28 Lawyers in Eight Practice Areas Recognized

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June 25, 2008 – Chambers USA 2008 edition recognized 28 attorneys at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP as “America’s Leading Business Lawyers.” The prestigious, annual Chambers USA Guide: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, published by Chambers & Partners, also cited excellence in eight practice areas in Taft offices located in Ohio and Indiana.

Leading Attorneys and Prominent Practice Areas

The annual directory gave top marks to the following Taft attorneys:

• Jeffrey S. Schloemer (Ohio), Banking and Finance
• Timothy J. Hurley and W. Timothy Miller (Ohio), Bankruptcy/Restructuring
• David H. Wallace (Ohio), Construction
• Timothy E. Hoberg and Gerald S. Greenberg (Ohio), and James A. Strain, Robert J. Hicks, Donald K. Densborn and Ralph A. Caruso II (Indiana), Corporate/Mergers and Acquisitions
• Michael A. Laing (Ohio), Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation
• John M. Mueller (Ohio), Intellectual Property
•  Mark J. Stepaniak, Doreen Canton, Timothy P. Reilly, Gregory Parker Rogers (Ohio) and Michael C. Terrell (Indiana), Labor and Employment
• Jack Donson and L. Clifford Craig (Ohio), and Linda L. Pence, Edward W. Harris III, Jackie Bennett and Steven C. Shockley (Indiana), Litigation
• Kim K. Burke and Thomas T. Terp (Ohio), Natural Resources and Environment
• Edward D. Diller (Ohio) and Erick Ponader and Alexa L. Woods (Indiana), Real Estate

Chambers USA conducts extensive interviews with clients and other attorneys during the review process. Below are excerpts published by Chambers highlighting Taft’s eight recognized practice areas:

• Environment: According to Chambers USA, the environmental group of this “very significant firm” has developed a specialty practice in toxic tort matters.
• Labor and Employment: Taft’s Labor and Employment team was hailed as a “large and impressive group.” The directory noted the “polished, organized and hard-working” team is recommended by clients for labor negotiations, OSHA issues and mediations.
• Litigation: Chambers USA noted this about the firm’s Litigation area: “This responsive group produces quality work equal to that of larger firms in larger cities but at a much lower cost.” Taft’s Indiana office, formerly Sommer Barnard, “was founded as a litigation shop, so it comes as no surprise that the firm remains a respected presence in the marketplace,” observed Chambers.
• Banking and Finance: Taft’s Banking and Finance group “fields a thoughtful, timely and highly assured team,” focused on representing banks and financial institutions in credit transactions.
• Bankruptcy/Restructuring: The directory recommended the firm’s bankruptcy/restructuring group “for its overall corporate bankruptcy expertise.”
• Corporate/Mergers and Acquisitions: A “pragmatic and technically sound” group, Taft’s Corporate/M&A practice “provides clients with high-quality advice” on venture capital investments, M&A transactions and general corporate matters. The Indiana attorneys practicing corporate/M&A were hailed as “superb attorneys” who remain favorites with clients, due to their “responsiveness, experience and commitment to speedy results.”
• Intellectual Property: Taft’s Intellectual Property practice is recommended by clients for its “quality service at a fair price.”
• Real Estate: Taft’s Real Estate practice area is “known for its focus on retail development work.”

About Chambers

Chambers & Partners, based in London, began as general book publishers in 1969. In 1990, Chambers published the Chambers Directory of the UK’s leading law firms; the company then began specializing in legal publishing. Chambers’ staff of 100 full-time researchers now prepares several renowned directories worldwide, which rank leading lawyers based upon their reputation among peers and clients. The Chambers Guides list the top lawyers in 175 countries, providing independent rankings and editorial commentary. Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business published its first edition in 2003. For more information, visit http://www.chambersandpartners.com/.

About Taft

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP is a full-service law firm with offices in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, and Dayton, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Northern Kentucky; Phoenix, Arizona; and Beijing, China. With more than 320 attorneys, the firm provides a broad range of legal services to businesses and individuals, including litigation, corporate and business law, securities and municipal financing, tax and estate planning, labor and employment law, real estate and environmental, health care, intellectual property and unfair competition and antitrust law.