COLUMBUS – (May 29, 2012) Ohio State Bar Foundation (OSBF) President Heather G. Sowald is pleased to announce that 52 attorneys from across the state have become Fellows of the Foundation. 

 

Membership in the Foundation is an honor extended to those lawyers and judges who adhere to the highest ideals of the legal profession and are dedicated to serving their communities. Each year the Foundation invites civic minded lawyers to become part of a Fellows Class. Over the course of 13 months, the Fellows volunteer their time to projects that promote the Foundation’s mission of improving the justice system and enhancing public understanding of the law. 

 

Hon. Deborah A. Alspach, of Marion, is a judge with the Marion County Family Court. Judge Alspach serves on the board of the Ohio Association of Juvenile Court Judges, co-chairs the Supreme Court of Ohio Advisory Committee on Children, Families and the Courts, and served on the Commission on Rules of Superintendence from 2007 to 2009. She also serves on the Board of Governors for the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA).

 

Casey W. Baker, of Proctorville, is an associate with the Huntington, West Virginia firm of Huddleston Bolen LLP, where he focuses the majority of his practice in the areas of business and transactional law. Baker serves on the board of directors for Big Brothers of the Tri-State and for the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce.  He is also the founder and chair of the Lawrence County Young Professionals.

 

Gerald L. Baker, of North Canton, founded the Canton-based Law Offices of Gerald L. Baker in 1981, and concentrates his practice in estate planning, wills, trusts and business law. Baker currently serves on the board of trustees for Bowling Green State University’s Alumni Association, and is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.  He received his law degree from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. 

 

Belinda S. Barnes, of Columbus, is a partner in the law firm of Gallagher, Gams, Pryor, Tallan & Littrell, LLP, where she practices in the areas of first- and third-party insurance defense, and commercial and personal lines of insurance. She serves on both the Board of Governors and the Council of Delegates for the Ohio State Bar Association and is a past member of the Board of Governors for the Columbus Bar Association.

 

Jeffrey F. Bender, of Lancaster, is a magistrate for the Hocking County Court of Common Pleas. He has served as treasurer and secretary for the Hocking County Bar Association and is a past vice-president of the Fairfield County Bar Association.  

 

Mark S. Bennett, of Rocky River, is an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. He serves on the boards of both the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and Cleveland Reads, an organization that works to provide the ideal literary experience to youth and families. He also serves on the Cleveland Bar Association’s Education Initiative Committee.

 

Robin A. Bozian, of Marietta, is a managing attorney with Southeastern Ohio Legal Services. She has extensive past experience in law enforcement training on domestic violence, and is active in policy development for local law enforcement agencies and their advocates.  Bozian is also a certified instructor in the Ohio Peace Officer Basic Training Program.

 

Michael C. Brink, of Lakewood, is an attorney with the Cleveland firm of Tucker Ellis LLP. Much of his practice is focused on commercial litigation matters, including business torts, contract disputes, employment claims and other business-related disputes. He serves on the Council of Delegates for the Ohio State Bar Association and is the co-chair of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s High School Internship Committee. He is also a 2011 graduate of the OSBA’s Leadership Academy.

 

Jennifer N. Brown, of Defiance, is a partner in the firm of Arthur, O’Neil, Mertz, Michel & Brown, Co. LPA, where she focuses her practice on the areas of personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, fair debt collection, domestic relations and general civil litigation. She is a 2011 graduate of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Leadership Academy, and serves as a trustee for the Ohio Association for Justice.

 

Mark R. Chilson, of Dayton, is the executive vice-president and general counsel for the CareSource Management Group.  Chilson is involved with the Litigation Counsel of America, the American Health Lawyers Association, and the Defense Research Institute. He is also a member of both the Dayton Bar Association and Ohio State Bar Association.

 

Brooks A. Compton, of Centerville, is a partner in the Kettering firm of Murr, Compton, Claypoole & Macbeth.  His practice is focused on estate planning and probate, civil litigation, personal injury, real estate law, and family law. He is a member of the arbitration panel for Montgomery County Common Pleas Court and a member of the Dayton Bar Association’s Ethics Committee.

