Joanne Suder Founder / Managing Partner

Joanne Suder is widely recognized as one of the most prominent attorneys in the field of civil lawsuits involving sexual abuse or assault. Joanne was one of the first lawyers to hold the Catholic Church liable in a clergy sexual lawsuit and she has recovered millions for abuse victims over the years.

Joanne Suder and her law firm are AV-rated by Martindale & Hubbell (highest rating for litigation attorneys). Joanne has been ranked by The American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys as The Top 10 Best Attorneys in Maryland. She is consistently featured in the media including: ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX Networks, Larry King Live, Court TV Pros and Cons, The Early Show with Bryant Gumble, Catherine Crier, EXTRA, Inside Edition and Newsfront.

Joanne’s career took off in the mid 90’s when she handled the largest-scale case filed against the Archdiocese, involving more than a dozen students. The case was filed against John Joseph Merzbacher in 1994 resulting in an 84-count indictment. This resulted in $350 Million in Lawsuits filed against the archdiocese.

Then Joanne represented all three victims in the scandalous, high-profile 1994 sexual abuse case against former Maryland state health secretary, nationally syndicated health columnist and author, Dr. Neil Solomon. This resulted in $150 Million in Lawsuits filed by The Suder Law Firm.

Joanne has previously testified at the Maryland State House and State Senate proceedings on whether to pass new legislation to extend or lift the statute of limitations for victims of sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits. This testimony eventually led to the passage of the Maryland Child Victims Act in 2023, which eliminated the statute of limitation for civil lawsuits involving child sex abuse.

Another high-profile case included the representation of the victims of Catholic priest Maurice Blackwell in the recent sexual abuse. This case captured national headlines and helped pave the way for future victims of clergy sexual abuse to get compensation. Over the last 2 decades, Joanne has obtained countless settlements against the Archdioceses.

In the early 2000s, Joanne Suder brought a successful sexual abuse lawsuit against Warren Jeffs and The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah. Joanne Suder worked with Utah’s AG’s office on this case to get compensation for her clients and a criminal conviction of Warren Jeffs. This case helped to inspire the creation of the HBO series Big Love.

In addition to her experience in private practice, Joanne served for years as a Master Examiner in the Circuit Court of Maryland for Baltimore City. She has also served as President of the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland.

Her legal areas of expertise include the following: Medical Malpractice, Brain Injury, Birth Injury, Wrongful Death, Anesthesia Errors, Personal Injury, Car Accident, Construction Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Lead Paint, Misdiagnosis, Nursing Home Negligence, Premises Liability, Truck Accidents