Best Lawyers^® - Purely Peer Review^™

Dave Thomas is a partner in Taft’s Compliance, Investigations, and White Collar Defense practice. He advises and represents companies, executives, public officials, health care providers, and other professionals who are the subject of state and federal investigations and prosecutions involving the United States Department of Justice and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, as well as county prosecutors throughout the state. He has defended clients in complex matters involving feder...

Jerry has been successfully trying cases since he received his law licence. His career with the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office in 1974 as an Assistant Prosecutor, where he tried over 75 cases in a three-year period. In less than two years, he was lead counsel in a death penalty case and obtained a conviction under Ohio's new death penalty statute. He entered private practice in 1977 after taking courses in gross anatomy and clinical pathology at The Ohio State University School of ...

Eric B. Kjellander is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Construction Law. Eric B., who practices law in Columbus, Ohio, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Eric B. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kwame Christian joined Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP in August 2020, serving as Of Counsel. His practice focuses on representing closely held businesses and their owners in a broad scope of legal needs, including business formation and structuring, finance, transactions (including acquisitions and contract preparation and analysis), employment and general business, and legal counseling. Kwame is also the CEO of the American Negotiation Institute . Under Kwame’s leadership, ANI has co...

Scott Friedman is an OSBA Board Certified Specialist in Family Relations Law. Mr. Friedman is also licensed to practice law in the State of Florida. Mr. Friedman was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and attended The Columbus Academy. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Miami University and his Juris Doctorate from Capital University Law School, where he was honored with the Order of the Curia. Scott served as President Chair of the American Bar Association Family Law Section for 2013-2014 ...

Kevin Stanek brings nearly a decade of experience working in the executive and legislative branches of Ohio state government, including as Gov. John R. Kasich's assistant director of policy for asset management and assistant chief counsel. Kevin’s hands-on government experience supports him in providing practical solutions and comprehensive plans of action for clients. Kevin represents governmental clients on policy matters and other legal issues before the Ohio General Assembly, execut...

A Partner in Hahn Loeser’s Cleveland office since 2007 and current Chair of the Firm’s Labor and Employment Group, Steven E. Seasly has nearly 30 years of labor and employment law experience – exclusively representing and counseling employers across the country on the wide variety of employment and labor law issues. His breadth of experience includes complex employment law litigation, collective and/or class action wage and hour litigation, labor arbitrations, union avoidanc...

Courtney A. Zollars is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Courtney A., who practices law in Columbus, Ohio, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Courtney A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Daniel W. Srsic is highly-knowledgeable in benefits litigation and has appeared in more than 90 court cases involving employee benefit disputes, such as benefit claims, fiduciary duties and disputes regarding collectively bargained benefits. Daniel's benefits practice also extends to pre-dispute representation of plan sponsors and fiduciaries. He brings a litigation perspective to the evaluation of potential changes to collectively bargained retiree health benefits, which has proved to be a v...

Position: Managing Attorney/Principal Born: Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada Admitted to bar,1981, Ohio. (Also a member of the Pennsylvania Bar) Education: The Ohio State University B.S., summa cum laude, 1978 J.D., cum laude, 1981. Best Lawyers in America from 1993 to present. Also named one of Ohio's Super Lawyers Listed in Columbus Monthly (Nov 2003) article Top lawyers The city's best & brightest Recipient, Judge Joseph M. Harter Memorial Award. Bar Memberships: Columbus Bar Association: C...