Neil J. Ruther

Mr. Neil J. Ruther is the founder of Legal Advice Line Consortium and now the Managing Partner of The Persels Group. In 1997, Mr. Ruther founded Legal Advice Line Consortium one of the Nation’s largest unbundled low cost legal services law firms operating in all 50 states. That consortium is now The Persels Group.

Mr. Ruther has a rich background in law. Mr. Ruther received his BA from the American University, Washington D.C. in 1973. From 1969-1973, he worked as a reporter and editor for WWDC Radio and AVCO Broadcasting in Washington D.C. In 1976, he earned his JD from the University of Baltimore School of Law. From 1975-1980, he served as a Special Assistant in the State Attorney’s Office of Baltimore City, Maryland where he was a team captain and trial prosecutor in Major Frauds and High Impact Crime Divisions.

Mr. Ruther has been named Partner at three law firms. From 1980-1987 he worked as an Associate and Partner at Burke Gerber Wilen & Francomano known for general litigation practice. From 1987-1990 he was Partner at Melnicove, Kaufman, Weiner & Smouse, a business and environmental law firm. From1990-1993 he served as Partner for Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver, known for business litigation practice.

Further, Mr. Ruther has shown his passion for law by sharing his knowledge and expertise with others through teaching. From 1990-1995, he served as a Lecturer for the SMH Bar Review, one of the country’s largest bar review education corporations, teaching, in eight states, a class called, Legal Ethics and Personal Property. Additionally he served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore School of Law teaching legal methodology and appellate advocacy.

Since 1995, Mr. Ruther has run a private practice with emphasis on business and construction litigation. Currently Mr. Ruther serves on the Counsel for Phoenix Services, Inc. where he is responsible for the legal and environmental affairs construction litigation for the Nation’s largest medical waste incineration and disposal system.

Mr. Ruther is licensed to practice law in Maryland and before the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, United States District Court for the District of Columbia, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.

Leza Griffith

Ms. Leza Griffith is currently the Practice Manager for The Persels Group. Prior to this appointment, she worked as a field attorney and managing attorney.

Ms. Griffith is a graduate of Sweet Briar College where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In 1992, she received her JD from the University of Baltimore Law School. She has practiced law in several small firms in Maryland concentrating in the fields of domestic law and small business. Ms. Griffith has an admirable tendency to extend her propensity for law beyond her own professional career. She teaches and mentors recent law school graduates who are preparing to sit for the Maryland Bar Exam. Additionally, she has worked with small nonprofits as both a manager and grant writer. Ms. Griffith is licensed to practice law in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania (inactive).

William Grafton

Mr. William Grafton is the Managing Attorney for The Persels Group, LLC’s Bankruptcy Practice. In 2000, Mr. Grafton graduated from Mississippi State University. While at Mississippi State University he studied Business Administration with a special focus on Business Information Systems.

In 2003, he received his JD from the University of Mississippi School of Law. Since this time, Mr. Grafton has gained invaluable experience in the areas of business administration and law, both vital to his role at The Persels Group. From 2007-2009, he served as the Supervising Attorney at Consumer Law Associates, LLC, a member of the The Persels Group. In addition to this role, he was asked to oversee the bankruptcy area. In 2009, Mr. Grafton moved to Towson, Maryland where he is currently responsible for managing the Bankruptcy Practice. Mr. Grafton is admitted to practice in Mississippi and Texas with upcoming plans to sit for the Maryland bar.

Lisa L. Perrillo

Ms. Lisa L. Perrillo is the Attorney Training Manager for The Persels Group.

In 1996, Ms. Perrillo graduated from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey earning a Bachelor of Arts degree and a secondary degree in African Studies. In 2000, she received her JD from Hofstra University School of Law where she concentrated her studies on trial advocacy. Prior to her association with the firm, Ms. Perrillo practiced law in New York in the area of construction law, medical malpractice, professional design liability, personal injury defense, and no-fault litigation. Upon relocating to North Carolina, Ms. Perrillo participated in the inception of the Centralized Intake Unit at Legal Aid of North Carolina and was associated with a national Social Security law firm conducting disability hearings. In 2007, Ms. Perrillo joined The Persels Group. She is admitted to practice before the Courts of the State of New York and North Carolina, the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Districts of New York, and the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of North Carolina. Ms. Perrillo is an active volunteer in her community and presently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina with her son, Trevor.

Jimmy B. Persels

Jimmy Persels is the former principal of each of the law firms of The Persels Group, consisting of Persels & Associates, LLC, and Consumer Law Associates, LLC. He is a 1966 graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, and a Vietnam-era veteran. He also holds a Master's Degree in Public Health from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, and a Juris Doctor (cum laude) degree from the Southern Illinois University School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Southern Illinois Law Journal.

Mr. Persels retired his ownership interest in the Persels Group in 2009, but he also serves as the President and Executive Director of the Persels Group Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that focuses its giving on members and veterans of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and their families in their times of need.

He has held management positions with such firms as the Puritan-Bennett Corporation; General Electric Medical Systems; National Medical Enterprises; Extracorporeal Medical Specialties; Ocean Advanced Research, Ltd.; and Perry Baromedical. Drawing on his engineering, diving, medical, and management background he formed a management and technical consulting company in 1980 that developed and managed clinical hyperbaric medicine facilities. After receiving his law degree, he was employed by law firms and maintained solo law practices in Illinois, Missouri, and Maryland.