Taft is pleased to announce that the following 18 attorneys have been elected to the firm’s partnership:

• Medora M. Akers / Litigation / Cincinnati
• David J. Bartoletti / Tax / Mergers and Acquisitions / Indianapolis
• Devin P. Claerbout / Intellectual Property / Indianapolis
• Andrew S. Dosdall / Litigation / Minneapolis
• William A. Doyle / Litigation / Cleveland
• Christopher Engel / Real Estate / Indianapolis
• Christopher S. Houston / Real Estate / Cincinnati / Dayton
• Benjamin Kajer / Finance / Minneapolis
• Anne Kremer / Mergers and Acquisitions / Chicago
• Brieanna H. Maershbecker / Real Estate / Minneapolis
• John C. McDonnell / Real Estate / Chicago
• Maggie A. Muething / Corporate Governance / Mergers and Acquisitions / Cincinnati
• Megan M. Okun / Private Client / Tax / Cincinnati / Chicago
• Lourdes E. Perrino / Tax  / Mergers and Acquisitions / Cincinnati
• Eugene Roytberg / Finance / Corporate Governance / Cleveland
• Aaron P. Snellenbarger / Private Client / Indianapolis
• Craig E. Sweeney / Energy / Real Estate / Dayton
• Matthew Wolf / Real Estate / Minneapolis

Medora (Dorie) Akers is an experienced advocate, trusted to resolve her clients’ most critical and complicated problems. She has litigated in state and federal courts across a wide range of practice areas, with a focus on complex commercial disputes. Akers earned her J.D. from Duke University School of Law and her B.A., summa cum laude, from Duke University.

David Bartoletti advises companies and investors on both tax and legal matters arising during key events in the corporate life cycle, including business and fund formation, joint ventures, capital raising transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. He received his law degree, cum laude, from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and a LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law. He earned his undergraduate degree double-majoring in finance and accounting, cum laude, from the University of Miami.

Devin Claerbout focuses his practice on patent preparation and patent prosecution. He has experience preparing patent applications related to the architecture of and electro-hydraulic control systems for continuously variable transmissions and gas turbine engines, handheld power tools, and orthopedic surgical instruments. He earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and his J.D. from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law.

Andrew Dosdall practices primarily in the areas of business, employment, intellectual property and real estate litigation and has experience through all phases, including trial. He also has experience in environmental law where he utilizes his experience prior to law school. He received his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law and his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota.

William Doyle is a trusted counselor to a diverse group of public and private companies. He advises and defends clients across a wide array of industries including real estate, manufacturing, steel, computer software, medical device, education, banking and financial services. His representative experience includes litigation for private equity portfolio companies, commercial contract disputes, non-compete enforcement and defense, trade secret litigation, real estate transaction disputes, trademark litigation in courts and in the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and patent litigation. Doyle received his J.D. from the Cleveland Marshall College of Law, summa cum laude, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.

Christopher Engel represents and advises developers, landlords, tenants, banks, municipalities, health care providers, and a variety of private sector businesses in the acquisition, disposition, financing, zoning, operation, and management of commercial real estate. He earned his law degree from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and his undergraduate degrees in finance and political science from Indiana University.

Christopher (Kit) Houston focuses his practice on negotiating and drafting construction contracts. Additionally, he has experience in lean construction and integrated project delivery, a process designed to eliminate waste in the construction process, inherently adding value to construction projects. He received his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, summa cum laude, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, cum laude.

Benjamin Kajer represents all types of lenders and borrowers in complex financing facilities and structured lending transactions. He concentrates a significant amount of his practice on the representation of banks and other financial institutions in connection with senior and subordinate credit facilities, construction loans, and other asset-based loans. Kajer received his J.D. from the University of St. Thomas School of Law, magna cum laude, and his undergraduate degree from Boston College, magna cum laude.

Anne Kremer focuses her practice on general corporate, transactional, and regulatory matters. She represents business clients in a broad range of areas including entity formation, corporate governance and contract preparation, and mergers and acquisitions. She specializes in gaming regulatory law, including licensing, compliance, and general corporate matters in multiple jurisdictions. Kremer received her J.D. with a specialization in tax law from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She received her B.A. in accounting from Michigan State University, graduating with honors.

Brieanna (Brie) Maershbecker focuses her practice primarily in the areas of commercial real estate, including acquisitions and dispositions, development and redevelopment, leasing, and finance. She has experience representing corporate and individual clients in a wide variety of real estate transactions. Maershbecker earned her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law, summa cum laude. She received her undergraduate degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead, summa cum laude.

John McDonnell concentrates his practice on transactional real estate matters. He represents owners, private and institutional investors, developers, lenders, and commercial tenants in the acquisition, disposition, financing, development, and leasing of commercial and multi-family real estate throughout the United States. He received his J.D. from the Northwestern University School of Law. He also earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Northwestern University.

Maggie Muething advises private companies on a wide range of matters, including equity and debt financings, securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, and business formation and organization. She also counsels institutional investors on acquisitions, dispositions, fund formation and organization, strategic transactions, and private placements. She earned her J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. She also received her undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University.

Megan Okun focuses her practice on counseling nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations and on estate planning for high net-worth families. To assist her clients, she offers counsel on tax issues, as well as business succession planning and estate administration. Okun received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and an M.A. from The Ohio State University. She earned her undergraduate degree from Clemson University, magna cum laude.

Lourdes Perrino focuses her practice on analyzing the tax consequences of business transactions including entity formation, corporate mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, joint ventures, and partnership transactions. She also advises clients regarding tax and non-tax business structuring issues arising in the course of operations and in connection with transactions. Perrino received her LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law and earned her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati. She also received her B.S. in environmental science from the University of Cincinnati.

Eugene Roytberg primarily focuses on commercial finance, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital transactions. He counsels clients on legal matters affecting their businesses, including commercial agreements and legal entity governance issues. Eugene regularly represents private equity portfolio companies and other privately held companies in the structuring, negotiation, and documentation of various transactions. He received his J.D., cum laude, from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, and graduated with a B.S. in accounting, summa cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University.

Aaron Snellenbarger assists clients with domestic and international estate planning, business succession, charitable planning, and gifting as well as domestic and international tax matters. He is recognized as one of the “Ones to Watch” by Best Lawyers in America® for trusts and estates. Snellenbarger earned his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law, cum laude, and a LL.M. in taxation, with distinction, from Georgetown University Law Center. He earned his undergraduate degree, with high honors, from the University of St. Francis.

Craig Sweeney focuses his practice on all areas of energy law. From his previous experience running a leading law office in Marietta, Ohio and the rapid increase in oil and natural gas development, Sweeney has predominantly dealt with real estate development and contract issues in the energy context. His unique real estate experience ranges from the transactional side (drafting of necessary documents/title due diligence/mergers and acquisitions) to first-chair litigation (title and land use disputes/trespass/lease termination). Sweeney received his undergraduate degree from DePauw University and his J.D. from Ohio Northern University, Pettit College of Law.

Matthew Wolf assists clients principally in the areas of real estate development, purchase and sale transactions, leasing, real estate finance and investment structuring, zoning and land use, and wind and solar farm acquisition and development. He is experienced in a variety of real property transactions, including industrial, office, retail, and multi-family assets. Wolf earned his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, magna cum laude. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota.

In 2021, Taft remained committed to furthering its goals as a modern law firm, including upholding a steadfast commitment to clients, attorneys, and staff through its One Taft mentality, its celebration of diversity and inclusion, and advancing its position as the employer of choice across the Midwest and Washington, DC.