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Brian G. Dershaw
- E bdershaw@taftlaw.com
- T (513) 357-9359
- F (513) 381-0205
Summary
Brian is the chair of Taft’s Cincinnati Employment and Labor Relations practice group and serves as employment, labor, litigation, and outside general counsel for companies of all sizes. He works closely with employers across the wide spectrum of employment and labor laws, which includes guiding clients through workforce assessment, compliance, and transition issues in mergers and acquisitions; counseling employers on employee discipline and discharge, policies and contracts, leave management, employee and independent contractor classification, wage and hour issues, investigations, and reductions in force; and, advising clients on fair competition, confidential information, trade secret, and data privacy protections relative to the workforce.
Specific to employers with unionized personnel, Brian focuses on labor-management relations, union organizing activities, and arbitration proceedings.
Brian frequently litigates employment law matters involving discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims, restrictive covenants, trade secret misappropriation, and wage and hour disputes.
In serving the higher education industry, Brian assists public and private institutions and their boards of trustees relative to the myriad legal issues related to students, staff, and faculty, institution and program accreditation, and compliance. Brian is a member of the National Association of College & University Attorneys (NACUA).
Brian is listed in Best Lawyers in America for Labor Law – Management and for Litigation – Labor and Employment. He has also been recognized by Ohio Super Lawyers for Employment & Labor Law and was previously honored as an Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Star (2010-2014). He has been awarded an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, its highest possible rating for ethical standards and legal ability. Brian is a member of Leadership Cincinnati, Class 43, a fellow of the Cincinnati Academy of Leadership for Lawyers (CALL), Class X, and a graduate of Leadership Northern Kentucky, Class of 2015.
In addition, Brian is a trustee for the Mariemont School Foundation.
Brian received his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where he was a member of the Moot Court Board, and his B.A., cum laude, from Capital University.
Awards
Honoree, Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers®, Labor Law – Management, Cincinnati (2024)
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Honoree, Best Lawyers in America (2016 – present)
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Honoree, Ohio Super Lawyers, Employment & Labor (2015 – present)
Honoree, Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars (2010 – 2014)
Leading Lawyers Honoree, Cincy Magazine, Labor
(2021 – present)
All Service Areas
All Practices
Education
- University of Cincinnati College of Law (2000)
- Capital University (1997)
Admissions
- Federal - 6th Circuit Court of Appeals
- Federal - Southern District of Ohio
- Federal - Northern District of Ohio
- Federal - Eastern District of Kentucky
- Federal - Western District of Kentucky
- Federal - Southern District of Illinois
- Federal - District of Colorado
- State - Ohio
- State - Kentucky
Speeches and Publications
- Speaker, “Employment Law Update,” 39th Annual Labor-Management Conference: Building Labor-Management Relationships Through Cooperation and Knowledge, Northern Kentucky University (May 2023)
News
Thirty-Seven Taft Attorneys Selected to Ohio Super Lawyers 2025 News
Three Hundred Sixty-Three Taft Attorneys Recognized in Best Lawyers in America® 2025 News
Taft Acts as Counsel to Rhinestahl Corporation in Acquisition of HYRDO Systems KG News
Thirty-Seven Taft Attorneys Named to Ohio Super Lawyers 2024
Past Events
Professional Affiliations
- AV Peer Review Rating (LexisNexis/Martindale-Hubbell)
Awarded
- Law360
Member, Labor Editorial Board (2022)
- Cincinnati Academy of Leadership for Lawyers (CALL)
Fellow, Class X
- Cincinnati Bar Association
Member and Former Chair, Admissions Committee
Former Member, Executive Committee - Leadership Cincinnati
Member, Class 43
- Kentucky Bar Association
Member
- Leadership Northern Kentucky
Member, Class of 2015
- National Association of College & University Attorneys (NACUA)
Member
- Ohio State Bar Association
Member
- Potter Stewart Inn of Court
Former Barrister
- Supreme Court of Ohio Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program
Mentor
Community Involvement
- Mariemont School Foundation
Trustee
- Northern Kentucky University Labor-Management Conference Planning Committee
Member
- OSBA Annual Midwest Labor & Employment Conference
Member, Planning Committee
- UNDIVIDED
Learning Facilitator
- iSpace
Former Trustee and President of the Board of Trustees
- Peaslee Neighborhood Center
Former Trustee and Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees