DeCaro Doran is very pleased to welcome Christopher J. Gowen, Jennifer Nigro, and Sharmaine Graves to the firm.

Christopher Gowen joined DeCaro Doran after having been in private practice for fifteen years.  He is barred in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and Florida. He completed his undergraduate education at Villanova University, graduating in 2000 from Villanova with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and earned his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law in 2005.

Chris Gowen’s practice focuses primarily on personal injury, civil negligence, professional malpractice, and domestic relations matters.  However, his litigation experience includes, school and education law, Title IX hearings at college and universities, civil rights cases, political litigation, and bar counsel hearings.

Much of Chris’ work involves the representation of children who were victims of abuse, neglect, negligent supervision, wrongful death, professional negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.  Chris has a led a charge on behalf of autistic children who were abused and neglected at residential facilities sponsored by the State of Maryland.

Chris is an adjunct law professor at the American University Washington College of Law, where he has taught since 2010 and the University of Baltimore School of Law.  Chris has been honored by American University for his teaching and has been designated by Super Lawyers Magazine as a top-rated attorney in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Chris sits on the committee for legal ethics and professional responsibility for the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Chris began his career as a Public Defender in Miami Dade County and has worked for former President Bill Clinton, former Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, as well as Constitutional Law Professor Michael Higginbotham’s campaign for United States Congress.

While in law school Chris worked for the Clinton Foundation where he assisted on President Clinton’s memoirs. He continued with the Clintons for several years as a traveling aid and eventually was an operations director for Secretary Clinton’s first presidential run in 2007. After the 2008 election Chris turned his attention to his law practice in Capitol Hill where he participated in several high-profile cases including the Chevron Ecuador case and the political prosecution of Imran Awan.

Jennifer Nigro initially joined the firm as a Summer Associate in May 2021.  She recently sat for the Maryland Bar exam this summer and is now a full time law clerk pending her anticipated admission to the Maryland Bar in December, at which time she will transition to an Associate Attorney at DeCaro Doran. 

Jen received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychological Science (with minors in Political Science and Computer Science ) from the University of Vermont in 2019. She then received her law degree from the University of Maryland  Francis King Carey School of Law in May 2022.  It is expected that Jen will begin her practice at the firm in the areas of general liability and professional liability defense litigation.

Sharmaine Graves has recently come to DeCaro Doran as an experienced Paralegal.  Sharmaine received her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice at the Virginia State University in 2013.  Since that time, she has acquired extensive experience as a Paralegal in landlord/tenant litigation, commercial litigation, worker’s compensation, medical malpractice, and personal injury litigation, including assisting in arbitrations, mediations, discovery, and trial.  She has already become a major asset in the firm’s litigation practice.

Finally, we welcome back Christine Miles who has returned temporarily for the next few months as a law clerk.  Christine received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Franklin & Marshall College in 2019 and recently graduated from the University of Maryland  Francis King Carey School of Law in May 2022.  Christine has been part of our Summer Associate program in 2020 and 2021 and sat for the Maryland Bar exam this year.  She is entering the United States Judge Advocate General corps at the end of 2022.

We are exceptionally pleased to have Chris, Jen, Sharmaine, and Christine at DeCaro Doran.