The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”—Ida B. Wells
Chelsea Jones Crawford joined Brown Goldstein & Levy in September 2015 and has maintained an active civil rights practice with a focus on wrongful conviction, police misconduct, and disability rights cases.
A former journalist covering daily news, Chelsea brings a passion for storytelling to every case. Chelsea practices in state courts across Maryland and in federal courts nationwide. Her experience clerking for judges in Baltimore makes her well suited to serve as local counsel for out-of-state attorneys practicing in federal court.
Prior to joining Brown Goldstein & Levy, Chelsea clerked for the Honorable Andre M. Davis on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for the Honorable Stephanie A. Gallagher on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
During law school, Chelsea served as the Executive Articles Editor of the University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class, Vice-President of the Black Law Students Association, and member of the law school’s National Moot Court Team. Chelsea received the 2013 Elizabeth Maxwell Carroll Chesnut Prize, known as the “Dean’s Award,” for her scholarship, personal drive, and excellence in writing and was awarded Order of the Barristers.
Before law school, Chelsea spent several years working in broadcast news. She began her career at KYW-TV in Philadelphia, where she worked the news desk. She later joined National Public Radio’s flagship afternoon program, All Things Considered, as an Assistant Editor.
Chelsea is active in several bar associations and organizations. For three years, she served as Co-Chair of the Publications Committee for the Maryland State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section. She is a Leadership Committee member of the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service’s Community Advocacy Network and Treasurer of the Monumental City Bar Association, the oldest and largest specialty bar association in Baltimore City.
Representative Cases
Umar Burley and Brent Matthews v. Baltimore Police Department – Obtained nearly $8 million for two men who were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned after plainclothes Baltimore Police Department officers (some of whom were later members of the Gun Trace Task Force) planted drugs in their car (2020).
Part of a team that obtained a court order holding the District of Columbia responsible for providing services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to eligible DC residents who are incarcerated in federal facilities (2020).
James Owens v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore. Obtained a $9 million settlement on behalf of a man who was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 21 years after Baltimore homicide detectives concealed exculpatory evidence (2018).
Won a jury verdict and settlement on behalf of a man who was assaulted and wrongfully arrested in response to asking a Baltimore police officer for his badge number (2016).
Awards
- Maryland Rising Stars, 2018-2021
News & Insights
-
Baltimore City Pays Nearly $8 Million to Settle Lawsuit Involving Drugs Planted by Police Officers
-
Lawsuit Seeks Justice for Fatal Shooting of Unarmed Man by Baltimore County Police Officer
-
The Harlem Park Three, Who Spent a Combined 108 Years Wrongfully Imprisoned, File Lawsuit Against Baltimore Police Department and Former Detectives