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August 18, 2015 / Press Release

Porter Wright attorneys recognized by Best Lawyers in America

10 attorneys named ‘Lawyers of the Year’

Porter Wright is pleased to announce that 91 attorneys from across the firm’s six offices located in Ohio, Florida and Washington, D.C., have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2016 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Ten Porter Wright attorneys were named to Best Lawyers’ Lawyers of the Year list. The Best Lawyers selection process is rigorous and comprehensive, involving detailed evaluations of attorneys by their peers.

Porter Wright attorneys included on the Best Lawyers list reflect 43 percent of the firm’s attorneys, and includes 22 practice areas.

The firm offers special congratulations to Robert Kiger, Alvin McKenna, Terrance Miller, James Oliphant, T. Stephen Phillips and Jack R. Pigman who have been included on the Best Lawyers list for 30 years or more. Also, congratulations to Heather Forry and Fred Pompeani who appear on the list for the first time.

Complete listing of Porter Wright attorneys recognized by 2016 Best Lawyers in America:

Porter Wright named Best Lawyers’ 2016 Lawyers of the Year:
James Botti - Equipment Finance Law
Mary Beth Clary - Corporate Law
David Croall - Labor Law - Management
Richard Helmreich - Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
James Liles - Litigation - Patent
Curtis Loveland - Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Melanie R. Martin-Jones - Copyright Law
Robert Meyer - Litigation – Land Use & Zoning
Diane Reichwein - Litigation – Labor & Employment
Walter Reynolds - Bankruptcy & Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency & Reorganization Law

Porter Wright Ohio attorneys included in Best Lawyers 2016
Cincinnati Office:
David T. Croall - Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment
W. Kelly Johnson - Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Holly D. Kozlowski - Patent Law
James D. Liles - Litigation - Patent; Patent Law
Marilyn J. Maag - Trusts and Estates
T. Stephen Phillips - Trusts and Estates
John S. Stith - Corporate Law
Carolyn A. Taggart - Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Cleveland Office:
J. Philip Calabrese - Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Michael A. Ellis - Corporate Law
Donald Fisher - Banking and Finance Law
Phillip E. Langer - Banking and Finance Law; Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights /Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Rebecca Kopp Levine - Employment Law - Management
Hugh E. McKay - Commercial Litigation
Fred J. Pompeani - Workers’ Compensation Law - Employers
Leo M. Spellacy, Jr. - Commercial Litigation
Tracey L. Turnbull - Commercial Litigation
William R. Weir - Banking and Finance Law; Real Estate Law

Columbus Office:
John C. Beeler - Corporate Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law
James P. Botti - Banking and Finance Law; Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Commercial Finance Law; Commercial Transactions/UCC Law; Equipment Finance Law; Litigation – Banking and Finance
John E. Brady - Real Estate Law
Robert L. Brubaker - Environmental Law; Litigation - Environmental
Brian Buzby - Construction Law
Robert H. Cohen - Immigration Law
Daniel R. Conway - Communications Law; Energy Law
James D. Curphey - Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Intellectual Property; Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions; Litigation – Patent
Joyce D. Edelman - Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Andrew C. Emerson - Energy Law
Theodore G. Fisher - Commercial Litigation
Heather Forry - Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Timothy E. Grady - Banking and Finance Law; Commercial Finance Law; Equipment Finance Law; Financial Services Regulation Law
Brian D. Hall - Employment Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment; Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers
Polly J. Harris - Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation – Bankruptcy
John C. Hartranft, Sr. - Banking and Finance Law; Financial Services Regulation Law
Jeffrey T. Hayes - Corporate Law
Richard J. Helmreich - Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law; Litigation – ERISA
C. Andrew Ireton, Jr. - Trusts and Estates
Donald W. Jordan - Real Estate Law
Robert C. Kiger - Real Estate Law
Lori-Lou Kimm - Trusts and Estates
James A. King - Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law
Curtis A. Loveland - Corporate Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Melanie R. Martin-Jones - Copyright Law; Patent Law; Trademark Law
Alvin J. McKenna - Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management
J. Jeffrey McNealey - Environmental Law; Land Use and Zoning Law
Richard C. McQuown - Corporate Law
Mark K. Merkle, Jr. - Commercial Litigation
Robert A. Meyer, Jr. - Land Use and Zoning Law; Litigation – Land Use and Zoning; Real Estate Law
Dixon F. Miller - Corporate Law
Terrance M. Miller - Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants; Product Liability Litigation – Defendants; Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
Jennifer T. Mills - Banking and Finance Law; Litigation – Banking and Finance
Scott E. North - Commercial Litigation
James S. Oliphant - Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Jack R. Pigman - Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation – Bankruptcy
Fred G. Pressley, Jr. - Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor & Employment
James H. Prior - Banking and Finance Law; Equipment Finance Law
Diane C. Reichwein - Employment Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment; Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers
Donna M. Ruscitti - Copyright Law; Technology Law
Christopher C. Russell - Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers
Joseph W. Ryan, Jr. - Litigation – Intellectual Property; Litigation – Real Estate; Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Robert J. Schmidt, Jr. - Environmental Law; Litigation – Environmental; Water Law
Christopher R. Schraff - Environmental Law; Litigation – Environmental
Edward M. Segelken - Trusts and Estates
Martin S. Seltzer - Environmental Law
David Shouvlin - Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Intellectual Property; Litigation – Patent
Mark S. Stemm - Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment
John M. Stephen - Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management
H. Grant Stephenson - Banking and Finance Law; Equipment Finance Law; Financial Services Regulation Law
Robert J. Tannous - Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Richard Terapak - Corporate Law
Kathleen M. Trafford - Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
Robert W. Trafford - Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Banking and Finance; Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions; Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy); Litigation – Securities
David A. Tumen - Tax Law
Michael J. Underwood - Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment
Charles C. Warner - Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment
Franck G. Wobst - Employment Law – Management
Thomas A. Young - Commercial Litigation
Jay A. Yurkiw - Commercial Litigation

Dayton Office:
William G. Deas - Litigation – Real Estate; Real Estate Law
Caroline H. Gentry - Commercial Litigation
Thomas A. Holton - Corporate Law
Charles Y. Kidwell - Corporate Law; Health Care Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law; Non-Profit/Charities Law
Jeffrey W. Morris - Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Walter Reynolds - Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Naples Office:
W. Jeffrey Cecil - Real Estate Law
Mary Beth M. Clary - Corporate Law; Securities/Capital Markets Law; Securities Regulation
Jeffrey S. Kannensohn - Banking and Finance Law; Real Estate Law
William H. Myers - Trusts and Estates
Robert J. Stommel - Trusts and Estates

Washington, D.C. Office:
Judd Kessler - International Arbitration - Governmental
Richard P. McHugh - Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law