Member

Joan Cerniglia-Lowensen

“Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. As a peacemaker the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough.” - Abraham Lincoln

“Joan is an excellent lawyer. I have opposed her in numerous cases and have found her preparation and attention to detail to be top-notch.”

“I am working with Joan Cerniglia Lowenson on a case curretly. She is an experienced medical malpractice defense counsel with excellent analytical skills. Ms. Cerniglia Lowenson has good instincts and judgment. She is courteous to other counsel while zealously defending her client. Ms. Cerniglia Lowenson is very deserving of the AV rating.”

“She is a talented and professional individual. Her clients benefit from her dedication, tenacity and keen insight.”

“Ms. Cerniglia-Lowensen is a talented and capable attorney. She excels in her handling of matters for health care providers and health care institutions.”

“A very experienced and capable malpractice defense lawyer.”

“Ms. Cerniglia-Lowensen should receive the highest rating.”

– Peer Reviews Martindale Hubbell

Joan Cerniglia-Lowensen has over twenty six years of civil litigation experience throughout the State of Maryland in both state and federal courts. Prior to becoming an attorney, Ms. Cerniglia-Lowensen was a registered nurse achieving both a BSN and a MS with a major in nursing. As an attorney, she primarily practices in the health care defense field. She defends nurses, doctors, veterinarians, dentists, healthcare providers, healthcare facilities, mental healthcare workers, urgent care facilities and nursing homes in medical malpractice matters, professional liability and tort claims, and disciplinary actions before various regulatory boards. She provides risk assessment and management advice to a variety of healthcare entities, insurers and individuals and continuing education to healthcare workers, and has been published in both journals and texts on issues of risk management and liability of healthcare professionals.

She also defends individuals and entities in the convenience store/gas station and hospitality industries in a variety of civil litigation matters such as risk assessment, premises liability, personal injury and general tort matters.

Ms. Cerniglia-Lowensen can defend COVID-19 general negligence claims, premises liability and professional negligence claims.

Ms. Cerniglia-Lowensen is available to present on a variety of healthcare liability and risk assessment issues to physicians, nurses, nursing home administrators, dentists, veterinarians and other healthcare providers and groups.

Inquiries can be directed to information@pklaw.com.

Education

University of Maryland School of Law, J.D., 1992
University of Maryland Graduate School, M.S.N., 1984
University of Maryland School of Nursing, B.S.N., 1981
St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing, 1979

Bar Admissions

Maryland
District of Columbia
United States District Court for the District of Maryland
Supreme Court of the United States

Bar Associations

Women’s Bar Association

Community Involvement

Former Board Member: The Casey Cares Foundation

Additional Information

Member: Harmonie, Medical Malpractice Defense Committee
Member: American Society of Healthcare Risk Managers
Member: Association of Nurse Attorneys
Member: Sigma Theta Tau
Member: Counsel on Litigation Management
Member: American Veterinary Medical Law Association
Board Member and Officer: Citizenship Law Related Education Program/Professional Development and Training Center
Board of Directors, Institute of Notre Dame
Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America
Selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers, 2012-2021
Super Lawyers Top 50 Women Lawyers 2014, 2020
AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale-Hubbell
2015 Washington D.C. and Baltimore Legal Leaders (General Litigation, Medical Malpractice, Estate and Trusts)
Fellow: Maryland Bar Foundation

Published Articles

Joint Author, Recent Developments In Animal Law: Leading Lawyers on Complying with Evolving Regulations and Overcoming Animal Rights Challenges (Inside the Minds). Thomson Reuters, 2015. Print
“Learning From Mistakes and Near Mistakes: Utilizing Root Cause Analysis As A Risk Management Tool,” Journal of Radiology Nursing Feb. 2015
“So You’re Starting A Practice,” In Session with Allied World Winter 2015
Joint Author, Defending Professional Liability Claims: Case Studies From Leaders in the Field. ExecSense May 2013. e-book
Best Practices for Defending Long-Term Care Liability Claims. ExecSense, 2012. e-book”

Representative Matters

The following represents a sample of jury trials in which Joan Cerniglia-Lowensen was principal counsel (first chair). Additionally, Ms. Cerniglia-Lowensen has conducted 200 to 300 District Court trials. Unless specifically identified, Ms. Cerniglia-Lowensen represented the defendant in all cases.

Medical Malpractice:

Puskarich v. Upper Chesapeake Medical Center
This matter was held before the Circuit Court for Harford County before the Honorable Maurice Baldwin. A jury verdict was rendered in favor of the Defendants. Read More

Medical Negligence:

Smoot v. Upper Chesapeake Medical Center
This matter was tried before a jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. This was a medical malpractice case before the Honorable Judge Nickerson. A defense verdict was rendered in this matter. Read More

Premises Liability:

Majchravak v. Frendco Restaurants
This matter was tried before the Circuit Court for Baltimore County. Judgment was entered on behalf of the Defendant. The presiding judge was the Honorable John Fader. Read More

Veterinary Malpractice:

McDonald v. Donaldson
This matter was held before the Circuit Court for Cecil County before the Honorable O. Robert Lidums. The jury rendered a defense verdict after deliberation. Read More

Motor Tort:

Burke v. Harrison
This matter was held before the Circuit Court for Baltimore County. A judgment in the amount of $25,000 was rendered against the Defendant. The lowest demand had been $25,000. Read More

Breach of Contract:

Honton v. Lighthouse Marina
This matter was in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City before the Honorable Judge Ammerman. This bench trial resulted in a verdict for Lighthouse Marina. Read More

The cases identified above are representative. It is important to recognize that each case is different and that an attorney’s past record is no assurance that he/she will be successful in reaching a favorable result in any future case.