Bates, Richard W.

Ivan J. Bates, Attorney at Law, is dedicated to his commitment to service, justice and the preservation of rights for all people. Ivan graduated French Commando School and served his country in foreign and domestic assignments in the United States Army, 32nd Air Defense Artillery. Following his tour of duty, he became an honor graduate of Howard University, School of Communications, Ivan received many prestigious awards and honors including the Lyndon Baines Johnson Internship and the General Motors Volunteer Award. He continued his education earning his Juris Doctorate at College of William and Mary, School of Law. There he was a recipient of the Public Service Fellowship, a member of the Black Law Student Association and a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. While in law school, Ivan launched into his law career gathering experience and exposure as a law clerk for offices such as the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Global Sports Management, Inc., and several law firms in the DC/Baltimore region. Following graduation from law school, Ivan was selected to serve as Law Clerk for the Honorable David B. Mitchell in Baltimore, MD. Those in the legal profession know that it takes a certain type of individual to be selected by a Judge to serve as Law Clerk and Judge Mitchell knew that Ivan possessed the qualities needed. To this day, Ivan looks to Judge Mitchell as a mentor. It was while clerking for Judge Mitchell that Ivan fine tuned his legal research skills and assisted in drafting an opinion that was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. As his term with Judge Mitchell drew to a close, Ivan was offered a position as an Assistant State's Attorney in the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office. There, he honed his trial and advocacy skills, making such an impression that he quickly became an ASA in the Homicide Division.

While Ivan enjoyed his time as a prosecutor, he found his true calling as a criminal defense attorney when he joined the firm of Schulman, Treem, Kaminkow, Gilden and Ravenell, PA., (Baltimore, MD) a premier criminal defense firm in Maryland. While there, Ivan learned not just how to try cases, but how to see through the muck and mud that surrounded a lot of cases and was able to go right to the heart of each situation. He became an excellent advocate for his clients, a great majority of them African American. He was able to provide prosecutors and jurors with a human portrayal of these people otherwise known as “criminal defendants”. It was this ability to humanize his clients that gave Ivan the edge. Yes, he possessed excellent advocacy and trial skills, yes he was prepared for every arrow the prosecution would throw, but more importantly, he learned that he really cared for his clients. During his time at Schulman, Treem, at the age of 37, Ivan did what most lawyers only dream of - he served as co-counsel in a case argued before the Supreme Court of the United States, Maryland v. Blake.

Ivan's passion for the community and the law extends beyond his practice. He serves as a member of the board of Directors for Baltimore Healthcare Access, a member of the Board to elect the Baltimore City sitting Judges, he sponsors a charity fundraiser every Christmas raising funds and collecting gifts for homeless and needy children in Baltimore City, and mentors young boys at Celebration Church where he is a member.