Media
August 19, 2014 / Press Release

Porter Wright attorneys recognized by The Best Lawyers in America©

Porter Wright is proud that 94 attorneys from the firm’s six offices have been included in the 2015 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Porter Wright attorneys consistently are named in this listing, which is Best Lawyers’ legal referral guide. Additionally, nine Ohio Porter Wright lawyers have been named Best Lawyers 2015 Lawyers of the Year. Porter Wright has offices in Ohio in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton; and in Naples, Florida, and Washington, D.C.

The Best Lawyers in America is widely regarded as a top guide to legal excellence. The Best Lawyers in America listing is based on an extensive peer-review survey of more than 50,000 leading attorneys who cast almost 5 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, making inclusion in Best Lawyers a singular honor.

A complete listing of all Porter Wright attorneys recognized by The Best Lawyers in America 2015 follows below.

Porter Wright Ohio Attorneys named Best Lawyers’ 2015 Lawyers of the Year 
Charles C. Warner - Employment Law - Management
Charles Y. Kidwell - Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Christopher C. Russell - Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
H. Grant Stephenson - Financial Services Regulation Law
James D. Curphey - Litigation - Intellectual Property
Joyce D. Edelman - Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Melanie R. Martin-Jones - Trademark Law 
Robert H. Cohen - Immigration Law 
W. Kelly Johnson - Criminal Defense: White-Collar 

Porter Wright Ohio attorneys included in Best Lawyers 2015
Cincinnati Office: 
David T. Croall - Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment
Mark E. Elsener - Insurance Law
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
Ann M. Caresani - Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
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
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
James P. Botti - Banking and Finance Law; Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization 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
Timothy E. Grady - Banking and 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
John B. Rohyans - Real Estate Law
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
Bradd N. Siegel - Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment
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 McManus 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
Paul G. Hallinan - 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, Florida, 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
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