Mr. Portner has been an attorney licensed to practice in Maryland and Washington, D.C. since 1988. He represents clients in matters of personal injury, including motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, and workers' compensation. He also spends a considerable amount of time in court representing criminal defendants.?After graduating Cum Laude from the University of Baltimore?School of Law, and serving as an editor of the Law Review, he initially gained experience clerking for Chief Judge Gilbert of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.? During that year he helped edit an often used text book on Maryland Workers' Compensation Law.
Next, he served as a trial attorney for one of Baltimore's largest law firms.? While at the large firm, Mr. Portner obtained numerous large automobile accident arbitration awards, and worked to obtain a million dollar verdict in a personal injury case from a District of Columbia jury. Shortly after working on his first million dollar case, Mr. Portner left to form the firm of Portner & Shure.
He currently supervises the personal injury claims and litigation departments of the law firm.? As a result of his vast personal injury litigation experience, Mr. Portner does not want others to view Portner & Shure, P.A. as just a personal injury law firm.? Rather, he has formed the firm to be looked upon as trial attorneys who handle personal injury.? There is a distinct difference.? Portner & Shure, because of this mentality, litigates either automobile accident, workers' compensation, or medical malpractice cases every week of the year.? Insurance companies know the firms that don't back down any try cases.
Mr. Portner has tried and won hundreds of cases against some of the top insurance defense attorneys and prosecutors in both State and Federal Courts throughout the region.? In each of the last five (5) years he has recovered approximately nine million dollars for his clients, and over fifty million in the last six (6) years in automobile accident, workers' compensation and medical malpractice cases. Recently, he along with attorney, Kevin Ruby?obtained awards of one million dollars in three (3) different cases.? It is a fact that most injury attorneys do not obtain a single million dollar award during the course of their careers, let alone three in a short period of time. As a result of these large injury awards, the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an organization that recognizes the top trial lawyers in America, announced that Jonathan Portner is a certified member.? This organization comprises the most prestigious group of trial lawyers in the United States, and fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers are eligible to become members.
His philosophy with insurance companies is to be aggressive, but fair. Above all else he believes in hard work.? He spends considerable time working in the Howard County, Maryland community and with his family.? His hard work in the local Korean community in fact caused him to pursue a black belt in Tai Kwon Do.? His interest and work in sports training and coaching, has led to his son becoming one of the top tennis players in the mid-Atlantic region (boys 16s #3), and currently ranked nationally in boys 16's.? His oldest daughter will be a four year varsity tennis player and this summer is working at the firm and looking at colleges, and his youngest daughter is a Maryland A Cobra travel lacrosse player and Heros Club Lax player.
Mr. Portner dedicates considerable time to all of his endeavors but believes each personal injury or criminal case should be treated as if it's the only case of the firm. He believes he has obtained millions of dollars in recoveries for accident victims each year because of his attention to detail, and insistence that his staff have constant communication with all automobile accident, personal injury, malpractice clients, criminal clients.
Areas of Practice
Personal Injury -- Plaintiff
Medical Malpractice
Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff
Workers' Compensation Law
Litigation Percentage
10% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Bar Admissions
Maryland, 1988
District of Columbia, 1989
Honors and Awards
Platinum Seal Award, 2013 - Present
Professional Associations and Memberships
American Association for Justice, Member
Maryland Association for Justice (President's Club), Member
National College of DUI Defense, Member
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Member
Maryland State Bar Association, Member
Howard County Bar Association, Member
District of Columbia Bar Association, Member
United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Member
United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Member
Superior Court for the District of Columbia, Member
