CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thompson Hine LLP is pleased to announce several leadership changes effective today.
Robyn Minter Smyers and Sandra L. Brown have been elected to Thompson Hine’s Executive Committee, the firm’s governing body, which sets and manages the implementation of firmwide strategy and oversees the firm’s financial and operational performance. As Smyers rises to the firmwide Executive Committee, she vacates her position of Cleveland Office Partner in Charge.
Kip T. Bollin assumes the Cleveland Office Partner in Charge position.
“Robyn and Sandy bring to the firmwide Executive Committee valuable experience from their respective office leadership positions in the firm,” emphasized Deborah Z. Read, Thompson Hine’s firmwide Managing Partner and Chair of the Executive Committee. “Moreover, their elevation to the committee enhances the committee’s diversity, bringing fresh perspectives to our thinking and enriching our analysis and decision-making,” Read underscored. Women and minorities occupy four of nine seats on Thompson Hine’s Executive Committee.
Read describes Bollin as “a widely respected attorney within our firm and the Cleveland community who has the insight to guide the office’s continued growth and support the firm’s overall innovation strategy.” She notes that “Kip’s experience as the current President of the national Federal Bar Association equips him well to lead the Firm’s Cleveland office.”
Smyers, a partner in the Real Estate and Construction practice groups, focuses on commercial real estate acquisitions and sales, development, financing, leasing and corporate transactions, with a particular emphasis on shopping center deals, urban redevelopment and hospitality projects. She also represents and advises real estate investment trusts, real estate investment funds, public and private real estate development companies, commercial lenders, retailers and other corporations in a broad range of complex transactions, including ground-up development deals and multisite, multistate acquisitions and divestitures.
Brown, a partner in the Washington, D.C. office who leads that office’s women’s initiative and sits on the firm’s Lawyer Personnel Committee, is a member of the Transportation group. She represents bulk commodity shippers and other entities that use transportation services, including Fortune 500 companies, electric utilities, government entities, and ports that buy, sell or move coal, aggregates, chemicals, crude oil and other hazardous materials by rail. She also defends shippers in contract and derailment disputes with railroads.
Bollin is President of the Federal Bar Association, the second largest national bar association in the country. He is a litigation partner who focuses on the defense of product liability and business claims, including putative class actions. In the product liability area, he defends corporations in class actions, personal injury, mass tort, toxic tort, consumer and warranty claims. His business litigation practice includes the defense of class actions, commercial claims, consumer claims, intellectual property claims (as litigation counsel working with patent counsel), and other state and federal causes of action. Bollin is the chair of the U.S. District Court’s Advisory Group, which advises and informs the Northern District of Ohio bench on issues of interest to the Court and the bar.
“I am honored to be named leader of the Cleveland office,” said Bollin. “I look forward to working with the firm’s leadership, both here in Cleveland and across the firm, to enhance the service we provide to our clients – to deliver maximum value, efficiency, transparency and predictability.”
About Thompson Hine LLP. Thompson Hine LLP, a full-service business law firm with approximately 400 lawyers in 7 offices, was ranked number 1 in the category “Most innovative North American law firms: New working models” by The Financial Times. For 5 straight years, Thompson Hine has distinguished itself in all areas of Service Delivery Innovation in the BTI Brand Elite, where it has been recognized as one of the top 4 firms for “Value for the Dollar” and “Commitment to Help” and among the top 5 firms “making changes to improve the client experience.” The firm’s commitment to innovation is embodied in Thompson Hine SmartPaTH® – a smarter way to work – predictable, efficient and aligned with client goals. For more information, please visit ThompsonHine.com and ThompsonHine.com/SmartPaTH.
