Olszewski Names New County Attorney

James R. Benjamin, Jr., Joins Leadership Team

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski today announced that James R. Benjamin, Jr., will join his leadership team as County Attorney.

Current County Attorney Michael Field has been named Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the County Executive.

"James brings a wealth of experience in litigation, deep knowledge in a variety of areas relevant to local government, and has been a trusted advisor to small, minority and women-owned businesses. I'm honored that an attorney and community leader of his caliber is joining our team," Olszewski said.

"Mike Field has a remarkable grasp of the law and public policy, and a tireless commitment to social justice. I'm pleased that he will continue as a part of our team as he shifts into a different role, advising on legislation and policy," Olszewski said.

Benjamin is currently a member of the Business, Litigation and EMERGE Teams at Gordon Feinblatt LLC. He handles environmental and administrative matters for his clients and regularly counsels clients on state and local regulatory issues. He has substantial bench and jury trial experience and has represented clients in complex toxic tort litigation at both the trial and appellate levels. In addition, he has significant experience representing and advising small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses on certification and procurement matters, as well as in structuring and creating joint ventures and teaming arrangements.

Benjamin was a former law clerk for the Honorable Ellen M. Heller in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. He also served as an Assistant City Solicitor with the Baltimore City Law Department's Land Use and Litigation divisions where he handled complex legal matters involving constitutional law and exhaustion of administrative remedies. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, and University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

Benjamin dedicates significant time to community and civic engagement, serving as a member of the Board of Visitors of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and the University of Maryland College Park's College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. He serves on the Judge Alexander Williams Center for Education, Justice and Ethics Board of Directors, and on the board of the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland. He previously co-chaired Baltimore City's Working Group on the Use and Implementation of Body-Worn Cameras in 2014 and 2015, and was a member of the Baltimore County Charter Review Commission in 2016 and 2017. He has also served on the Maryland State Ethics Commission.

Mike Field has served as County Attorney since 2010. He first joined the Baltimore County Office of Law in 1997 to conduct the decennial Code Revision, and subsequently redesigned and rewrote the County Code. He has served as counsel to the Ethics Commission, the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Animal Hearing Board.

Field has drafted every major piece of legislation introduced by any county executive since 2005, and has been involved in the drafting of many county regulations. As Senior Policy Advisor, Field will continue to advise on and draft legislation, as well as oversee efforts to put the complete Code of Baltimore County Regulations online for the first time.

Field is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

Benjamin's appointment as County Attorney must be approved by the County Council.