Experience

Family Law

Ferrier is experienced in all areas of family law, including:

  • All aspects of divorce cases;
  • Property division and monetary awards;
  • Custody and visitation disputes (domestic, interstate, and international);
  • Child support and related issues, such as payment for children’s health care expenses and private school;
  • Alimony;
  • Pre- and post-divorce planning;
  • Separation agreements, marital settlement agreements, and parenting agreements;
  • Visitation and custody cases for grandparents, other relatives, domestic partners, and step-parents;
  • Adoptions (foreign and domestic) and second parent adoptions;
  • All aspects of divorce and pre-martial agreements for same-sex couples;
  • Guardianships for special needs children and incapacitated relatives;
  • Paternity cases;
  • Appeals; and
  • Mediation.

Health Care and Senior Housing

Highlights of Ferrier's health care experience include:

  • Representing nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult day care centers, ambulatory surgical centers, group homes for the developmentally disabled, home health care agencies, and other types of health care facilities before the Office of Health Care Quality in many different types of regulatory procedures, including, but not limited to, initial licensure, preparing for surveys, drafting plans of correction, preparing for IDRs, case resolution conferences, settlements, civil money penalties, imposition of deficiencies and sanctions up to and including license revocation and decertification from Medicaid and Medicare programs;
  • Representing skilled nursing facilities before the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on reimbursement, civil money penalties, and other issues;
  • Representing national and Maryland corporations in the acquisition, financing, and sale of senior housing facilities in Maryland;
  • Obtaining exceptions to, and quick review of, licensing requirements for senior housing and health care providers from DHMH;
  • Representing Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) throughout the process of obtaining a CCRC Certificate of Registration from the Maryland Department of Aging;
  • Handling all the health law aspects of a bankruptcy receivership case in which a company that owned more than 40 nursing homes was put into a voluntary receivership, resulting in the sale of the remaining assets, the outstanding Medicare and Medicaid cost reports being settled for the nursing homes going back numerous years, as well as litigating a wide of variety of issues affecting the health care company in receivership;
  • Negotiating settlements with various divisions of DHMH and CMS;
  • Representing health care businesses and practitioners in HIPAA and other confidentiality issues;
  • Representing a national Maryland-based pharmaceutical company in regulatory issues before the Maryland Board of Pharmacy;
  • Representing senior housing, long-term care, home health, and other health care clients before the Office of Administrative Hearings on issues such as Medicaid reimbursement, revocation of licenses and other sanctions, involuntary discharges, Medicaid enrollment for residents, and other regulatory enforcement actions;
  • Compliance counseling for health care companies, such as compliance with the Affordable Care Act and other federal and state regulations and reimbursement requirements;
  • Negotiating and drafting Managed Care contracts, vendor contracts, and other such agreements;
  • Litigating in federal court, on behalf of a major Maryland nursing home, against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services over nursing home enforcement regulations, resulting in CMS changing a key Medicaid regulation in favor of skilled nursing facilities;
  • Advising companies on employment issues in health care facilities;
  • Being appointed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to serve as a health care ombudsman in the bankruptcy of a residential services agency;
  • Representing individual practitioners, including, but not limited to, physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, professional counselors, and physical and occupational therapists, before the Health Occupations Boards; and
  • Representing health care companies in investigations by various government agencies.
Attorney Profile
Education
  • University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D., 1987)
  • Vassar College (B.A., with honors, 1984) Phi Beta Kappa
Bar Admissions
  • State of Maryland
Court Admissions
  • U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Activities
  • Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, Board of Directors 2017-; Executive Committee, 2020-
  • LifeSpan Network, Inc., Legislative and Public Policy Committee, frequent lecturer
  • Health Facilities Association of Maryland, frequent lecturer
  • American Bar Association, Family Law and Health Law Sections
  • American Health Lawyers Association, Post-Acute & Long Term Services Practice Group
  • Maryland State Bar Association
  • Bar Association of Baltimore City, Family Law Committee, past co-chair
  • Baltimore County Bar Association, Family Law Committee
  • Howard County Bar Association, Family Law Committee
  • Women's Bar Association
  • Maryland Judicial Conference, Custody Subcommittee
  • Maryland Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
  • Baltimore Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
  • Panelist, The Daily Record's "Generation Z Women: The Future of Politics" webinar, a part of its Women Who Lead series
  • Beacon Institute, Board of Directors, 2019-2021
  • Center for Healthy Maryland, Board of Trustees, 2012-2018
  • Baltimore Courthouse and Law Museum Foundation, Board of Directors, 1995-2017
  • The Daily Record, Editorial Advisory Board, 2012-2017
  • Planned Parenthood of Maryland, Board, 2006-2016; chair, 2010-2014
  • Baltimore's Head Start Program, Governing Board, 2010-2012
  • State Law Resources, Inc., Board of Directors, 2006-2009
  • Med-Chi, Privacy and Confidentiality Task Force, 1998-1999
  • Greater Baltimore Committee, Leadership Program, Class of 1999
  • Neighborhood Design Center, Board of Directors, 1988-1998; chair, 1994-1996
Honors & Awards