favorite city or town and why?
B-More (Why B-less?).  I love Baltimore – I always have.  I think our city has a unique vibe and flavor that gets under your skin in all the best ways.  Plus, there’s nothing quite like the feel of a Purple Friday in this city during football season.

What was the best news you ever received?
The BEST news? That I was an Aunt (x2).  Shout out to Shiloh and Wyatt Saine for allowing me to live out my Auntie Mame fantasies.

What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?
Pickled pig’s knuckles – Don’t knock ‘em ‘til you try them!

If you could have lunch with anyone in the world who would it be?
This is a tough one.  Alive: Ray Lewis.  Dead:  Maya Angelou.

Do you have any bizarre talents?
I’m freakishly talented at claw games – The kind you see at the boardwalk or bowling alley.  Weird, I know.

 

F&P Spotlight on Maija Jackson, a Founding Firm Principal

What is your practice area, and how did you choose it?
When I was in Law school at UB, I clerked for a Plaintiff’s law firm.  When one of their attorneys left the firm, I was asked to manage their workers’ compensation claims on a day-to-day basis to get them ready for hearings.  I took Richard LaFata’s workers’ compensation class at UB Law School at night.  After passing the Maryland bar, I became an attorney at that firm, but quickly realized that I looked at the claims from the defense perspective.  I moved on to defense work and have never looked back in almost 40 years.  I have been a founding principal at Franklin & Prokopik in the workers’ compensation practice group for the past 24 years.

What is your favorite aspect of working at F&P?
I love the people I work with.  I truly enjoy my clients.  The collaborative effort is so important.  I feel that we have built a firm that really tries to manage the work/life balance.  We have managed to weather the untimely passing of our principal Bob Franklin as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, and will undoubtedly face challenges in the future as our world changes and evolves.  But I am confident in the strength of the bond with my colleagues and the fact that we all have our complementary strengths and skills that we bring to the operation, management and development of the firm.  I am proud to be associated with F&P and look forward to many years ahead.

What’s your favorite restaurant/show/event in Baltimore?
I love the Kinetic Sculpture Race in May in Baltimore City!  One of my sons participated in the design, construction and racing of entries while he was in high school.  It’s a fantastic event which starts and ends at the American Visual Arts Museum on Key Highway and travels throughout Federal Hill, the Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Canton, and Patterson Park.  It’s a great way to spend a spring day and root on the competitors and engineers.

Tell us something about you that few of your colleagues and clients would know.
My parents met as pen pals and corresponded originally in French.

What do you like to do outside the office?
Exercise, martial arts, stamp collecting, caring for my two cats and my dog, and traveling with my family.

What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?
A Fig Newton doused in ketchup.  It was a 5th grade lunch dare, and while it was not awful, I have never repeated it.

If you could have lunch with anyone in the world, who would it be?
Wow, so many people come to mind, some living and some no longer with us.  I would love to have had lunch with Robin Williams, but I fear that I would never have gotten to eat because I would have been laughing too hard.  Emma Thompson and Queen Elizabeth II are but a few others.

If you had an eighth day every week, how would you spend it?
Relaxing, reading, and rejuvenating to face the new week.

F&P Spotlight on Executive Assistant Amanda Zervas

What is your practice area, and how did you choose it?
I’m an Executive Assistant for the liability attorneys, though I didn’t choose liability, it was chosen for me.  When I originally applied at F&P 10 years ago, I was applying for the receptionist position but was asked if I’d be interested in trying something new and be an administrative assistant instead.  I’m glad I agreed to take on the new challenge and try a job I’ve never done before because I found out I really enjoy what I do now.

What is your favorite aspect of working at F&P?
In my experience at F&P, I’ve been a part of some amazing teams that support each other and work towards bettering each other.  I’ve learned so much from everyone I’ve had the pleasure to work for and with.  They’ve pushed me into new challenges, and I’ve gained knowledge that’s made me someone others can rely on when they need help.

What’s your proudest accomplishment?
My two boys would have to be my proudest, ongoing, accomplishment.  Seeing the little men I’m raising and doing my best to instill kindness, respect, acceptance, and values in them in hopes to enrich their futures.  I love seeing my boys use those skills I’m trying to teach them in their daily lives.

What do you like to do outside the office?
I like to spend as much time as possible with my kids since they’re only young once.  We enjoy being outside visiting different parks, playgrounds, and farms. We also enjoy doing crafting projects together for each upcoming holiday to decorate their playroom.

What is your favorite food?
I love sushi. That’s one type of food I can never turn down.

What is your all-time favorite city or town, and why?
My favorite city would have to be Orlando in Florida since that is where Disney World is located and our favorite place to vacation as a family.

What was the best news you ever received?
The best news I’ve received would have to be, after years of trying, when we found out that I was pregnant with our second child. My husband and I knew we wanted two children so finally finding out that we were going to complete our family was the best news.

What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?
I tried frog legs once.  It wasn’t terrible, but not something I need to have again.

Do you have any bizarre talents?
My arms are double-jointed.  I’m able to hold my hands behind my back and bring them over my head without letting go.

