June 17, 2014 / Press Release

Calabrese joins Porter Wright’s Cleveland office

Porter Wright is pleased to welcome J. Philip Calabrese as a partner in the firm’s Litigation Department. Calabrese joins Porter Wright’s Cleveland office, which recently moved to Cleveland’s Flats East Bank district.

“We are very pleased to add Phil to our team in Cleveland. He’s a highly experienced and talented litigator who is a wonderful addition to our litigation practice locally and nationally,” said Hugh McKay, Partner in Charge of the firm’s Cleveland office.

Calabrese was previously a partner in the litigation practice of Squire Patton Boggs (formerly Squire Sanders). With nearly 20 years of legal experience, Calabrese focuses his practice on complex litigation, including product liability, class action defense, defense of securities fraud and antitrust cases, contract disputes and trade secret disputes. His practice includes serving as trial counsel in complex multidistrict or multi-jurisdiction litigation. He has also arbitrated disputes under the rules of the American Arbitration Association, the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution and the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, France. Calabrese also maintains an active pro bono practice, most recently representing a wrongfully convicted inmate serving a life sentence for murder.

Calabrese has been a member and Chair of the Sixth Circuit Advisory Committee on Rules, and is a Life Member of the Judicial Conference of the Sixth Circuit. He is a Fellow of the Ohio State Bar Foundation, serves on the Board of the Northern District of Ohio Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and is a member of the American, Ohio State and Cleveland Metropolitan bar associations, the Justinian Forum and the John Manos Inns of Court. After graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the College of the Holy Cross and a year as a Fulbright Scholar in Athens, Greece, Calabrese attended Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude and serving as Articles Editor of the Harvard Journal on Legislation. After law school, Calabrese clerked for Judge Alice Batchelder, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He worked for three years in the Wisconsin Legislature, ultimately as Chief of Staff for Senator Lynn Adelman, who now serves on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

Calabrese is active in civic and community organizations in the Cleveland area, and has served on the boards of Birchwood School, the Trust for Public Land, and in various committees in Shaker Heights. He serves on the Board of Governors of The Club at Key Center and the Program Committee of the City Club of Cleveland.