Taft has elected 12 attorneys to the firm’s partnership:

• Daniel Bryan / Litigation / Cleveland
• Scot Ganow / Privacy & Data Security / Dayton
• Manny Herceg / Litigation / Indianapolis
• Richard Hu / Litigation / Chicago
• Blake Johnson / Business & Finance / Cincinnati
• Caryn Kaufman / Business & Finance, Health and Life Sciences / Columbus
• Melissa Macchia / Employment & Labor Relations / Indianapolis
• Ann O’Connor McCready / Litigation / Indianapolis
• Michael Robertson / Litigation / Columbus
• Rachel Schaller / Employment & Labor Relations / Chicago
• Chris Tazzi / Real Estate / Cleveland
• Patrick Wartan / Food & Beverage / Chicago

Daniel Bryan represents clients in complex business litigation, class-action defense, intellectual property disputes and data-privacy matters, including crisis management and breach response. He has extensive experience across a variety of industries in both Ohio and New York courts, in private arbitrations and in business negotiations outside of the courtroom. Bryan is a former chair of the International Association of Privacy Professional’s KnowledgeNet for Cleveland. He graduated from Dartmouth College, magna cum laude, and received his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law, where he was honored for three years as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.

Scot Ganow is co-chair of the firm’s Privacy and Data Security Practice. As a former chief privacy officer leveraging more than 10 years of management and compliance experience in Fortune 500 companies before becoming a lawyer, Ganow brings a diverse business background to his practice. Ganow has represented clients in a variety of sectors, including consumer reporting, construction, healthcare and manufacturing in matters involving state, federal and international privacy and security laws. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and his J.D. from the University of Dayton, where he also teaches a course on privacy law.

Manny Herceg is an experienced litigator and municipal lawyer who employs a client-focused and practical approach to all legal issues. He routinely represents companies and municipalities in state and federal courts across the country in business and contract disputes, injunctive relief, trade secret and fraud claims, trademark disputes, construction disputes, warranty claims, election contests and director and officer liability issues. He also advises cities, towns and counties on compliance, procurement, economic development and other matters. Herceg earned his J.D. from Indiana University – Robert H. McKinney School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University.

Richard Hu is a regulatory attorney and litigator who helps companies resolve complex gaming law, data privacy and healthcare issues affecting their businesses. In addition to gaming law issues, Hu’s practice also covers data privacy, commercial litigation, labor and employment litigation and compliance, regulatory compliance defense, healthcare regulatory litigation and compliance and medical cannabis licensing and compliance. Hu earned his J.D. from the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Emory University.

Blake Johnson focuses his practice on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, securities and emerging companies. He received his J.D. from Duke University School of Law, where he served as a staff editor and member of the editorial board of the Duke Law Journal, and his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Xavier University.

Caryn Kaufman focuses her practice on company formations, mergers and acquisitions and lending transactions. She also provides legal services for health care and technology matters. Kaufman earned her J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and her bachelor’s degree from Miami University.

Melissa Macchia concentrates her practice in employment law, with a particular emphasis on prevention and defense of employment-based litigation. She has represented governmental and private clients in workplace discrimination litigation, policy formulation and employment-related investigations. Her practice also includes representing universities in employment matters and student affairs, including discrimination, harassment, student misconduct, breach of contract and tenure. Macchia received her J.D. from Valparaiso University School of Law and her bachelor’s degree from Marquette University.

Ann O’Connor McCready counsels clients on litigation matters that span a variety of areas, including business and contract disputes, complex environmental and toxic tort litigation, intellectual property disputes, products liability claims, securities and white-collar criminal litigation. She maintains a diverse caseload, and her experience includes several federal appeals. McCready earned her J.D., cum laude, from Indiana University Maurer School of Law – Bloomington, and her bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from George Washington University. Prior to law school, she worked in strategic communications in Washington, D.C., focusing on crisis and litigation-related media strategies. 

Michael Robertson is experienced in federal and appellate litigation, having represented clients in federal district and circuit courts in Ohio and around the country. His practice encompasses a range of complex commercial and constitutional litigation matters on behalf of clients ranging from Fortune 200 companies to private individuals. Robertson received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia.

Rachel Schaller partners with clients to develop winning strategies, solving employment-related issues while minimizing business disruption and expense. An accomplished litigator, she advises and defends public and private entities concerning a variety of complex employment matters, including class and collective actions, wage and hour violations, discrimination claims and pattern or practice litigation. With deep experience conducting internal investigations, Schaller also serves clients by developing innovative approaches to internal and government investigations and early dispute resolution. Schaller received her J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.

Chris Tazzi focuses his practice on real estate and business and finance matters. As a substantial part of his real estate practice, Tazzi counsels multifamily investment funds and managers, as well as national and regional shopping center developers and retail chain tenants, and is fully versed in the unique and complex issues that arise during the financing, development and operation of retail and mixed-use projects. Tazzi earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame Law School and his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.

Patrick Wartan concentrates his practice in the areas of food and beverage, general corporate, securities matters and commercial real estate. He is the chair of Taft’s Food and Beverage team. Wartan has extensive experience counseling multi-unit restaurant operators, hotel developers and food and beverage consumer brand companies on day-to-day legal needs and on matters relating to financing arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, food and liquor licensing, real estate and general corporate governance in jurisdictions from coast to coast. Wartan earned his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law, his bachelor’s degree from DePaul University and is currently pursuing his MBA at Northwestern University.