 

F&P Spotlight on Resource Specialist Stacy Rippetoe

What is your favorite aspect about working at F&P?
Overall, I love the people I work with. Everyone works extremely well together and is always more than willing to help each other out.

What’s your favorite restaurant?
Texas Roadhouse. I love their green beans.

What’s your proudest accomplishment?
I’d have to say my current role. I started at F&P 10 years ago as an administrative assistant. After four years I was offered the Resource Coordinator position which led me to the Resource Specialist position I am currently in. When I was little, I always wanted to grow up and be a teacher. Then in my later teens, I became obsessed with computers and technology.  So technically you can say I have landed my dream job. I teach people how to use computer programs.

What do you like to do outside the office?
I love spending time with my children. They are my everything, my best friends!

Have you read any good books or seen any good movies this year that you would recommend?
Purple Hearts. I highly recommend it. Have your tissues ready!

What was the best news you ever received?
It’s a boy!!! I love my girls of course, but always wanted that little boy and I got blessed with my main man in 2016.

What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?
Alligator.

If you could have lunch with anyone in the world who would it be?
My grandmother just one last time. I lost her very young, and I have so much to tell her and show her. I think she’d be pretty proud of me and my accomplishments considering the hurdles life has thrown at me.

Do you have any bizarre talents?
Ventriloquist

F&P Spotlight on Associate Jessica Corace

What’s your favorite thing about working with your clients?
I like helping people and solving problems so being able to do that for my clients is very rewarding.

What is your favorite aspect of working at F&P?
Collaborating with my colleagues. F&P has really great people and that makes for an amazing work environment.

What’s your favorite restaurant/show/event in ____ ?
My favorite restaurant is in downtown Annapolis – Osteria 177. It has the BEST food and service, and never disappoints!

Tell us something about you that few of your colleagues and clients would know.
I started running in law school. Now, I am the 5K running coach for Charm City Run – Annapolis. Running can be really intimidating and I really enjoy getting people to see that it is a community, and everyone is welcome.

What do you like to do outside the office?
I love being outside – whether it’s running, traveling, attending a sporting event, or just working from my patio!

What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?
The weirdest thing I have ever eaten is sea urchin – I would not do it again!

If you could have lunch with anyone in the world who would it be?
Gwen Stefani – I always have admired her individualism.

Do you have any bizarre talents?
I’m not sure if this counts as a talent, but I do have the uncanny ability to know very random (and typically useless) facts, although it does come in handy on the rare occasion when I get to play trivia

Meet F&P Workers’ Comp Paralegal Mira Ramahi, Who Just Earned Her U.S, Citizenship!

Paralegal Mira Ramahi, who comes to us from Jordan, is happy and proud to say that she has just earned her United States Citizenship after being here eight years. She fled a country where she, as a woman, had few opportunities in the professional world.  Even though she was an adult, she was required to be under the conservatorship of a male. Marriages are arranged, and women are expected to be instructed on what to do. Mira knew from an early age she wanted to help people but knew that her chances were limited in Jordan. With the strong support of her parents, Mira left her family and sought political asylum here in the United States. Mira arrived with a degree in politics and economics. She worked in various fields before deciding to obtain her paralegal certificate from CCBC.  Mira is now a valued member of the F&P workers’ compensation team. Among Mira’s growing list of accomplishments, she has recently added homeowner to her list. She is a foodie who enjoys the Farmers’ Market on Frederick Road, baking, and Japanese food, but no meat please – Mira is a pescatarian. When not baking, Mira also enjoys hiking, European Soccer, and reading. While she likes traveling and experiencing new places, we are thrilled that  Mira now calls America and F&P her home.

F&P Spotlight on Workers’ Compensation Associate Natalie Johnson

What is your practice area and how did you choose it?

Workers’ compensation defense.  I was a paralegal in the field for many years and I really wanted to see the cases through to the end.

What’s your favorite thing about working with your clients?

The feeling that I am trusted to do a good job and have the knowledge to do so.

What is your favorite aspect of working at F&P?

The people.  Everyone is friendly and willing to help others learn and grow. 

What’s your favorite restaurant/show/event in Baltimore?

I love Tapas Teatro in Charles North.  Get the red sangria on Tuesdays!

What’s your proudest accomplishment?

Somehow managing to attend and graduate law school while working. Whew….

Tell us something about you that few of your colleagues and clients would know.

I dug graves for a pet cemetery that my mother-in-law managed.

What do you like to do outside the office?

Garden, play video and board games, read, explore new restaurants, snuggle with my pets and my hubby, stroll along the streets of my neighborhood: Hampden in Baltimore City.

What is your all-time favorite city or town and why?

Paris. I lived there for a few months while studying abroad in college and it’s just wonderful.  It’s not perfect, which makes it even better.  Its history, people, culture, cuisine, and overall vibe are all fabulous.

What was the best news you ever received?

“It’s not cancer.”  2015 was a rollercoaster of a year.

What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?

Beef tongue (yum), a chocolate bar with crickets (meh), jellyfish (meh), tripe (yum), acorn Jell-O (yum), habanero cheesecake (yum)… I’m game to try almost anything once. 

If you could have lunch with anyone in the world who would it be?

Living – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Deceased –  Lucille Ball