Dinsmore & Shohl LLP is pleased to announce J. Corey Asay, Charles E. Baverman III, Kelby T. Gray, Thomas J. Hayes, Jason W. Hilliard, Kerry O. Irwin, Katie P. Jacob, Alina Klimkina, Drew A. Linnenbom, Matt Lockhart, Sarah Mikowski McKenna, Anthony Pisano, Natalie H. Rauf and Arie M. Spitz have been elected to partnership effective Jan. 1. Pamela W. Bridgeport has been named partner of counsel.

“Each of these attorneys has demonstrated a passion for the practice of law along with a commitment to client service,” said Managing Partner and Chairman George Vincent. “We are proud to welcome them to the partnership and are confident they will continue to contribute to Dinsmore’s success.”

Partners:

J. Corey Asay – Cincinnati

A member of the firm’s labor and employment department, Asay litigates and counsels clients on issues including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act. He frequently appears before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and has represented clients before the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and the National Labor Relations Board.

Prior to joining Dinsmore, Asay served as a judicial law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Jack Zouhary and U.S. Magistrate Judge James R. Knepp II. He received his J.D., with high distinction, from Ohio Northern University.

Charles E. Baverman III – Cincinnati

Baverman focuses his practice on representing commercial developers, owners, investors, lenders and tenants in a variety of real estate matters, with specific understanding of and experience in ground-up development projects.  He guides clients through all phases of the real estate life cycle and has provided counsel in transactions involving corporate headquarters, office buildings, hotels, senior living and traditional multifamily communities, manufacturing and industrial facilities, breweries, and a variety of other property types.

Baverman has been recognized as an Ohio Rising Star by Super Lawyers. He received his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

Kelby T. Gray – Charleston

Gray has experience guiding companies through employment litigation, particularly involving allegations of age, race, gender, and disability discrimination. He has defended employers against deliberate intent claims and practiced before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the West Virginia Human Rights Commission and the West Virginia Unemployment Compensation Board of Review. He also has experience defending mining companies in Mine Safety and Health Administration matters.

Gray is a past recipient of the firm’s Difference Maker Award in Honor of Alice J. Neeley and has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a West Virginia Rising Star. He received his J.D., with distinction, from Ohio Northern University.

Thomas J. Hayes – Chicago

An experienced litigator, Hayes concentrates his practice on representing commercial entities in construction and real estate actions, financial services litigation, defamation matters, and various complex business disputes.

Outside of the firm, he is a volunteer mentor with the Cook County Juvenile Justice Mentoring Initiative. Hayes received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Michigan State University College of Law.

Jason W. Hilliard – Cincinnati

Hilliard’s practice focuses on employer representation in all matters related to the workplace, including under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, and other state and federal employment statutes and regulations. He also represents employers in collective action litigation involving the Fair Labor Standards Act, and he regularly litigates non-compete matters. Hilliard also represents employers in labor negotiations and arbitrations. He has significant trial and arbitration experience and has tried more than 100 cases to verdict.

Prior to joining the firm, Hilliard served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in the Warren County Prosecutor’s office. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Dayton School of Law.

Kerry O. Irwin – Lexington

A member of Dinsmore’s corporate department, Irwin has a diverse practice that includes mergers and acquisitions, financing, entity formation and other transactional matters across a wide variety of industries, as well as a focus on the mining and natural resources sectors. She works with mining companies and investors on acquisitions and dispositions of mineral reserves, mining projects, permits, and matters pertaining to mine operations. Irwin also has substantial experience with gaming law, including pari-mutuel wagering, sports betting, internet gaming and Esports. A lifelong horsewoman, Irwin also practices in the area of equine law, counseling clients on issues related to both the Thoroughbred and sport horse industries.

She is a past recipient of the firm’s Difference Maker Award in honor of Alice J. Neeley, has been recognized as a Rising Star in the area of Energy and Natural Resources law, was a Jefferson Scholar at the University of Virginia, and received her J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Katie P. Jacob – Cincinnati

An immigration attorney focusing exclusively in federal practice, Jacob represents clients before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Labor, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She works with clients in the information technology, hi-tech/electronics and health care sectors, counseling on labor and residence matters, as well as immigration compliance.

Jacob’s passion for immigration developed after working with refugees, asylum seekers, and victims of international human trafficking at a legal aid clinic in Indianapolis, where she received her J.D. from the Indiana University School of Law.