 

Daniel A. Cox, of Cincinnati, is the director of legal operations for the firm of Gerner and Kearns Co. LPA, with offices in Cincinnati and Newport, Kentucky.  He has been licensed in Ohio since 2003 and is also licensed in Kentucky. His practices include commercial and residential foreclosure, creditor’s rights litigation and consumer collections. Cox is an active foster parent for Hamilton County and Beech Acres.  He is a member of the Cincinnati Bar Association and a 2011 graduate of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Leadership Academy.

 

Hilary R. Damaser, of Reynoldsburg, is a principal assistant attorney general with the Executive Agencies Section of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. She serves on the OSBA’s Council of Delegates and is the chair of the OSBA’s Administrative Law Committee. In her spare time, Damaser volunteers as a judge for various regional intercollegiate moot court and negotiation competitions.  

 

Thomas E. DeBrosse, of Dayton, is a partner in Thompson Hine LLP, where he focuses his practice on real estate transactions, new business ventures, partnerships, limited liability companies and general legal advice for closely held businesses. He is the past president of the Dayton Association for Tax Professionals and a member of the OSBA, the Dayton Bar Association and the American Bar Association. 

 

J. Quinn Dorgan, of Columbus, is an attorney with Weston Hurd LLP, where his practice focuses on appellate work, church law, commercial litigation, employment law, government liability and general defense.  He is a trustee for the Capital Area Humane Society and is a member of the OSBA, the Columbus Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association.

 

Bruce B. Elfvin, of Cleveland Heights, is a partner in the Cleveland firm of Elfvin & Besser. As the current Sixth Circuit representative on the National Employment Lawyers Association’s Amicus Committee, he has authored and reviewed briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court. He has been a member of the planning committee for the OSBA’s Midwest Labor Law Conference for the past six years.

 

Michael K. Fultz, of Westerville, is an attorney with Metz, Bailey & McLoughlin, where his practice focuses on estate planning, probate, business and municipal work. Fultz serves on the board of the Westerville Public Library Foundation and is a member of the Drafting Committee for the Ohio Homeland Security Strategic Plan. 

 

Gregory C. Gibson, of Centerville, is a partner in the Dayton firm of Gibson & O’Keefe Co., LPA. He has been a frequent speaker throughout the country, and he is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is a graduate of the University of Dayton School of Law (magna cum laude) and Princeton Theological Seminary.   

 

Jason W. Given, of Coshocton, is a partner in the firm of Leech, Scherbel, Peddicord & Given Ltd. Given maintains a general practice of law that involves all aspects of family law, business law, personal injury law, general civil litigation, estate planning, probate matters and real estate. He is the past president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Coshocton and is a member of the Coshocton County Bar Association and Ohio State Bar Association.

 

Kerry R. Green, of Columbus, is a partner in the firm Hahn Loeser & Parks, LLP.  She is the president of Women Lawyers of Franklin County and is a member of the Columbus Bar Association, the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

 

Sandra H. Grosko, of Gahanna, is the reporter of decisions for the Supreme Court of Ohio. She currently serves in the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program. Grosko is a member of the both the OSBA and the American Bar Association. 

 

Thomas L. Guillozet, of Versailles, is a partner in the firm Hanes, Schipfer, Cooper, Graber & Guillozet, Ltd.  He is the past president of the Darke County Bar Association and the current president of the Versailles Foundation.  Guillozet is also a member of the OSBA’s Board of Governors and a member of the Edison State Community College Paralegal Advisory Committee.

 

Monique A. Hall, of Gahanna, is an attorney with the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. She is a member of the Columbus Bar Association and the OSBA, and is a 2011 graduate of the OSBA’s Leadership Academy. 

 

Hon. Robert C. Hickson, of Mount Gilead, is a judge for the Morrow County Court of Common Pleas. He is a past president of the Central Ohio Mental Health Center and has served as chair of the Ethics Committee for the Morrow County Hospital. In his spare time, Judge Hickson volunteers for Relay for Life.

 

Matthew O. Hutchinson, of Sylvania, is an attorney with the Toledo firm of Shindler, Neff, Holmes, Worline & Mohler, LLP.  He is a graduate of the Ohio State Bar Association’s (OSBA) 2010 Leadership Academy and is a member of the Toledo Bar Association. Hutchinson currently serves as the co-chair of Legal Aid of Western Ohio’s Access to Justice Awards Steering Committee.

