Ryan Schmalzle

Ryan attended East Stroudsburg University in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania where he attained a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy.  After college, Ryan moved to southern Florida where managed several successful restaurants and night clubs, including a dueling piano bar.  Despite the success of the businesses and Ryan’s enjoyment in building them, he never veered from his plan to attend law school.

Ryan left southern Florida to study the law at George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia.  Ryan’s life experience gained as a business manager in Florida and his drive to excel were a recipe for a very successful and active law school career.  Ryan earned a spot on the school’s premier law journal, the George Mason Law Review, as a second year and was appointed as an editor of the journal in his third year.  Additionally, Ryan’s success as an oral advocate in moot court competitions earned him a coveted position on George Mason’s Moot Court Board and he served on the board’s executive committee in his third year.  While serving on the Moot Court Board, Ryan represented George Mason University School of Law at a national moot court competition on constitutional law in Madison, Wisconsin and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the competition.  In his final year at George Mason, Ryan instructed first year law students in legal research and writing as a Legal Writing Fellow.

After law school, Ryan accepted an offer to work with Wiley Rein LLP, a large, prestigious firm located in the District of Columbia.  Ryan worked primarily with firm’s insurance litigation group, and advised clients on issues related to Directors and Officers Liability Insurance Policies, Errors and Omissions Liability Insurance Policies, and General Commercial Liability Policies.  Ryan routinely worked with liability insurance policies with yearly policy limits up to $1,000,000,000.  Ryan also worked with the firm’s election law group and advised clients on issues related to political action committees and lobbying laws.
 

Ryan left the corporate feel of the large firm in favor of building a practice that allowed him more direct interaction with individuals and business owners.  Ryan enjoys engaging directly with his clients and helping them solve their problems in a practical way.  Consequently, Ryan accepted an offer to continue building his practice with Whitbeck Cisneros McElroy, PC in Leesburg, Virginia.

Although Ryan’s primary love is for the law, he has always also been an entrepreneur and business person at heart.  In February of 2014, Ryan started the law firm of Beckman Schmalzle PLC with Spencer S. Beckman.  Ryan started the firm because he desired the ability to more directly control the policies, philosophy, and direction of his practice.  Being a principal of Beckman Schmalzle PLC not only affords Ryan the opportunity to work directly with his clients on solving their legal issues, but also allows Ryan to control his practice environment.

Ryan lives in Frederick, Maryland with his wife Jennie, his daughter Abigail, and their two dogs, Bella and Owen.  He enjoys reading historical nonfiction and various genres of fiction.  Ryan is an avid home brewer and regularly brews exclusively all-grain recipes on a brewing system that he and two friends designed and made using old kegs and a few steel bed frames.  His most successful recipe so far is Belgian farmhouse style ale brewed with hot chili peppers.  Ryan also enjoys gardening, growing his own organic produce, and cooking for his family and friends.