ANNAPOLIS (April 30, 2009) – Governor O’Malley today appointed the Honorable Helen I. Harrington to the Circuit Court for Charles County and Kenneth A. Talley to the District Court for Charles County.
Helen I. Harrington, a Domestic Relations Master, will fill a vacancy on the Circuit Court for Charles County created by the retirement of the Honorable Christopher C. Henderson. Ms. Harrington was appointed as Charles County’s first Domestic Relations Master in 1992. In this capacity, she has presided over divorce, child custody, visitation, marital property, alimony, and child support cases. Prior to her appointment, Master Harrington was an Assistant State’s Attorney for Charles County. In addition, she spent several years as an attorney in private practice, concentrating in business law, criminal cases, and regulatory matters.
Master Harrington is a past president of the Charles County Bar Association. She received the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service Partnership Award in 2000. She has volunteered for numerous community organizations and served on the Board of the Children’s Aid Society of Charles County. Master Harrington graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Kenneth Talley, an Assistant State’s Attorney, will fill a vacancy on the District Court for Charles County created by the retirement of the Honorable Richard A. Cooper. Mr. Talley has had a diverse legal career in both public service and private practice. Most recently, he has been an Assistant State’s Attorney for Charles County, handling major felony cases and District Court prosecutions. For five years, Mr. Talley was an Assistant Public Defender for the Charles County Public Defender’s Office, where he handled juvenile and felony cases. He received an Assistant Public Defender of the Year Award in 2001. For several years, Mr. Talley was in private practice handling a variety of matters, including criminal defense, family law cases, and landlord-tenant litigation.
Mr. Talley is active in community service and the Charles County Bar Association. He is a past secretary of the bar association, and he received an Award for Outstanding Service to the Charles County Teen Court Program. Mr. Talley graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law, and he clerked for the Honorable Herman C. Dawson of the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County.
The appointees were nominated by the Trial Courts Judicial Nominating Commissions.