Taylor Jones Jr., of Dayton, is a partner in the Dayton of firm Leppla Associates, Ltd. Jones is the chairman and founder of the Earlham College National African American Advisory Committee. He currently serves on the OSBA’s Professional Conduct and Legal Ethics Committee, and is a former trustee for the Paul Lawrence Dunbar Historical Association.

 

Diane Karpinski, of Cleveland, is a retired judge who served on the 8th District Court of Appeals. She is a board member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation and is a member of the Ohio Appellate Judges Executive Board. Judge Karpinski also donates her time to the Cleveland Cultural Garden Foundation and the Women’s City Club.

 

J. Ellen Keller, of Batavia, is a partner in the firm Keller, Barrett, and Higgins, LLC.  Keller is the immediate past-president of the Greater Cincinnati Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. She is the chair of the OSBA’s Young Lawyers Section, and also serves on its Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Section and its Solo, Small Firms and General Practice Section Council.

 

Shelly Musshel-Kennedy, of Maumee, is an attorney with the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas. She serves on the Ohio State Bar Association’s (OSBA) Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee. She is also a 2011 graduate of the OSBA’s Leadership Academy and is a past president of the Toledo Women’s Bar Association. 

 

Andrew P. Lycans, of Sterling, is an attorney with the Wooster firm of Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston, Ltd., where he focuses much of his practice on the areas of commercial litigation and intellectual property law. He currently serves on the Ohio State Bar Association’s Council of Delegates and is a 2011 graduate of the OSBA’s Leadership Academy. In his spare time, Lycans serves as a trustee for the United Way of Wayne and Holmes County. 

 

Sandra L. Lynskey, of Westerville, is the chief of the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Office. Lynskey is a member of the OSBA’s Jury Instruction Committee and has served on the boards of the Ohio Women’s Bar Association and the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education. In her spare time, Lynskey provides pro bono services to the Legal Aid Society of Columbus. 

 

Franklin C. Malemud, of Cleveland, is an attorney with the Cleveland firm of Reminger Co., LPA, where he focuses the majority of his practice on litigation involving wills, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, powers of attorney and living wills. He is a frequent presenter on the basics of estate administration for the OSBA, and also serves on the Steering Committee for the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Charitable Law Seminar.

 

Denise R.  Mathews, of Bexley, is an attorney magistrate with the Franklin County Municipal Court.  Mathews serves on the OSBA’s Committee on Diversity Initiatives, and chairs the Columbus Bar Association’s Municipal Court Committee. She is also a trustee for the Bexley Public Library. 

 

Gretchen Koehler Mote, of Columbus, is an attorney for the Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Company.  She is a past president of both the Ohio Association for Civil Trial Attorneys and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Mote is heavily involved with lawyer mentoring programs for the Supreme Court of Ohio, Capital University Law School and the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

 

Jon W. Oebker, of Brecksville, is an attorney with the Cleveland firm of Tucker Ellis LLP, where he practices primarily in the areas of pharmaceutical product liability and white-collar criminal defense. He is co-chair of both the Muskingum County Continuum of Care and the Perry County Housing Coalition. Oebker also serves as a board member for Community Land Trust of Greater Cleveland.

 

Alvarene N. Owens, of Dayton, is the founding attorney of Alvarene N. Owens Co., LPA, where her practice focuses on personal injury and wrongful death claims. She serves on the board of the Miami Valley Trial Lawyers and is a past president of the Thurgood Marshall Law Society. 

 

Anthony R. Petruzzi, of Fairview Park, is a partner of the Cleveland firm of McLaughlin & McCaffrey LLP, where he focuses on complex civil litigation and white-collar criminal defense. He is the former chair of the Criminal Law Section for the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and is a current member of the Judge John M. Manos Inn of Court.

 

Julie L. Pietrzen, of Lakewood, is an attorney with the Cleveland firm of Frantz Ward LLP. Pietrzen’s practice areas include labor and employment law, general civil litigation and workers’ compensation defense. She is a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation and the Ohio State Bar Association. In her spare time, Pietrzen volunteers for the Legal Aid Society.

