Annapolis, Maryland office located at 224 Main Street
Annapolis, Maryland office located at 224 Main Street

About the Firm

Harris Jones & Malone, LLC is recognized as one of Maryland’s premier law firms that focuses in state and local government relations and lobbying services throughout the State of Maryland.  An experienced procurement and government contracts, labor law, and litigation practice compliments the firm’s government and lobbying efforts.  Utilizing strong advocacy and negotiation skills, combined with a well-established network of political and governmental contacts, Harris Jones & Malone has a proven track record of delivering excellent results for its clients.

Harris Jones & Malone proudly serves small and large business enterprises, both publicly and privately held, along with nonprofits, municipalities, and related quasi-public agencies.  Harris Jones & Malone represents clients on issues concerning, but not limited to, construction, energy, retail sales, education, transportation, public safety, healthcare, gaming, real estate, telecommunications, procurement, corporate law, state funding for public and private development projects, taxation, labor, insurance, public interest, election and environmental law.

Our History

Lisa Harris Jones, Founding & Managing Member and Sean Malone, Member

After graduating from the American University Washington College of Law in 1993, Lisa Harris Jones practiced law at two of Maryland’s most reputable law firms located in Baltimore City.  Focusing her practice in the area of government relations/lobbying, business, real estate and financing, she spent these years representing both small and large for and non-profit entities, as well as, the City of Baltimore and many of its agencies and related quasi-public corporations (i.e., the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Baltimore Development Corporation).

 

During the 2000 Session of the Maryland General Assembly, Jones worked for and represented the Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos.  Jones also advocated on behalf of the firm and its clients on matters before the Baltimore City’s Mayor’s Office, Council, Board of Estimates, Department of Planning and Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals.

 

In the spring of 2000, Jones pursued her dream of owning a law firm with a concentration in government relations/lobbying, business, real estate and land use law and thus founded the Law Offices of the Lisa M. Harris.

As counsel to the Maryland Minority Contractors Association, Inc. (MMCA) in the early years of the firm, Jones was closely involved in legislative issues affecting minority and woman owned businesses.  While representing MMCA during the 2001 Session of the Maryland General Assembly she was able, among other things, to assist in the passage of legislation that increased the procurement goals under the State of Maryland’s minority business enterprise program from 14 to 25 percent.  She also represented MMCA and the Baltimore Hispanic Business Group in connection with Council Bill 00-211/Minority and Small Business Opportunity, which passed in the fall of 2000 after the City of Baltimore’s MBE/WBE program was struck down by the courts due to the lack of a disparity study.  In 2003, Jones was a member  to Lieutenant Governor Michael S. Steele’s Task Force on Minority Business Enterprise Reform and was appointed to the City of Baltimore’s MBE/WBE Certification Appeals Board.

Due to her tireless efforts representing her clients over the next several years, Lisa Harris Jones quickly became recognized as an attorney and lobbyist with the ability to effect real change in the legislative process, regardless of the size of her client or the perceived power of her opponent.  Jones represented a wide range of business interests before the Maryland General Assembly and the Baltimore City Council, including, but not limited to a major telecommunication provider, a gaming entity, several non-profit institutions, and a technology company.

In 2008, Sean R. Malone joined the firm which led to the well-known and respected name throughout Maryland “Harris Jones & Malone, LLC” (HJM). Immediately prior to joining HJM, Malone served as Deputy Legislative Officer in the Governor’s Office of Legislative Affairs under Governor Martin O’Malley.   As Deputy Legislative Officer, Malone assisted in the creation, drafting and lobbying of the Governor’s legislative agenda and oversaw agency legislative efforts in labor, collective bargaining, public safety, economic development, veteran’s affairs, administrative law, and judicial proceedings. In addition to his role in the Legislative Office, Malone also acted as the State’s Chief Labor Negotiator, successfully drafting and negotiating contracts for each of the State’s seven collective bargaining units.

Before joining the Governor’s Office, Malone was Labor Commissioner for the City of Baltimore from September 2003 to January 2007. As a member of the Mayor’s cabinet, Malone was a trusted advisor to the Mayor on labor and political matters. Known as a “tough, but fair” negotiator, Malone drafted, negotiated and implemented 16 multi-year city-wide labor contracts and acted as a hearing officer in grievance proceedings. Also, during his tenure as the Labor Commissioner, Malone represented the City’s Administration before the legislature in Annapolis during the 2005 and 2006 Sessions of the Maryland General Assembly as a member of the Mayor’s government relations team; he also represented city agencies and the Mayor’s administration before the Baltimore City Council.

For more than three and a half years, and before his tenure as Labor Commissioner, Malone was a member of the command staff for the Baltimore Police Department, serving as the Department’s Chief Legal Counsel and Chief of Professional Standards. Malone provided legal advice to the Police Commissioner on employment, criminal, and administrative law issues. He successfully litigated cases before administrative trial boards, the Baltimore Circuit Court, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and the Court of Appeals during his tenure. Malone honed his litigation skills, initially, as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Baltimore County after graduating magna cum laude from the University of Baltimore School of Law.  In 2017, he entered his 20th year as a member of the Maryland Bar.

The combination of Lisa Harris Jones’ private sector experience and Sean Malone’s public sector experience proved to be the perfect mix.  Now with a strong team of hard working associates, Harris Jones & Malone, LLC is recognized as one of Maryland’s premier law and government relations firms, representing clients in a multitude of industries across the State.

Harris Jones & Malone celebrated its 20th anniversary in May of 2020. As founder, Lisa Harris Jones remains the first and only African-American woman in the State of Maryland to own and manage a law practice with a focus in lobbying, government relations, procurement, labor relations, and litigation at both the state and local levels. She is also the only woman and the first African-American to be consistently ranked in the top five earning lobbyists and firms in the State of Maryland since 2008.

Firm Certifications

Harris Jones & Malone is the only African-American woman-owned minority business enterprise in the State of Maryland to operate a law practice with a focus in government relations and lobbying.

 

  • MBE/WBE certified with the City of Baltimore
  • MBE certified with Howard County, Maryland

Firm Recognitions

Harris Jones & Malone is proud to be recognized for its expertise and work in the State of Maryland.

 

  • Recognized as one of the Top Earning Firms and Lobbyist in Maryland since 2009
  • Named Top 100 Minority Business Enterprises by the City of Baltimore in 2013
  • Named Maryland’s Top 100 Minority Business Enterprises by the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs and The Daily Record in 2006 and 2008
  • Received the 2010 Bridging the Gap Achievement award from the Greater Baltimore Committee

Giving Back to Our Community

Harris Jones & Malone is committed to giving back to the community. Since its initial establishment, Harris Jones & Malone has developed a strong focus on charitable efforts that support the safety, housing, and education of women and children throughout Maryland, especially those living in low-income communities.

Lisa Harris Jones, Managing Member & Sean R. Malone, Member, supporting the Ulman Foundation, a non-profit supporting young adults impacted by cancer.

Tammy Stinnett, Firm Administrator, shared her campaign experience with an undergraduate student at Goucher College.

Ashlie Bagwell, Senior Government Relations Associate, spending time in an elementary classroom reading a book to students.

Lisa Harris Jones, Managing Member, speaking to a group of students at the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics at Goucher College, to encourage them to pursue a career in politics.