Roberto Vela is a respected advocate and trusted advisor to businesses and individuals from five continents and counting. Clients turn to Roberto for tailored, effective, comprehensive, and cost-efficient solutions to complex challenges involving U.S. federal or Maryland State law, from executing successful litigation strategies to navigating complex regulatory requirements to negotiating international supply chain agreements.
Roberto’s reputation for exceptional and efficient service has allowed him to build a thriving practice based entirely on private referrals from respected business leaders. Before opening his office in 2013, Roberto was an associate in the Baltimore office of an AmLaw 200 firm, where he represented leading manufacturers and Fortune 500 companies in environmental contamination actions and nationwide products liability claims alleging exposure to carcinogenic substances.
Roberto received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from the Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance, also with honors, from the Peabody Conservatory of Music. He then attended the University of Maryland School of Law on a full merit scholarship, where he earned a Juris Doctor degree and was an Asper Fellow to the Honorable William M. Nickerson, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, among other honors and distinctions.
As part of his commitment to public service Roberto actively participates in the Maryland State Bar Association’s efforts to improve access to justice and to support the legal profession, served on the Baltimore City LGBTQ Commission by appointment of the Mayor of Baltimore City, and was awarded the University of Maryland’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Diversity Recognition Award for assisting the New Orleans Office of the Public Defender to reconstitute its caseload in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
In addition, as a pianist and organist trained in one of the most competitive performance programs in the United States, Roberto is a two-time recipient of the Peabody Career Development Grant, has performed solo and chamber recitals in the United States and Europe, and has held the salaried position of Organist and Music Director of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Greenbelt, Maryland, since 2006. He sits on the Board of Directors of the Emmy Award-winning Baltimore Choral Arts Society and the Boulanger Initiative (where he also serves as a Performance Ambassador) and is a voting member of the American Guild of Organists and the Society for Music Theory.
Court & Bar Admissions
Maryland Court of Appeals
United States District Court (D. Md.)
Education
University of Maryland School of Law
Juris Doctor
• Asper Fellow, United States District Court (D. Md.)
• Executive Editor, Maryland Journal of International Law
• Member, Nationally-Ranked Trial Team
The Johns Hopkins University
B.A., International Studies (with honors)
Peabody Conservatory of Music
B.Mus., Piano Performance (with honors)
Commissions
Notary Public of the State of Maryland
Professional Memberships
Maryland Bar Association
• Co-Chair, Out-of-State Attorney Task Force
• Member, Special Appointments Committee
• Member, 125th Anniversary Planning Committee,
Communications and Messaging Subcommittee
The Black Aggie Law Society of Baltimore
• President
American Bar Association
Second Language
Spanish
Native Fluency
Affiliations
Holy Cross Lutheran Church
• Organist/Music Director
Baltimore Choral Arts Society
• Board of Directors
Boulanger Initiative
• Board of Directors and Executive Committee
• Performance Ambassador
American Guild of Organists
• Member
Society for Music Theory
• Member
Baltimore City LGBTQ Commission
• Member, 2018 – 2020
American Opera Theater Company
• Board of Directors, 2007 – 2010
Patents
Digitally-Operated Lens Surface Cleaning Apparatus (U.S. Patent D673744)
Co-Inventor
Representative Matters
Business Litigation. As American litigation counsel in an international trademark dispute between two global manufacturers implicating millions of dollars in sports equipment distributed in dozens of nations, Roberto Vela worked with colleagues in a London-based firm to steer the dispute toward a resolution that was deeply advantageous to his client’s interests.
Commercial Representation in Non-Litigation Matters. As general counsel to an emergency services mitigation company, the Law Office of Roberto Vela has recovered tens of thousands of dollars for our client from insurance carriers looking for ways to avoid their payment obligations under commercial lines and residential property insurance policies.
Representation of Performing Artists. The Law Office of Roberto Vela is proud to support the performing arts, including by serving as outsourced general counsel to an award-winning opera company known for its premier artistry and groundbreaking productions. In addition, as an active musician trained in one of the most competitive professional performance programs in the United States, Roberto is in a unique position to leverage his knowledge and experience in the performing arts to anticipate his clients’ needs so that they can focus on delivering artistic excellence.