 

Jocelyn N. Prewitt-Stanley, of Mt. Vernon, is an attorney with the Columbus office of Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease LLP. Prewitt-Stanley serves on the OSBA’s Advisory Council on Diversity Initiatives and is a 2011 graduate of the OSBA’s Leadership Academy. She is also a member of the American Bar Association.

 

Colleen P. Rosshirt, of Cincinnati, is an attorney with the Franklin County Municipal Court in Columbus.  Rosshirt serves as a capacity building coordinator for the Cincinnati Academy of Collaborative Professionals, and volunteers as a mediator for the Hamilton County Private Complaint Mediation Services.

 

Maura E. Scanlon, of Akron, is an attorney with The Scanlon Group Co., LPA, where she devotes much of her practice to the areas of insurance disputes, medical negligence, nursing home negligence and wrongful death. Scanlon serves on the Ohio State Bar Association’s Council of Delegates as well as its Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee. 

 

Louis J. Schiavone, of Celina, is a partner in the Celina firm of Purdy, Lammers and Schiavone. He is a member and past president of the Mercer County Bar Association, and serves on the boards of both the Mercer County Community Corrections and the Cheryl Ann School Human Rights Committee.

 

Jon M. Sebaly, of Kettering, is a shareholder in the Dayton firm of Sebaly Shillito + Dyer, where he focuses his practice on business litigation and business counseling. He is a member of both the OSBA and the Dayton Bar Association, and is the former chair of the Board of Trustees for the Dayton Opera Association.

 

Leah J. Sellers, of Marysville, is the founding attorney in the Marysville firm of Sellers Law LLC. She is a former member of the Marysville City Council, as well as the Columbus Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association and the Ohio Women’s Bar Associations. Sellers received her B.A. from Ohio University and her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

 

Patrick W. Skilliter, of Newark, is an attorney with Southeastern Ohio Legal Services in Zanesville.  He is a 2010 graduate of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Leadership Academy and currently serves on the OSBA’s Access to Justice Committee. In addition, Skilliter co-chairs both the Perry County Housing Coalition and Muskingum County Continuum of Care.   

 

Sarah K. Skow, of Toledo, is an attorney with Cooper and Kowalski, LPA, where she devotes much of her practice to the areas of tort litigation, civil rights, criminal defense and business litigation. Skow is a trustee for the Toledo Women’s Bar Association and a 2010 graduate of the OSBA’s Leadership Academy. 

 

Stephen L. Smith, of New Bremen, is the founding attorney of Stephen L. Smith Co., LPA. He is a past president of both the Auglaize County Bar Association and the New Bremen/New Knoxville Rotary Club. Smith is also a member of the OSBA and has served on many of its committees.

 

Jennifer L. Strazzella, of Bay Village, is of counsel with Porter Wright, where her practice focuses on the development and documentation of complex single and multiple bank commercial loan transactions. She is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers, the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, and also chairs the OSBA’s Banking, Commercial and Bankruptcy Law Committee.

 

Jason A. Wuliger, of Kirtland, recently served as magistrate and deputy chief of staff for Lake County Juvenile Court Judge Karen Lawson. He is currently running for the position of Lake County recorder. Wuliger serves as a trustee for the Lake County Bar Association, is the vice president of the Lake County Fine Arts Association, and volunteers for the United Way.

 

Barbara F. Yaksic, of Concord, is an attorney with the Beachwood firm of McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC, where she devotes much of her practice to civil litigation with an emphasis in the areas of consumer finance, commercial law and complex business litigation. Yaksic is a former member of the Board of Governors for the Ohio State Bar Association and currently serves on the OSBA’s Council of Delegates.

 

Heather A. Yarbrough, of Hilliard, is an attorney with Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. In her spare time, she works as a volunteer with the OSBA’s Corporate Pro Bono Program and serves on the Membership Services Committee for the Central Ohio Corporate Counsel Association.

 

Jay A. Yurkiw, of Columbus, is an attorney with the Columbus office of Porter Wright, where he focuses the majority of his practice on commercial and intellectual property litigation. Yurkiw serves on the board of directors for the Columbus chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and is a member of both the Admissions Committee and the Federal Courts Committee for the Columbus Bar Association.