JOSEPH A. STEVENS ESQUIRE

Over thirty-five years of experience in land use and real estate development with a proven ability to successfully represent private, public and institutional clients in real estate, business, development  and governmental matters, such as: zoning approvals, developer agreements, municipal annexation agreements, special taxing and benefit assessments, utility agreements, code drafting, referendums, code enforcement proceeding, legislative services and government relation, closings and transactions, project financing, real estate workouts, commercial leasing, landlord tenant, contracts, community association, common property, rights of way issues, conservation easements; and quiet title actions. Practice before elected officials, administrative agencies, trial and appellate courts. Licensed title insurance agent representing clients in many of Maryland's Eastern Shore's largest transactions.

Managing Member Law Offices of Stevens Palmer, LLC Centreville, MD

Managing Member  Bay East Title, Centreville, MD 2000 to Present
Of-Counsel Linowes & Blocher, LLP, Annapolis, MD LLP 1995 -1997
Associate Attorney Foster, Braden & Thompson LLP, Stevensville, MD 1993-1995
Director Department of Planning and Zoning, Queen Anne's County, MD 1988-1993
Environmental Planner Planning and Zoning, Queen Anne's County, MD 1985-1988

Faculty Maryland Institute for the continuing Professional Education for Lawyers, the Land Use Institute.
Speaker: American Planning Association National Conference; the American Planning  Association, Maryland Delaware Conference; the American Planning Association Northern New England Conference; the National Association of Home Builders State & Local Government Affairs Conference; and, the Environmental Law Institute.

Patrick brings decades of legal and business experience to the firm as he continues his practice in a broad range of matters including family law, consumer bankruptcy, civil and criminal litigation, custody and child support, CINA cases, estates, business, corporate, and personal injury cases.  In particular, Patrick brings a wealth of experience to domestic issues in that he served as Juvenile and Domestic Relations Master for Maryland’s Second Judicial Circuit.  Patrick’s unique background in complex and emotional, divorce, custody and support matters make him uniquely qualified to best serve his clients needs.  Patrick is a fully certified mediator and was instrumental in establishing a comprehensive mediation program in the Circuit Court for Queen Anne’s County, as well as a Court Appointed Special Advocate program which ensured that each foster care child had an independent voice in the Court.

Partner, Law Offices of Stevens Palmer, LLC, Centreville, MD
Juvenile and Domestic Relations Master, Maryland’s Second Judicial Circuit
Partner, Foster, Braden, Thompson & Palmer LLP, Stevensville, MD
Associate, Foster, Braden & Thompson LLP, Stevensville, MD

Board of Directors, Queenstown Bancorp of Maryland

President (former) Queen Anne’s County, Maryland Bar Association

Juris Doctor, University of Baltimore School of Law

Bachelor of Art, Economics, University of Wisconsin

Admitted to Maryland Court of Appeals;
U.S. District Court, District of MD
U.S. Bankruptcy Court
U.S. Appeals Court, 4th Circuit

Upon graduation from American University Washington College of Law, Justin served as the law clerk for the Honorable Sean D. Wallace in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland.  As a law clerk, Justin worked on various civil and criminal matters before the court.  After completing his clerkship, Justin became an Assistant State’s Attorney for the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office where he prosecuted a range of criminal matters criminal matters involving drug and weapon offenses, sophisticated theft schemes, violent crimes and complex DUIs, in both bench and jury trials.  Since joining the Law Offices of Stevens Palmer in 2015, Justin has developed a practice to that includes divorce and child custody matters, DUI and traffic matters, real estate disputes, contract and business disputes, criminal defense, and general civil litigation.

Associate, Law Offices of Stevens Palmer, LLC, Centreville, MD; 2015 - present
Assistant State’s Attorney, Office of the State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, Upper Marlboro, Maryland; 2012 - 2015
Law Clerk, Hon. Sean D. Wallace, Prince George's County Circuit Court, 7th Judicial Circuit; 2011 - 2012
Student Attorney, Washington College of Law General Practice Clinic; 2010 - 2011

Juris Doctor, American University Washington College of Law

Bachelor of Arts, Government and Politics, University of Maryland

Admitted to the Maryland Court of Appeals

Admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland

Former President of the Queen Anne's County Bar Association

Member of the Maryland State Bar Association
Member of the Queen Anne’s County Bar Association

Member of the Prince George’s County Bar Association

Member of the Local Management Board

Appointed Trust Clerk for The Circuit Court of Queen Anne's County

Certified Mediator

Ms. Macfarlane earned her bachelor's degree in environmental studies from Washington College. She then went on to study at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, where she devoted over 800 hours of pro bono work to the school's nationally ranked clinical law program.

After law school, Ms. Macfarlane worked as the sole in-house counsel for a publicly traded corporation in the health care industry and then for a boutique law firm in Annapolis practicing real estate and construction law. Ms. Macfarlane joined Stevens Palmer, LLC as an Associate Attorney in 2019. Her current practice areas include real estate, land use, and equine law, as well as Settlement services through our in-house title company -  Bay East Title.

Associate, Law Offices of Stevens Palmer, LLC Centreville, MD

Associate, Law offices of Matthew S. Evans, III, LLC Annapolis, Maryland 2014 - 2019

In-house counsel, Seto Holdings, Inc. ; 2013 - 2014

Juris Doctor, University of Maryland School of Law
Bachelors of Arts, Washington College, Environmental Studies.

Admitted Maryland Court of Appeals

Member of the Maryland State Bar Association

President of the Queen Anne's County Bar Association

Member of Queen Anne's County Bar Association

Member of Chesapeake Woman's Network 

Ms. Abukassis graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law, and upon graduating, Kaya served as the judicial law clerk for the Honorable Stephen H. Kehoe in the Circuit Court for Talbot County, Maryland. 

After completing her clerkship, Kaya worked as an Associate Attorney with a law firm in Chestertown, Maryland where she worked on various real estate matters and litigation pertaining to land use. 

Since joining the Law Offices of Stevens Palmer in 2023, Kaya is developing her practice to include family matters, such as divorce and custody, as well as mediation, criminal defense, real estate, land use and litigation. 

Kaya lives in Cordova, Talbot County, Maryland.

Associate, Law Offices of Stevens Palmer, LLC, Centreville, MD

Judicial Law Clerk, Hon. Stephen H. Kehoe, Circuit Court for Talbot County, Easton, MD 

August 2021 - August 2022

Juris Doctor, University of Baltimore School of Law 2021

Bachelors of Arts, University of Baltimore, History

Admitted Maryland Court of Appeals

Member of the Maryland State Bar Association

Member of Queen Anne's County Bar Association

Member of Kent County Bar Association

Member of Talbot County Bar Association

Member of Caroline County Bar Association

Certified Mediator - Child Access mediation