CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thompson Hine LLP has elected 11 new partners, effective January 1, 2021. The new partners, located across five of the firm’s offices, represent a broad range of practice areas, including Business Litigation, Business Restructuring, Creditors’ Rights & Bankruptcy, Construction, Corporate Transactions & Securities, Personal & Succession Planning, Real Estate and Tax.
“These future leaders of our firm exhibit outstanding skill in their practice areas and embrace the innovative ideas that drive our commitment to providing enhanced value to clients. Each of them is dedicated to helping clients achieve their business goals by delivering exceptional legal services while affording clients greater efficiency, predictability, and transparency. We are proud to welcome these attorneys to our partnership,” said Deborah Z. Read, Thompson Hine’s managing partner.
The new partners are:
John C. Allerding, a member of the Business Restructuring, Creditors’ Rights & Bankruptcy practice group in the Atlanta and Cleveland offices. He represents clients across a wide range of industries on a variety of matters, including commercial and creditors’ rights, bankruptcy, distressed and special asset workouts, drafting and negotiation of asset purchase agreements, preference action litigation, fraudulent transfer litigation, Uniform Commercial Code disputes, assignments for the benefit of creditors, commercial litigation, contract analysis and negotiation, corporate director and officer liability litigation, financial institution and mortgage servicer defense under various federal and state consumer protection statutes, and trust reformation and litigation. Allerding was selected to the Ohio Super Lawyers® Rising Stars list in 2014 and from 2016 to 2021. He received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Baldwin-Wallace College.
Kris Brandenburg, a member of the Real Estate practice group in Cincinnati. He focuses his practice on serving local and national commercial real estate developers, owners and operators. His practice involves urban redevelopment, multifamily, mixed-use, hospitality, office and retail projects. Brandenburg was selected to the Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2015 to 2020. He received his J.D. from the Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law and his B.A. from the University of Cincinnati.
Jennifer N. Elleman, a member of the Corporate Transactions & Securities practice group in Dayton. She focuses her practice on drafting and negotiating commercial contracts in a wide range of industries, with a particular focus on technology license and sale agreements. Elleman represents technology providers and companies licensing information technology solutions in matters involving software licensing (both on-premise and SaaS), database and content licensing agreements, managed technology service agreements and technology outsourcing agreements. She also co-leads the firm’s Contract Solutions group, which provides a process-driven approach to contracting designed to help clients develop cost-effective alternatives for managing their contracts. Elleman received her J.D., with honors, from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Miami University.
Craig A. Foster, a member of the Corporate Transactions & Securities practice group in Columbus. He primarily assists the firm’s Investment Management and Privacy & Cybersecurity practices. He helps registered investment advisers with all aspects of their operations, including formation, registration, licensing, disclosure, privacy, client contracts, employee agreements, compliance programs, responding to regulatory exams, and website and advertising review. He also advises investment company clients and has substantial experience in organizing and launching funds, drafting prospectuses and service provider agreements, advising fund boards, seeking exemptive relief, responding to inquiries from regulators and coordinating with fund service providers. In addition, Foster, who has earned the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US) credential, counsels clients on compliance with state, federal and international laws governing information privacy and security. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.A., with distinction, from the University of Virginia.
Sean Ganley, a member of the Corporate Transactions & Securities practice group in Cleveland. He focuses his practice on representing entrepreneurs, emerging companies, early-stage investors and venture capital firms. He advises company-side clients from formation through funding to exit and has experience in complex, venture-style corporate finance matters, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate organization and governance matters. Ganley received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and his M.B.A. and B.A., cum laude, from John Carroll University.
Jesse L. Jenike-Godshalk, a member of the Business Litigation practice group in Cincinnati. He represents clients in state and federal court, focusing his practice on complex commercial litigation, particularly intellectual property disputes involving patents, trademarks or copyrights, as well as class action defense. He was selected to the Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2019 to 2021. Jenike-Godshalk received his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, his M.A. from the University of Chicago and his B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Cincinnati.
Mendy Piekarski, a member of the Business Litigation practice group in New York. His experience includes federal and state court litigation and arbitration in areas of law including complex breach of contract, shareholder and securities litigation, class action defense, business torts, fraud, internal investigations, and SEC and FINRA investigations. He represents asset-based lenders and merchant cash advance companies, real estate developers, financial institutions, broker-dealers and tech companies. Piekarski received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law and his B.S. from Binghamton University.
Kevin R. Tabor, a member of the Tax practice group in Cleveland. He focuses his practice on federal income tax law and Ohio tax law and advises on both transactional and tax controversy matters. As part of his transactional practice, Tabor advises clients on all aspects of corporate and partnership taxation, with particular experience in cross-border tax matters. His tax controversy practice includes representing clients before the IRS and Ohio Department of Taxation in audits, administrative appeals, litigation and criminal tax investigations. He also advises clients on renewable energy transactions, including matters related to the Section 48 energy investment tax credit, equipment leasing and the economic substance doctrine. Tabor is a certified public accountant in Ohio and was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© – 2021. He received his J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and his M.Acc. and B.S.B.A., magna cum laude, from The Ohio State University.
Bill Thrush, a member of the Construction practice group in Cleveland. His litigation experience includes representing clients at trial and in arbitrations, mediations and appeals involving a wide range of complex multimillion-dollar construction and real estate matters. His transactional practice includes preparing and negotiating construction contracts, design agreements, leases and other contract documents for construction and real estate clients. Thrush is a Professional Engineer (licensed in Oregon) and was a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design + Construction. He was listed in The Legal 500 as a “Rising Star” and “Recommended Attorney” for Construction in 2019 and 2020. Thrush received his J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School and his B.S. from the University of Dayton.
Ashley A. Weyenberg, a member of the Personal & Succession Planning practice group in Dayton. She focuses her practice on high net worth, business-connected individuals and families across the United States and abroad. She advises on sophisticated domestic and international estate and trust planning, administration and compliance; succession and governance of closely held companies; structuring and operation of family offices and private trust companies; charitable planning; and matters involving the IRS, including obtaining advance private rulings and handling audit disputes. Weyenberg also volunteers with and supports organizations dedicated to social, racial and economic justice and equality. She received her LL.M., with distinction, from Georgetown University Law Center, her J.D., with high distinction, from the Ohio Northern University College of Law, and her B.S., magna cum laude, from Trine University.
Renee Zaytsev, a member of the Business Litigation practice group in New York. She represents businesses and fiduciaries in high-stakes commercial disputes, with a focus on securities and shareholder litigation. Her experience includes representing companies and their directors and officers in defending against shareholder derivative suits and securities class actions. She also assists corporations and their boards in managing litigation risk and advises them on, among other topics, corporate governance matters and proxy contests. Zaytsev also has substantial experience representing hedge funds, private equity firms and emerging companies in complex litigation matters. She received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A. from Stanford University.
About Thompson Hine LLP. Thompson Hine LLP, a full-service business law firm with approximately 400 lawyers in 8 offices, was ranked number 1 in the category “Most innovative North American law firms: New working models” by The Financial Times and was 1 of 7 firms shortlisted for The American Lawyer’s inaugural Legal Services Innovation Award. 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 SmartPaTHTM – a smarter way to work – predictable, efficient and aligned with client goals. For more information, please visit ThompsonHine.com and ThompsonHine.com/SmartPaTH.
