Our Attorneys

Louis S. Pettey

Louis S. Pettey focuses primarily on real estate law, representing residential and commercial real estate lenders, builders, and developers. Mr. Pettey is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia and States of Maryland, West Virginia, and Florida. He is a licensed title insurance agent in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Law and Politics Magazine named Mr. Pettey a “SuperLawyer” in its Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Corporate Counsel listings.

Mr. Pettey earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1974, and received his law degree from the University of Baltimore in 1977. He has practiced law full-time with Heise Jorgensen & Stefanelli P.A. since December 1977, and has served as President of the firm from 1993 to the present.

Mr. Pettey’s clients include residential and commercial land developers and homebuilders. He prepares documentation for commercial real estate loans, and represents lenders on foreclosures and workouts on loans secured on Maryland and Virginia properties. He represents real estate builders and developers in preparing and negotiating contracts for the sale and purchase of residential and commercial building sites, negotiating financing instruments, preparing entity documentation, and examining property titles.

Mr. Pettey is a resident of Montgomery County, Maryland and is active in the legal community. He is a fellow in the American College of Mortgage Attorneys (ACMA) and served as its President in 2014-2015. He previously served two terms on the Board of Regents and has chaired numerous committees of the College.  He has spoken on legal ethics on continuing education panels for ACMA and the American Bar Association’s Real Estate and Trusts and Estates Section. Mr. Pettey also serves as panelist and panel chair for the peer review panels of the state attorney grievance commission. He is former president of the Maryland Land Title Association, and current president and member of the board of directors of his community homeowners association and has previously served as panel chair for the Montgomery County Commission on Common Ownership Communities.

Steven P. Henne

Mr. Steven P. Henne’s practice includes commercial collections, including mechanics’ liens and construction bond claims, mortgage foreclosures and related bankruptcy matters, and real estate settlements. Mr. Henne is a licensed title producer in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia; is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Maryland and is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association.

Mr. Henne completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland, College Park in 1973, and received his Juris Doctor from American University in 1976. He has practiced law full-time with Heise Jorgensen & Stefanelli P.A. since December 1976, and has been a principal of the firm since 1990.

Mr. Henne has lived in Montgomery County, Maryland since 1959. He has served on his condominium’s Board of Directors in Ocean City, Maryland since 1988.

Stephen B. Jackson

Stephen B. Jackson is the managing principal of Heise Jorgensen & Stefanelli P.A. His concentrations are in real estate, banking, and general corporate law. Mr. Jackson is a member of both the Maryland State Bar Association and the Montgomery County Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in the Bar of Maryland, and in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. He is also a licensed title insurance agent in the State of Maryland, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is a fellow in the American College of Mortgage Attorneys.

Mr. Jackson received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Boston College in 1987, and his law degree from Wake Forest University in 1992, where he was a member of the Wake Forest Law Review. Prior to law school he worked for the law firm of Withington, Cross, Park, and Groden, and for investment firms Smith Barney and The Pioneer Group, Inc., each located in Boston, Massachusetts.

Mr. Jackson represents bank and government clients in matters ranging from creditor’s rights to commercial lending transactions, and performs significant work in foreclosure and loan workout negotiations. He has represented numerous regional and national companies in civil litigation, contract and lease negotiation, and employment law.

Mr. Jackson served as a long-standing member of the Audit Committee for Asbury Communities, Inc., a Maryland-based system of retirement communities, and as a director on the Board of Directors for the Asbury Foundation, Inc., providing oversight for foundation funding at continuing care retirement communities in the Mid-Atlantic region and Oklahoma. Mr. Jackson resides in Montgomery County, Maryland and is very active in the community. He served as both President of the Montgomery Village Rotary Club and the Montgomery Village Rotary Club Foundation and as a board member of the Gonzaga College High School Father’s Club. Mr. Jackson has also enjoyed coaching baseball, soccer, and basketball in various Montgomery County leagues.

Jeffrey B. Ruark

Jeffrey B. Ruark’s practice concentrations include estate planning, estate and trust administration, guardianships, real estate law, corporate law, and banking law. Mr. Ruark is admitted to practice law in the State of Maryland and is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association and the Bar Association of Montgomery County. Mr. Ruark is also a licensed title insurance producer in Maryland.

As part of his estate planning practice, Mr. Ruark assists clients with a wide range of needs, from drafting simple Wills, financial and medical Powers of Attorney, to revocable trusts and more complex planning where appropriate.

Mr. Ruark guides clients through the probate process from start to finish and assists Trustees in the performance of their fiduciary duties in estates involving revocable trusts. No matter the size of the estate or the assets involved, Mr. Ruark’s goal is to make a difficult time as painless as possible.

Mr. Ruark routinely serves as court-appointed counsel in guardianship proceedings in several Maryland counties and has volunteered with the Montgomery County Adult Guardianship Special Assistant Project since 2019. In situations where guardianship of a loved one may be needed, Mr. Ruark is able to assist throughout the process, from filing the Petition for Guardianship with the court to assisting with post-appointment filings as necessary. In addition, Mr. Ruark has experience serving in a fiduciary capacity as a guardian, Personal Representative, and agent under financial Powers of Attorney.

Mr. Ruark’s practice also includes a variety of real estate matters, from drafting and recording deeds to transfer real property, to conducting residential and commercial settlements. In addition, Mr. Ruark has experience in business formation, including limited liability companies, and drafting of related agreements. Mr. Ruark also represents several banks and government agencies in foreclosure and bankruptcy matters throughout the State of Maryland.

Mr. Ruark received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2012, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2015. While attending law school, Mr. Ruark spent two years as a law clerk for a respected AV-rated firm in downtown Baltimore. Mr. Ruark also served as a Staff Editor for the Mid-Atlantic Journal on Law and Public Policy. Following law school, Mr. Ruark served as a law clerk for the Honorable Donald E. Beachley in the Circuit Court for Washington County, Maryland, before joining Heise Jorgensen & Stefanelli P.A. in 2016. Mr. Ruark is originally from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where he interned for the Honorable Daniel M. Long in the Circuit Court for Somerset County prior to completion of his undergraduate studies. Mr. Ruark now resides in Frederick County, Maryland with his wife and two children.

Mary Beth Jackson

Mary Beth Jackson is a veteran attorney with Heise Jorgensen & Stefanelli P.A. Her concentrations focus on wills, trusts, estate planning, and estate administration. She is a member of the Montgomery County Bar Association and is admitted to practice law in the State of Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Jackson held a variety of positions, including serving as in-house counsel for both regional and national telecommunications companies and as general counsel for a national non-profit transportation corporation. She began her legal career as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland. As a lifelong resident of Montgomery County, Maryland, Ms. Jackson has been active in the local educational community, including serving on the Board of Directors of a non-profit school.

Ms. Jackson received both her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business and her law degree from Wake Forest University. While at Wake Forest University Law School, she was a member of the Moot Court Board and was the recipient of the Wake Forest University Law School “Best Oralist” award. She is an alumna of the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland.

Ms. Jackson enjoys working closely with her clients and their financial advisors to create customized estate plans that achieve her clients’ goals from both a practical and a sound fiduciary perspective. She understands the importance of maintaining a high level of responsiveness and takes great care to provide exceptional personalized service to all her clients.