Paul S. Caiola
Partner
p: 410.347.1371
pcaiola@gejlaw.com
Paul represents entities and individuals in complex commercial litigation and real estate litigation matters in various federal and state courts. A trial lawyer of first chair experience in complex civil litigation, Paul has a strong record of service to the firm’s clients.
Paul served a judicial clerkship with United States District Court Judge Walter E. Black before joining the firm. Prior to entering law school, he served in the United States Peace Corps teaching mathematics and English to students in Malawi, Africa. Paul was named to the Best Lawyers in America list for 2020, and has been recognized by Maryland Super Lawyers since 2011. He is a ranked lawyer in the Chambers USA 2024 guide in Litigation, and in 2017, Paul received the “Leadership in Law” award from The Daily Record.
Civic and Charitable Service
- University of Maryland School of Law, Board of Visitors (2015 – present)
- Public Justice Center, Inc., Board of Directors (1999 – present), President (2002 – 2004), Member, Leadership Council (2012 – present)
- Board of Directors, Maryland Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (2020-present)
- Equal Justice Council, Young Lawyers Division, Board of Directors (2000 – 2004)
- United States Peace Corps, Malawi, Africa (1989 – 1991)
Brian T. Tucker
Partner
p: 410.951.1405
btucker@gejlaw.com
Brian is a litigator who helps people solve problems and navigate complex disputes. As lead counsel, he has obtained judgments in favor of colleges/universities, primary/secondary schools, other nonprofit institutions, and commercial entities in a wide array of high stakes business, tort, discrimination, and constitutional law matters in federal and state courts. In addition to litigation, he advises entities on organizational, compliance, and insurance issues, and conducts internal investigations.
Before law school, Brian was a Senior Research Program Coordinator at the Johns Hopkins Lupus Center. After graduating from law school, Brian served a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Richard D. Bennett of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.
Brian is a permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. He received the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland’s 2013 Exceptional Service Award, and in 2016, received the Leadership in Law award from The Daily Record.
Brian serves as a Co-chair of the Firm’s Recruiting Committee, and is a member of its Strategic Planning Committee.
Bar and Professional Memberships
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference, Permanent Member
National Association of College and University Attorneys
National Diocesan Attorneys Association
Federal Bar Association
Maryland State Bar Association
American Bar Association
Civic and Charitable Service
Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, Board of Directors (2017-present)
Joseph C. Dugan
Associate
p: 410.951.1421
jdugan@gejlaw.com
Joe is a commercial litigation attorney with extensive experience litigating complex motions and solving thorny legal problems. Joe’s practice involves partnership and contract disputes, intellectual property disputes, and employment litigation. Joe has a particular interest in cases arising under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, and the First Amendment, and has litigated religious freedom cases in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and state courts. Joe’s recent matters have included a putative legal malpractice class action brought in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City against a prominent personal injury firm, a business tort action involving direct and derivative claims brought by a former member of an IT solutions company, and a long-running federal case involving misappropriation of trade secrets by former employees of a senior housing developer. Joe also frequently appears before rabbinical tribunals, known as Bais Dins, to arbitrate claims on behalf of real estate investors who are members of Baltimore’s Jewish community.
Joe is passionate about community service and maintains a robust pro bono practice with the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service. Through that collaboration, Joe has assisted low-income Marylanders with federal and state income tax issues and expungement of criminal records. Joe also has worked on pro bono immigration matters and has partnered with other Gallagher attorneys to represent incarcerated persons in civil rights cases.
Prior to joining Gallagher, Joe clerked for The Honorable James K. Bredar, now Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, and for The Honorable David F. Hamilton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Joe also served as a trial attorney with the Federal Programs Branch of the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, where he defended federal agencies and officials in cases that presented novel claims under the U.S. Constitution, the Administrative Procedure Act, and other federal statutes.
Joe graduated summa cum laude from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2015. While in law school, Joe served as Executive Editor of the Indiana Law Journal and was a tournament champion in the school-wide Sherman Minton Moot Court Competition. He is currently ranked as an Associate to Watch in the Chambers USA 2024 Guide.
Beyond Gallagher
Joe enjoys hiking in Maryland’s beautiful state parks and is often joined by his young son, Oliver. Joe also enjoys cooking and is an amateur gardener with a habit for bringing home fruit bushes and flowering plants from the local nursery. Joe is running out of space in his yard and will soon transition to potted plants.
Civic and Charitable Service
- Franciscan Center in Baltimore, Board of Trustees (2021-present)
- St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center, Board of Directors (2021-present), Vice Chair (2022-2024), Chairman (2024-present)
Bar and Professional Memberships
Maryland State Bar Association
American Bar Association
Sarah R. Simmons
Associate
p: 410.951.1429
ssimmons@gejlaw.com
A member of the firm’s Litigation Group, Sarah brings a passion for the law and helping others to assist clients in a broad array of disputes, including matters involving construction, real estate, tort claims, and general commercial contract disputes.
Sarah graduated summa cum laude in 2019 from the University of Baltimore School of Law, and she was the recipient of the Law Faculty Award, which is presented to one student upon graduation for achievements in scholarship, public service, and leadership. Sarah served as Executive Editor of the University of Baltimore Law Review (2018-19). In 2018, she served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Clayton Greene Jr., and in 2019, she clerked for the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, Legislative Affairs. Sarah also worked as a legal intern for Hopeworks, which helps survivors of domestic violence.
Prior to joining Gallagher, Sarah served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Kathryn Grill Graeff, Court of Special Appeals Maryland (2019-2021).
Beyond Gallagher
When Sarah is not busy helping clients, she enjoys hiking, skiing, camping, music, and traveling.
Victoria S. Trocchia
Associate
p: 410.347.1362
ttrocchia@gejlaw.com
Tory has a combined background in finance and the law, which enables her to offer a unique perspective to the variety of commercial clients she represents as a member of Gallagher’s Litigation Group.
Prior to earning her JD from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, in 2022, Tory spent five years at a Baltimore-based investment firm. She first worked in relationship management for U.S. intermediary clients and later as a member of the fixed-income investment team.
In law school, Tory sharpened her trial skills as a member of Maryland Law’s National Trial Team and honed her appellate brief-writing and research skills as a student attorney in the Juvenile Lifer Advocacy Clinic. She served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Richard D. Bennett, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland (2021); the Honorable Nancy M. Purpura of the Maryland Circuit Court for Baltimore County (2020); and the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland (2022).
Prior to joining Gallagher, Tory served as a law clerk to the Honorable Douglas R. M. Nazarian of the Appellate Court of Maryland (2022-23).
Beyond Gallagher
When she is not assisting clients, Tory enjoys cooking, travel photography, running (she has competed in the Boston Marathon), skiing, and exploring north Baltimore with her Labrador mix, Penny.