Portner & Shure Plaintiffs Attorneys Hold $225 Million Track Record

Helmed by longtime, licensed attorneys Jon Portner and Richard Shure, the five-attorney Portner & Shure, P.A. team — comprising Kevin Ruby, Valerie Portner and Christina Ruhl — is a force with which to be reckoned.

From Mr. Portner’s spotlight in Time Magazine to Mr. Shure’s in-house counsel for a national health care corporation, Mr. Ruby’s membership in the Maryland State Bar Association, Mrs. Portner’s selection to the national Top 100 Trial Lawyers and Ms. Ruhl’s experience as an editor for the University of Maryland Law Review, Portner & Shure, P.A. boasts a collective reputation spanning nearly 30 years.

Patch: What are the firm’s areas of expertise, and how did you come to select them?

Portner & Shure, P.A.: Portner & Shure has established a hard-earned reputation for providing exceptional legal representation to residents of Baltimore, most areas throughout Maryland, Washington D.C., Northern Virginia and Richmond. Our success is the result of our depth of resources and a tireless commitment to our clients in the areas of car accidents, medical malpractice, drug injuries and medical devices, criminal defense, personal injury law, worker's compensation and DUI.

Patch: How does the law firm distinguish itself from area competition?

Portner & Shure, P.A.: Portner and Shure is a unique firm; we have several fully staffed offices between Bel Air, Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Richmond and several satellite locations all over Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. The magic happens when you can get a top personal injury attorney and an experienced paralegal who know your area inside and out and are familiar with the local courts but that also have the resources of a large firm. We have developed a winning reputation with the insurance companies. A lot of personal injury attorneys do not litigate their own cases or are uninterested in litigation. By litigating cases and winning, it gives us an edge with the insurance companies. We are then able to use our name and our edge to get better settlements. We also provide a unique service for people who do not speak English. Many of our staff of professionals are Hispanic and native Spanish speakers. This allows us to serve the community in a larger way.

We also have Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese-speaking professionals to serve communities who may be at a further disadvantage against large insurance companies. We take pride in our mission to help diverse communities. Another distinguishing factor of Portner & Shure is its superb support staff. Not only do we employ many extremely educated, smart, talented paralegals, we also have learned that every area of the firm needs to be manned by the utmost competency. This has helped us to provide top, efficient service to our clients. Our clients have really responded to our dedicated staff on every level. Mostly, our results are what distinguish us. We are able to get great results for our clients, while providing great service.

Patch: What is the Portner & Shure definition of success?

Portner & Shure, P.A.: Portner and Shure defines success in terms of results and the satisfaction of our clients. We have five-star Google ratings, a high rating on Facebook and the top 10.0 AVVO ratings. Our clients rate us number-one, and a great deal of our business comes from friends or family of prior clients. Further, we have recovered approximately $225 million on behalf of our clients.

Patch: How has the legal industry transformed over the years?

Portner & Shure, P.A.: The legal industry is always changing. As laws change, the ways we advocate for our clients change. It it most important to stay informed about any personal injury laws that have changed because you know the insurance companies are up-to-date. That is one of the advantages of having such a concentrated area of expertise.

Patch: Portner & Shure strives to be a presence in the local community beyond its services as a legal professionals. How does the firm accomplish this?

Portner & Shure, P.A.: We are referred to as the “Robin Hood” of injury firms. We battle and take from the carriers, and then we give back to the community in any way we can. We often sponsor families for the holidays, participate in food drives, volunteer at shelters and donate to charities.

Patch: How does Portner & Shure stay ahead of new developments?

Portner & Shure, P.A.: Besides constantly researching and staying ahead of changing laws that affect our clients, we believe staying ahead of technology is important in today's world. A lot of law firms still use archaic technology to support their causes. Conversely, Portner & Shure is not afraid to dive into new technologies. We think that finding ways that new technologies can serve us and our clients is critical. We have a text line for clients to use. Some clients really enjoy texting, and those texts are saved directly into their files. Other clients prefer phone calls, and our professionals are readily available for either kind of communication. Even those clients who prefer to talk over the phone enjoy the option to text photos and documents straight into our text line. It is all about making the lives of our clients easier. Any way we can manage to be more convenient for them is worthwhile.

Patch: Tell us about Portner & Shure’s proudest moments.

Portner & Shure, P.A.: Portner and Shure’s proudest moments happen each month when we recover nearly $2 million — monthly — from the major carriers and get five-star reviews.

Patch: How can Patch readers contact you and learn more about Portner & Shure, P.A.?

Portner & Shure, P.A.: To learn more about Portner & Shure, readers should visit www.portnerandshure.com or call us any time at (410) 995-1515.

Photo credit: Portner & Shure, P.A.