Real Estate/Construction Litigation

Our lawyers have successfully represented property owners, property managers, condominium associations, agents, brokers, financial institutions, investors, general contractors and subcontractors in a wide variety of real estate disputes. Our lawyers have experience in successfully representing clients in disputes involving real estate agent liability and landlord-tenant disputes, breach of contract, tax sale foreclosure, real estate settlement, and securitization of assets. The Firm also advises condominium associations in governance, collection and general liability matters.

Medical Malpractice

Our attorneys have experience defending individual physicians and institutional clients in high profile, high exposure medical malpractice matters. This experience includes defending individual physicians in matters involving excess exposure. Through the utilization of the most qualified experts and aggressive discovery techniques our lawyers have produced successful results for our clients. In addition, our lawyers will provide early analysis and case strategies, when available. Similarly, where appropriate, technology is utilized to present a clear and cogent argument to the jury. Through the use of technology and graphics, our lawyers are capable of having difficult concepts explained to the jury in layman’s terms. We believe this approach allows us to focus the jury on our client’s message. Moreover, we utilize a solid motions practice to attack fundamental tenets of the opposition’s case, including but not limited to their experts. Our lawyers also believe in exploring alternative case resolution strategies in order to ensure that our resources are being directed to the proper source. Our lawyers have been successful in negotiating favorable settlements with opposing counsel through the use of alternative dispute resolution. We are firm believers that alternative dispute resolution, employed at the appropriate opportunity, is an extremely effective tool.

General Liability

Our lawyers have substantial experience defending lawsuits in all major courts in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. From the defense of auto torts, trucking accidents, fast food restaurants, retail chains, and small business owners, our lawyers have been involved with providing solid defense strategies for all types of entities. Through early investigation, aggressive discovery, and the use of creative defense strategies, we have been successful in obtaining positive results for our clients. We employ unique strategies in order to explore cases from all different angles. Most importantly, our lawyers take pride in providing a zealous defense in the most cost efficient manner. By evaluating cases as early as possible, our lawyers seek to provide you with the strategies needed to successfully resolve all cases in the most effective manner.

Premises Liability

The lawyers at Taylor Sylla & Agin, LLP have successfully defended property owners against numerous lawsuits stemming from on premises assaults, slip and fall accidents and security cases. Our lawyers have defended large sporting arenas, retail/chain stores, office buildings and shopping malls. We partner with our clients to investigate each claim fully, identify and interview witnesses at the earliest possible opportunity and aggressively investigate all aspects of the plaintiff’s claims. Our attorneys have been successful in Maryland and the District of Columbia in obtaining summary judgment on several occasions. From the dismissal of a case involving an off duty police officer who was assaulted at a sporting event, to an individual who slipped and fell sustaining serious injuries at a major shopping mall, we have been successful in defending these types of cases by employing aggressive discovery techniques, coupled with an ever updated sense of the applicable case law.

Nursing Home/Halfway House Defense/Day Care

The lawyers at Taylor Sylla & Agin, LLP, have represented nursing homes and halfway houses in numerous lawsuits involving allegations of negligence, wrongful death and neglect. Because of the sensitive nature of these types of cases, we attempt to aggressively investigate all the circumstances surrounding the claim, interview as many witnesses as early as possible and obtain as much of the claimant’s medical history as is allowable under the rules of the jurisdiction. Oftentimes, past medical history is helpful in providing us with the ability of not only assessing a claimant’s current injuries, but more importantly being able to determine if those injuries are new or pre-existing. Oftentimes, individuals in nursing homes and halfway houses present with serious pre-existing conditions, which although must be monitored by the facility, and if able to be treated, but are not caused by nor the responsibility of the facility.

Education Law

The struggle for equal educational opportunity and due process for children with disabilities and their families has been a long and difficult fight. For far too long children with disabilities were denied the same educational opportunities as their non-disabled peers. Fortunately, legal decisions and legislative rules have leveled the playing field by striking down laws which previously denied disabled student’s equal educational opportunities.

The 1975 Education for all Handicapped Children Act, later renamed the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), requires all states to provide full educational opportunities to children with disabilities at no cost to the parent or legal guardian. Under the IDEA all educational institutions receiving any federal funding have an affirmative duty to provide each of its students with a “Free and Appropriate Public Education,” including, where necessary, special education and related services tailored to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities. Although jurisdictions may include broader definitions, minimally the IDEA includes within the category of disability the following: mental retardation; speech or language impairment; specific learning disability; emotional disturbance; hearing impairment/deafness; autism; traumatic brain injury; developmental delay; visual impairment/blindness; orthopedic impairment; other health impairment, and; multiple disabilities.

Parents may request that any student suspected of having a disability be evaluated in all areas of suspected disability, and request that a multidisciplinary team, including the parents or legal guardians and legal counsel, meet to determine the student’s eligibility for special education and related services. Any student attending a public school who qualifies for services must be provided an Individualized Educational Program (IEP). By specifying the particular resources required to properly assist a student with a disability, each IEP is designed to ensure that children with a disability are provided with services appropriate to meet their individual learning needs.

Unfortunately, our schools too often fail to comply with the requirements of the IDEA, and each year countless students are allowed to fall through the cracks of our public school systems. Whether it’s failing grades, low achievement, behavioral problems, school suspensions, or grade retention, as Educational Advocates, the lawyers at Taylor Sylla & Agin, LLP are experienced in assisting parents through the often complicated interpretation and application of the IDEA and holding schools accountable to each and every student regardless of need.

Our lawyers work to ensure that parents know their children’s educational rights and that our schools provide special needs children with the services necessary to help them achieve. We have a proven track record of successfully resolving hundreds of cases through either appropriate settlements or due process hearings, including having obtained independent evaluations and private, therapeutic, residential, and charter school placements for students in need, at no cost to the parent.

In today’s world a good education is not only a right, but a necessity. If our schools are allowed to fail our children the negative impact can last their entire lifetime. The attorneys at Taylor Sylla & Agin, LLP can help protect your child’s future.