We are profoundly saddened by the passing in October, 2022 of our most senior partner, Harry Trainor. He was a role model to us all for his compassion, humor, and advocacy.

On Harry’s passing, we received condolences from all over the United States (and internationally) where he had been involved in criminal defense representation of clients in all walks of life. He was lauded by his peers for his work in abolishing the death penalty in Maryland. He treated every one of his clients with the utmost respect , and never relaxed his standards of representation. His preparation for each case was exhaustive, from his initial interview with a client, to in depth legal research and litigation. He was described by colleagues as, among other things, “fierce but gentle”, “the best prepared lawyer in the state”, and “brilliant”. In a condolence note, a Federal Judge before whom Harry frequently appeared, described him as The Real Deal. Indeed he was. His standards of practice, ethics, and respect for all will continue to be beacons for us at TBBMS in our own practices. His legacy to our firm was his excellence as a lawyer and a person, which we continually strive to replicate in our own practices and in our own lives.

Since 1979, Harry Trainor has focused his practice in the areas of Criminal and Civil Litigation. He has been involved in the defense of many high profile and complex criminal law cases. For his successful defense of the first federal death penalty case in the District of Maryland, he and co-counsel received the prestigious John Adams Award for outstanding service to the Criminal Justice Act panel.

Mr. Trainor has been involved in the defense of numerous other capital cases in Maryland State and federal courts as well as in other federal jurisdictions, including New York, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia. Over the last three decades, Mr. Trainor’s casework has encompassed not only the criminal defense of white collar offenses, complex capital litigation, and state and federal grand jury investigations but also appellate, post-conviction and habeas corpus proceedings.

As part of a successful effort to win freedom for his client, Mr. Trainor has been part of a trial team traveling to the far reaches of Kenya and various remote areas of Rwanda as well as to other international destinations to locate and interview key witnesses, thereby uncovering evidence proving central to a winning defense.

An Author and a Lecturer

A presenter at numerous seminars on legal issues, Harry Trainor has appeared at the N.A.A.C.P. Legal Defense Fund, Airlie Conference, Life In The Balance National Death Penalty Defense Conference, and various continuing education criminal law practice seminars. For a number of years, he co-authored The Criminal Law Handbook, a publication of the Prince George’s County Bar Association.

Esteemed Maryland Criminal Defense Lawyer

Listed in Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Register of Pre-Eminent Lawyers, Harry Trainor is among select lawyers who have earned the AV Peer Review Rating. An AV rating shows that a lawyer has reached the height of professional excellence and adherence to the professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability, and diligence.

Mr. Trainor has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers of the District of Columbia and Baltimore regions numerous times. He has also been included in the list of “Top Lawyers” in criminal defense by Washingtonian Magazine.

Mr. Trainor is active in state and national professional organizations. He is a long-time member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Maryland Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, as well as the Federal Bar Association. He served for many years as an elected member of the Section Council of the Criminal Law Committee of the Maryland State Bar Association.

In 2001, Mr. Trainor was elected a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada, and is widely considered to be the premier professional trial organization in America. Founded in 1950, the College is dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the profession. Through its Board of Regents, its general committees and its state and province committees, the College engages in a wide variety of activities to further those purposes.