Alina Klimkina – Louisville

A member of the labor and employment practice group, Klimkina represents clients in litigation, agency investigations, and matters involving Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, among other state and federal statutes. She conducts compliance training for clients and has experience counseling and defending corporate directors and officers.

Prior to joining Dinsmore, Klimkina was a law clerk to Judge Edward B. Atkins, U.S. Magistrate for the Eastern District of Kentucky. She received her J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Drew A. Linnenbom – Columbus

Linnenbom’s public finance practice involves advising traditional governmental issuers, underwriters, banks, nonprofit borrowers, and for-profit companies on municipal finance and traditional securities transactions. He has served as bond counsel, corporate counsel, underwriter counsel, and bank counsel on a variety of governmental and conduit municipal securities transactions.

Before earning his J.D., magna cum laude, from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Linnenbom worked in politics and the banking industry, which contributes to the insight and understanding he provides in his public finance practice today.

Matt Lockhart – Huntington

With a litigation practice focusing on commercial, transportation, and general civil defense, Lockhart’s experience includes railroad litigation, corporate litigation, contract disputes, consumer credit protection claims, and professional liability defense. Lockhart has been recognized as a West Virginia Rising Star by Super Lawyers and is a recipient of the Generation Huntington award for his dedication to the community.

Prior to receiving his J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law, he worked as a sports reporter for the Associated Press, MLB.com, and Charleston Daily Mail, where he was named West Virginia’s best sports columnist in 2006.

Sarah Mikowski McKenna – Louisville

An experienced litigator, McKenna concentrates her practice on tort and insurance defense and commercial litigation, with specific areas of focus including commercial motor vehicle accidents and automobile negligence, premises liability, product liability, and breach of warranty matters. Her trial experience includes a unanimous jury verdict for her client in a Federal Employers Liability Act case, bench trial concerning a commercial lease, and automobile negligence case.  She has also successfully argued for clients before various state and federal courts, including the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Before joining Dinsmore, McKenna served as a federal law clerk for Judge Thomas B. Russell of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. McKenna is the most recent recipient of the firm’s Difference Maker Award in Honor of Alice J. Neeley and has been recognized as a Kentucky Rising Star by Super Lawyers for several years. She received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law.

Anthony Pisano – Pittsburgh

A registered patent attorney, Pisano has experience working with clients to protect their brands, innovations, and ideas. He focuses his practice primarily on patent preparation and prosecution but also has experience with trademarks, intellectual property litigation, and post-grant procedures. Pisano has technical experience in robotics, optics, speech recognition, image processing, control systems, embedded systems, wireless communication technologies, automotive systems, power semiconductors, nano-technology, and material processing. An experienced software programmer, he also has particular experience with several programming languages.

Pisano previously served as in-house counsel for a Fortune 500 corporation, where he gained perspective on both the legal and business considerations of protecting intellectual property interests. He earned his J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law.

Natalie H. Rauf – Cincinnati

Rauf represents a variety developers and financial institutions in transactions involving the acquisition, financing, development, construction, rehabilitation, leasing, and sale of apartments, affordable housing projects, senior housing properties, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, independent living facilities, office buildings, shopping centers, and other income-producing real estate.  

Prior to joining Dinsmore, Rauf was internal counsel for a real estate company that owned and operated a large portfolio of shopping centers and has been recognized twice as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers. Rauf received her J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Arie M. Spitz – Charleston

A litigator with a broad range of courtroom experience, Spitz represents clients in cases involving claims, such as attorney malpractice, insurance coverage and bad faith, breach of fiduciary duty, wrongful termination, and sexual discrimination. His three primary client groups are fellow attorneys, insurance carriers and employers, and he has successfully litigated on their behalf before the West Virginia Supreme Court, as well as the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Spitz earned his J.D., cum laude, from Dickinson School of Law at Pennsylvania State University and has been recognized as a West Virginia Rising Star by Super Lawyers.

Partner of Counsel:

Pamela W. Bridgeport – Columbus

With a family-oriented practice focused on each client’s unique circumstances and goals, Bridgeport provides counsel to help families navigate various stages of life. Her experience includes estate planning, guardianship, special needs planning, estate administration, and trust administration. She also works with individual and corporate trustees, realtors, nursing homes, and other entities to resolve issues related to estate and trust administration.

Bridgeport earned her J.D., cum laude, from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.