Founding Partner
As a testament to his reputation within the legal profession, Mr. Staton was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Membership in the College is restricted to the top 1% of lawyers in each state. He is also a fellow of the prestigious International Society of Barristers. Mr. Staton was appointed as a Commissioner to the Attorney Grievance Commission by the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland. Previously, he served as a Peer Review Panel member, a Review Board member, as well as Chairman of the AGC Review Board.
Mr. Staton was named 2022 Baltimore Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers®. A significant honor, only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is recognized as “Lawyer of the Year.” Mr. Staton’s selection was based on the impressive voting averages he received during Best Lawyers® exhaustive peer-review assessments and it reflects the high level of respect he’s earned among other leading medical malpractice lawyers in Baltimore for his abilities, professionalism, and integrity. He received the same award in 2018 and 2013.
Mr. Staton experienced the pain of medical malpractice first hand when his mother received negligent surgical care that led to severe brain damage and her being confined to a nursing facility for the rest of her life. It was this experience that led Mr. Staton to focus his legal career on helping the victims of medical malpractice and to one that ensures patient rights.
“I chose the practice of law as a profession because of a desire to serve the community and to provide equal access to justice for persons most deserving but without financial resources.”
Mr. Staton is a member of the Maryland Association for Justice (formerly the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association) where he served on the Board of Governors from 1988 through 1995. He is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (now the American Association for Justice), where he has served as the Maryland State Delegate and Minority Caucus Member for Maryland. Mr. Staton is a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation, the Reginald Heber Smith Law Fellowship, and the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference.
Mr. Staton has also lectured widely, including the University of Maryland School of Law, the Office of the Attorney General, Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Western Shore Dental Society, as well as testifying before the Maryland legislature on issues of law, medicine and tort reform.
Mr. Staton served many years on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, which provides legal services to low income citizens. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Howard Community College Foundation Board, and Marian House, a transitional housing program for homeless women.
Kerry D. Staton attended Oberlin College and the University of Maryland School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor in 1980.
Mr. Staton and his wife, who is also an attorney, have raised two children. They currently live in Clarksville, Maryland.
Bar Memberships
Maryland (State and Federal)
District of Columbia (State and Federal)
(On special motion, Mr. Staton has handled medical negligence cases in Pennsylvania, Alabama, and other jurisdictions)
Appointments and Awards
Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers, 2010-Present
Fellow, International Society of Barristers, 2014-Present
Board of Visitors, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, 2022
Practitioner of the Year, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law BLSA, 2014
National Black Lawyers Top 100, 2014-Present
Best Lawyers’ Lawyer of the Year for Medical Malpractice Law-Plaintiffs-Baltimore, 2013, 2018 and 2022
Top 10 Attorney Award, National Association of Personal Injury Attorneys, 2017 - 2018
Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland: Commissioner, 2010-Present; Peer Review Panel, 2000-2010; Review Board, 1992-1997; Chairman, 1996-1997; Vice-Chairman, 1995-1996; Inquiry Panel, 1987-1992
Top Rated Lawyer in Medical Malpractice Law, American Lawyer Media, 2014
The Daily Record Power 30, 2022
Top 100 Lawyers, Maryland Super Lawyers™, 2013 - Present
Top 50 Lawyers in Maryland™, Baltimore Magazine, 2011
The Daily Record Icon Honors Award, 2022
Professional of the Year in Medical Malpractice Law, Strathmore’s Who’s Who, 2010-2011
Washington, D.C.’s Top Lawyers, 2009
2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiffs Consumer Lawyer
Top 100 Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018
Top Attorneys in Maryland, 2009-Present
Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, 2009-Present
Top 100 Lawyers, American Trial Lawyers Association, 2008-Present
Best Lawyers in America, 2008-Present
Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 2007-Present
Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 2007-Present
American Board of Trial Advocates, 2005-Present
National Registry of Who’s Who, 2000-Present
AV Rating, Martindale-Hubbell™, 1995-Present
Fellow, Reginald Heber Smith Fellowship, 1980-1982
Strathmore’s Who’s Who (Lifetime Member)
The National Trial Lawyers: Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyers Association Top 25
Lawyers of Distinction 2018
America’s Most Honored Professionals 2018
America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators, 2017-present
Professional Associations
American Association for Justice
American Bar Association
American Judicature Society
Baltimore City Bar Association
Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference
Maryland Bar Foundation
Maryland State Bar Association
Monumental City Bar Association
National Bar Association
Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
Practice Areas:
Medical Malpractice / Wrongful Death
