Former Porter Wright partner nominated to the federal bench

Porter Wright would like to congratulate former partner J. Phillip Calabrese for his nomination to the U.S. Federal District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. President Donald Trump announced the nomination on Feb. 26, 2020.

Judge Calabrese was a litigation partner in Porter Wright’s Cleveland office from 2014 - 2019 where he also co-chaired the firm’s class action practice. In June 2019, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed him to serve as judge in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

“This is a tremendous honor and we are proud to see one of our alumni assuming this prestigious role,” said Bob Tannous, managing partner of Porter Wright. “He will continue to serve the bench with distinction.”

Calabrese is a graduate of Harvard Law School and former president of the Federal Bar Association’s Northern District of Ohio Chapter. He is also a life member of the Judicial Conference of the Sixth Circuit.

Prior to his private sector work, Calabrese was a law clerk to the Hon. Alice M. Batchelder in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He also worked for three years in the Wisconsin legislature, serving ultimately as the chief of staff to Sen. Lynn Adelman, who now serves on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will first consider the nomination and, once approved, it will then be considered by the full U.S. Senate.