Anne Arundel Circuit Judge Glenn Louis Klavans, who spent the last eight years of his law career on the bench of the county’s highest court, died Saturday of pancreatic cancer. He was 71 and lived in Anne Arundel County.
Born in Baltimore in 1953, Mr. Klavans graduated from Pikesville High School in Baltimore County before attending Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, where he earned a dual degree in political science and theater arts. In 1978, the same year he graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law, he became a Baltimore City prosecutor, specializing in narcotics investigations, domestic violence incidents and sex offense trials.
It was also in that role that he met his wife, Sandy Kemick, another prosecutor who briefly shared an office and went on to form an “impressive team” with him, their son Jeremy said. They were married in 1986.
Two years later, with his family growing, Mr. Klavins stepped away from his job in Baltimore, moved to Anne Arundel County and entered private practice. His first position was with the Polovoy & McCoy law firm, where he was assigned to civil litigation and criminal defense. Then, in 1993, he partnered with Tim Murphy, his former colleague in the state’s attorney’s office, to form Murphy & Klavans, where he worked as managing attorney for six years before opening his own, solo office in 1999.
“My father always made us feel like he put family first,” Jeremy Klavans said. “He answered every phone call, was at every soccer game and dance recital. He had boundless energy.”
That energy lent itself to an assortment of passions, from a contagious love of theater — his daughter Julia Klavans is now a musical actress in Washington, D.C. — to a lifelong fascination with the outdoors.
As a boy, he went to the Timber Ridge sleep away camp in West Virginia. Once he was too old to be a camper, he became a counselor, working summers to support himself through law school, and then, eventually, its director and legal counsel. One of his favorite roles at the camp, however, was as a songwriter, composing original tunes.
Mr. Klavans regularly shared his passions with others. As a trustee of the Anne Arundel County Bar Association, he took annual trips with his colleagues to see Broadway shows in New York City, competing in theater trivia along the way. An Eagle Scout himself, for Jeremy, he was an assistant scoutmaster and for Julia, he was an enthusiastic chauffeur, taking her to art school in Baltimore before going to work.
“He was a jack of all trades,” Julia Klavans said.
Mr. Klavans was also generous with his experience and knowledge of the law. He participated as a judge in mock trials at area high schools and spoke regularly to students through the county bar association. In 2012, Mr. Klavans was given an award by the association for his efforts and leadership in providing legal education to the public.
“The attorneys and citizens of Anne Arundel County have greatly benefited from Judge Klavans’ integrity, keen intellect, and generous spirit,” said Marla Zide, president of the Anne Arundel Bar Association. “He continuously sacrificed his time and efforts to strengthen our community, making our county a better place to live and work.”
In 2014, Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, appointed him to the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, a role in which he experienced “so much joy,” his family said.
“His courthouse family, he had so much respect for,” Jeremy Klavans said. “He loved working with people and just being a part of that big team.”
By the time he got to the circuit court, Mr. Klavans was a familiar face to some.
Anne Arundel Assistant State’s Attorney Nancy Jeffein-Olin was one of the campers under Mr. Klavans’ care in West Virginia. Decades later, when she would argue cases in his courtroom, she was struck by his calm, respectful temperament.
“And that’s why he got along so well with kids too,” she said, “because, you know, lawyers are like children.”
Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess also knew Mr. Klavans for many years. When she was a law clerk, she worked down the hall from him at the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office.
Ms. Leitess said the best judges don’t make cases about themselves. They listen actively to the facts and treat both the procedure and the defendant with respect.
Mr. Klavans, who retired last year, had those qualities, she said.
“He was a kind, decent, good person and he cared about other people,” Ms. Leitess said.
Julia Klavans said while her father was a judge, he was not a judgmental person.
“He was a very accepting father, very patient, very calm and reliable,” she said. “He just wanted to make our lives as interesting and as easy as possible.”
A black banner honoring the late judge swung gently over the entrance of the historic Annapolis courthouse Tuesday as members of Mr. Klavans’ family and the larger law community gathered for a funeral service at Temple Beth Shalom in Arnold.
In addition to his wife and two children, Mr. Klavans is survived by his mother Lorraine Baumel; brothers Gary and Ross Klavans; and a granddaughter. He was preceded in death by his father Lee Klavans.