Real Property. In its representation of local and regional landlords and real estate holding companies, the Law Office of Roberto Vela regularly prepares and negotiates residential and commercial lease agreements on behalf of our clients, and structures §1031 exchanges and other sophisticated purchase, sale and lease transactions.
Employer Defense (Alleged Workplace Harassment). When the former employee of a regional commercial entity alleged wrongful termination and sexual harassment, our investigation demonstrated the total absence of support for the allegations so effectively that the former employee’s counsel withdrew his client’s settlement demand and closed the file even before initiating formal proceedings.
Zoning and Land Use. The Law Office of Roberto Vela successfully appealed the denial of a permit for nonconforming use of a residential property by the Baltimore City Zoning Department acting under pressure from a senior member of the City Council. In a different land use matter, we successfully assisted a client to secure permission from local authorities to paint a large new wall sign on the side of a building located in a historic preservation district, and in the process turned initial opposition from the neighborhood historic preservation committee into enthusiastic support.
Personal Injury Litigation. Through skillful pretrial development of a tort liability case on behalf of a U.S. Olympic cyclist injured by a negligent driver, Roberto Vela was able to ensure that after a jury trial the plaintiff was awarded more than five times the settlement offer previously extended by the defendant’s insurance carrier.
Victims’ Restitution. In representing the estate of a victim of an intoxicated driver, Roberto Vela was able to persuade the State’s Attorney to include a large restitution award in the defendant’s sentencing, helping to reverse a trend of court rulings that declined to incorporate statutory restitution awards in criminal sentences on the grounds that victim’s compensation was a matter of civil law, rather than criminal law.
Publications, Symposia & Speaking Engagements
New Music DC 2018 Conference. Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.), September 15, 2018. Panelist at professional musicians’ conference co-sponsored by the Georgetown University Music Program and the District New Music Coalition. Panels included:
• The Entrepreneurial Musician: Navigating the Self-Employment Work Environment; and
• Commissioning New Music
Protecting Yourself from Scams. Discussion about consumer strategies for identifying telephone and internet scams, avoiding scammers, and mitigating losses if victimized. Presented to the congregation at Holy Cross Lutheran Church (Greenbelt, MD) on Sept. 30, 2014, and to the Conference of Pastors for the 7th Circuit, Southeastern District of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod (Greenbelt, MD) on Jan. 13, 2015.
Legal Implications of New Cancer Causation Theories, Law 360, Aug. 11, 2011 (proposing that, as modern research demonstrates the implausibility of the prevailing theory of carcinogenesis, judges in Daubert jurisdictions will be called upon to decide whether expert testimony based on this theory still has a place in the courtroom). First author; co-authored with F. Ford Loker. Available at http://bit.ly/toftcausation.
Reviving Time-Barred Actions via Legislation, Law 360, Mar. 15, 2011 (case study of a litigant that moved for summary judgment on statute of limitations grounds, after which “emergency” legislation was enacted purporting to extend the limitations period at issue). Co-authored with R. Silver and M.L. Haslup. Available at http://bit.ly/limstat.
Weighing Unilateral Termination of a Deposition, Law 360, Oct. 21, 2010 (examining the appropriate procedure, pursuant to the Rules of Professional Conduct and the Fed. R. Civ. Proc., to terminate a deposition when a litigation opponent is unduly hostile or offensive). Co-authored with M.T. Wagman. Available at http://bit.ly/stopdepo.
Alternative Approaches for Venezuela’s Integration into the World Economy: Lessons from Asia, Americas J. Lat. Am. Stud. Vol. 3, Spring 2009 (comparing Venezuela’s social and economic agendas with those of China, and their geopolitical implications). Available at http://bit.ly/chavezmkt.
Reflecting on the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Law Conference, October 23–25, 2008 (Baltimore, MD). Served on core team responsible for organizing conference and hosting panel members, including Her Excellency Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Honorable Arthur Chaskalson, Chief Justice of the South African Constitutional Court.
Securing Our Future: The Role of the Global Civil Society in Biological Weapons Proliferation (in Biological Weapons: A Global Security Assessment). Policy proposal chapter co-author. Dec. 11, 2003. On file with co-authors.