“When it comes to litigation, you must know when to use finesse and when to use muscle. A lot of attorneys have one or the other, but few have both and know which is needed.”
Darin has practiced law for over 20 years and earned high regard of judges, mediators, clients, and opposing counsel as a dedicated advocate willing to go to the mat to aggressively protect his client’s best interests in a tough, well-planned courtroom battle.
Through thorough trial preparation, he positions his clients to negotiate a favorable out-of-court resolution. The majority of his clients are referrals from prior clients and he is proud that a number of former opposing parties have referred clients to him.
He represents diverse clients from all walks of life – authors, business executives, home makers, government employees, physicians, scientists, and other professionals, as well as prominent public figures – and his primary focus is always to defuse controversies in the most expedient and effective way possible under the circumstances.
As an undergraduate, Darin studied psychology and initially planned on pursuing a career in family counseling. After college, he seized every opportunity available to work with families, children and adolescents who were struggling to overcome various problems that prevented them from leading healthy, productive lives. This passion for helping families in difficult circumstances continues to drive Darin to protect the rights and interests of his clients and their children to this day. He is constantly sought out and referred difficult custody cases as well as more challenging cases involving domestic violence and sexual abuse that are often mishandled by inexperienced lawyers or lost in the shuffle by an overburdened legal system. He also volunteers his time to the Governor’s Human Trafficking Prevention Project.
Darin takes deep pride in the fact that the impact he has on clients’ lives carries with them long after the representation is over. They often send cards, letters, emails and photographs with updates on how they and their children have moved forward and are enjoying life after the family dispute was resolved.
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- US District Court for the District of Maryland
- US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- Virginia
- Clemson University, BA, 1997
- Regent University School of Law, JD, 2000
- Highly successful in trial and appellate work throughout the State of Maryland and Washington, DC.
- A mother and her children relocated to a state several hours away. The father, who hired two prior attorneys who were unsuccessful asked Darin to step in and bring the issues before the court. Darin overcame a motion to dismiss, and ultimately had the children returned to their father. The wife appealed the court’s ruling and Darin was successful in having the appeals court uphold the court’s verdict.
- Darin helped a mother battling serious addiction issues secure a gradual path back into her children’s lives by negotiating a modified possession order requiring her to engage in addiction therapy, submit to drug testing and wear a remote alcohol monitoring device as conditions for her progressive visitation and custody schedule.
- After three years of contentious litigation led by another lawyer and the court’s dismissal of a protective order against the client’s husband, Darin stepped in as an assertive advocate and quickly mediated a new separation agreement modifying child custody with favorable terms for the client.
- Darin represented a father in a custody battle played out in the media where the client’s ex-wife was dating a prominent sports figure. The ex-wife was denying visitation with the child in Maryland. Darin successfully persuaded the court after an eight-day trial to modify the custody order to 50/50 custody and a fixed schedule that the father had sought for years. The cross-examination of the ex-wife and her financial issues ultimately led to federal indictments by the Internal Revenue Service in U.S. District Court for tax fraud and tax evasion.
- American Institute of Family Law Attorneys – Nationally Ranked Top 10 Attorneys for Excellence in Family Law, 2017-2022
- American Institute of Family Law Attorneys – Named 10 Best Attorneys (Maryland for Exceptional and Outstanding Client Service), 2014-2022
- Lead Counsel rated in the Discipline of Family Law
- Marquis Who’s Who in Family Law, 2020
- Super Lawyers® Maryland – Rising Star, 2008-2010
- Maryland State Bar Association
- Frederick County Bar Association
- Montgomery County Bar Association
- Guest Lecturer – Father’s United for Equal Justice
- Guest Lecturer – Montgomery County Commission for Women
