We Are Your Community Law Firm
At Southern Maryland Law – Andrews, Bongar, Gormley & Clagett – we have been satisfying clients for over 60 years. That makes us the second oldest law firm in southern Maryland.
We are very proud of our long history as a trusted legal resource for our community.
Thousands of your friends & neighbors in Southern Maryland have trusted us to handle their legal issues. That’s because we get results, and we treat people well – with a friendly, more relaxed manner.
Read on to learn about our law firm in Waldorf, Maryland & Lexington Park, Maryland. Be sure to read our success stories and testimonials from our past clients. Read our Google reviews, our Facebook reviews, or even our Yelp reviews. We are well reviewed for a reason!
Serving Clients For Over 60 Years
We know how to treat our clients, and we know how to help them solve their legal problems. We would never have lasted 60 years if we did not. We would like to help you with your legal issue as well.
See below for the story of our law firm – from George Andrews hanging up his “shingle” in Southern Maryland, to the powerhouse firm we have become today.
Andrews, Bongar, Gormley & Clagett has two conveniently located offices in Waldorf, Maryland and Lexington Park, Maryland. We regularly appear in the courts of Charles County, Prince George’s County, and St. Mary’s County. We proudly serve Waldorf, La Plata, Brandywine, Mechanicsville, California & Lexington Park.
See our contact page above for maps and precise directions to each of our easy to find offices. Each office has free parking and both are fully accessible.
Large Enough to Provide Full Service
Small Enough to Focus On You
In our communities of Waldorf & Lexington Park, personal service from your lawyer is still expected. Some of the larger law firms who come here from out of town may not operate like that, but we do here at Southern Maryland Law.
We know your legal matter is unique and requires a personalized approach. We will always remember that. If you ever want to talk to your attorney, we are just a phone call away. And a member of our friendly staff will arrange it. Personal service is spoken here.
We have more attorneys and a larger staff than many other local law firms. That means we can help you and your family in a wider variety of legal matters.
From personal injury to bankruptcy, and from family law to estate planning – we have lawyers who handle the most common legal problems people will face in their lives. Each attorney concentrates in one key area so you can be assured of the expertise you need.
If you need more specialized help, we have a network of lawyers throughout Maryland we know and trust, and we will gladly refer you to them if that is in your best interests.
Call us first for any legal problems you encounter. If we can’t help you, we will find someone who can.
One of the Oldest Law Firms in Southern Maryland
We are proud of our long history serving Waldorf & Southern Maryland. In 2014 Andrews, Bongar, Gormley & Clagett celebrated our 50th anniversary! That is a very long time for any law firm to remain in business. It speaks to the character of the people who work at Andrews, Bongar, Gormley & Clagett.
And it proves we have done very well representing our clients over the years. If we had not done well by our clients, we wouldn’t still be here!
We were very honored to be featured in the Maryland Independent (our local newspaper) with a wonderful article about our 50 years in business. We had our 50th-anniversary party in March of 2014 at St. Peter’s Catholic Church Hall. It was a wonderful night of reminiscing about the past with George and his friends. George brought back a bunch of his former staff, and they told some fantastic stories of those days! You can also see a slideshow of photos showing our 50-year history here.
Our Story
George Andrews started his practice as a solo attorney in 1964. By 1966, he was joined by Bob Schick to form Andrews & Schick.
They focused on real estate transactions in those early days. Waldorf was a booming area, and George & Bob were in on the ground floor. These founding lawyers quickly gained a reputation for quality and service.
In 1977 Chuck Bongar joined the firm. He had worked for a major insurance defense firm until he went to law school. Chuck started a personal injury and general civil practice at the firm.
In 1979, the firm recruited Richard “Chip” Starkey out of the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office. Chip started a criminal practice at the firm. He later branched out into bankruptcy, and the bankruptcy practice quickly became one of the largest in Southern Maryland.
In 1985 we were joined by Carolyn Woodside. She added a family law practice to the firm – specializing in divorce, child custody, and adoptions. Carolyn later retired to become a Magistrate for Domestic Relations in the Charles County Court system.
Just a few years later, in 1998, Dave Gormley joined the firm. He initially took over the family law practice when Carolyn became a Magistrate. He later took over the bankruptcy practice when Chip Starkey decided to retire.
In 2021, Nashiea Smith joined our firm to practice family law. She took over the case load of a previous family law attorney (who got married and moved away) and quickly grew her own large practice. She has since developed a love of estate planning, and is extremely interested in helping families get their affairs in order to promote smooth family life.
In 2023 we hired Kathryn Lawryszek to help out with Nasheia’s growing family law practice. She has quickly become a client favorite and built her own large family law practice.
The firm continues to thrive and grow, assisting the residents of Waldorf with all of their legal needs.
As Southern Maryland Has Grown – We Have Grown
We were in on the “ground floor” of the explosive growth of Waldorf, Maryland in the 1960’s and ’70s. And our firm has grown right along with Waldorf.
Waldorf is by far the largest community in Charles County, Maryland. It is also the largest community in all of Southern Maryland. Being located in Waldorf puts us at the heart of Charles County, and at the heart of the greater Southern Maryland community. Our office is literally in the heart of Waldorf, a stone’s throw from the intersection of Rte 301 & Rte 5/Rte 228.
We also got in on the ground floor of the growth trend in Lexington Park, Maryland in the 1990’s. Lexington Park has grown tremendously along with Patuxent River Naval Air Station. It is now the largest community in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. And we are right in the heart of it too.
Our office there is located right outside Gate 1 to Pax River – recognizing the importance of the base and all those who work there.
Continuing to Grow with You
As more and more people call Southern Maryland home, we have continued to grow our practice to meet the needs of local residents. Andrews, Bongar, Gormley & Clagett now has a wide range of lawyers, with diversity, youth, and experience. That means better service for all our clients.
Let us put that history behind your legal case. Contact us today.
If you have a legal issue things you do now will affect your case later. You should always know your options and be informed before you make major decisions about your legal case.
