Lisa Y. Settles is a Member with Hodes, Pessin & Katz, P.A.  Ms. Settles is an experienced trial attorney and advisor who litigates on behalf of corporate clients and governmental entities in federal and state courts and before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state civil rights agencies. Ms. Settles has successfully defended a number of school districts and companies in employment disputes and various discrimination lawsuits. Ms. Settles also has experience in premises liability litigation, including successfully defending claims of wrongful death and survivor actions, as well as lawsuits involving significant personal injuries and property damage. She has also effectively defended school districts and a charter school in complex special education litigation. In addition, Ms. Settles also defends school districts in disputes involving student rights and discipline, school policies and procedures and staff terminations. Ms. Settles previously served as in-house counsel to a large school district, successfully mediating complex special education disputes and defending all phases of special education litigation.

Education

• B.S., Mass Communications, Towson State University (1988)
• M.P.A., University of Baltimore School of Liberal Arts (1994)
• J.D., University of Baltimore School of Law (1995)

Bar Admission

• Court of Appeals of Maryland
• United States District Court for the District of Maryland
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
• Supreme Court of the United States of America

Bar Associations

• Baltimore County Bar Association
• Maryland State Bar Association

• Weast v. Schaeffer, 126 S. Ct. 528 (2005), National School Boards Association amicus brief
• Outmezguine v. State: Absence of Scienter Element under State's Child Pornography Statute Is Not Violative of the First Amendment, 25.1 U.Balt. L.F. 61 (Summer 1994)
• Harford Ins. Co. v. Manor Inn: State's Duty to Protect Against Third Party Does Not Override Tort Law Principle of Intervening Causation in Negligent Duty to Protect Against Third Party Actions, 25.32 U.Balt. L.F. 48 (Fall 1994)

• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
  Member (1987 to present)
  President, Mu-Mu City-Wide Chapter (1987 — 1988)
  Parliamentarian, Baltimore County Alumnae Chapter (2005 — 2008)
• Adoptions Together, Inc., Board of Directors (2006 — 2008)
• Women Helping Women Initiative (2004 — 2006)
• Member, Patapsco River Chapter of The Links, Incorporated (2009- Present)
• Member, Hannah More School Board (2010- Present)

 

• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
• Adoptions Together, Inc.
• Women Helping Women Initiative
• Hannah More School

• Maryland's Top 100 Women (2009)
• Omicron Delta Kappa National Honor Society
• Defense Trial Lawyers Association (Defense Research Institute)
• Leadership-Baltimore County
• Maryland Council of Local School Board Attorneys
• National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys
• Faculty, Maryland State Bar Association, Professionalism Course (December 2008)
• Faculty, MICPEL (The ABC's of Special Education Law) (June 2007)
• Presenter, Baltimore County Bar Association (Special Education Overview) (March 2007)
• Staff Editor, Law Forum
• Legal Writing Mentor
• Moot Court Mentor