ONULAW The Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law

Oct. 17-19, 2013Biographies of Law Alumni Board

Law aLumni mentor/moCK interView ProGram

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Can you learn from successful attorneys in the field of law?

Don’t miss this opportunity to meet with men and women who have walked in your shoes as law students and who are now successful in their fields of practice. The ONU Law Alumni Board of Directors will be on campus, Thursday, Oct. 17, and Friday, Oct. 18. Several board members have offered to act as class mentors. They will offer separate Brown Bag Brief presentations to the L-1, L-2 and L-3 students, answering questions that each class may have regarding law school, Bar testing, and the profession of law. The board members in this brochure will conduct mock interviews with students on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Interview times are limited, so sign up as soon as possible. The deadline to submit your résumé for review and sign up for an interview is Thursday, Oct. 10. These employers would like to interview as many L-1, L-2 and L-3 students as possible. You may be able to schedule a mock interview with one or more of the board members. These interviews are for practice, and the firms or the businesses of these board members are not hiring at this time. Be sure to prepare your résumé carefully and submit it for review. Your interviewer will review your résumé and critique it at your interview. Dress for these interviews, as for all interviews, is court attire. Bring an additional résumé, printed on résumé paper, to the interview with you. Take advantage of these valuable programs, which will give you the opportunity to learn from attorneys who have been very successful in many different fields of law. Feel free to greet and visit any board members who may be in the building from Thursday, Oct. 17, to Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013.

Mock Interviews: Thursday, Oct. 17, from 3-5 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 18, from 9-11:30 a.m. Interviews are assigned in advance in Law Career Services. The deadline to sign up and submit your résumé is Oct. 10 at 4:30 p.m. Interviewer biographies, including their areas of practice, are contained in this booklet. Mentor Presentations: Oct. 18, 2013, Noon-1 p.m. (lunch provided) L-1: Room 126 L-2: Room 124 L-3: Room 125 L-1 Class Mentors John Cotner, Esq., BA ’67, JD ’70, Attorney at Law, Troy, Ohio Mitchell Falber, Esq., JD ’80, ABC Carpet & Home, New York, N.Y.

L-2 Class Mentors Robert Ryan, Esq., JD ’79, Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP, Lexington, Ky. Philip Wiese, Esq., JD ’96, Attorney at Law, Hudson, Ohio Susan Wetzel, Esq., JD ’97, Haynes and Boone LLP, Dallas, Texas

L-3 Class Mentors Victoria Maisch Rumer, Esq., BA ’76, JD ’94, Rumer & Maisch Co. LLC, Lima, Ohio John Genovese, Esq, JD ’79, Genovese, Joblove & Battista, Miami, Fla.

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From the Law aLumni association

The College of Law, working together with the Law Alumni Association, has developed a program to mentor law students throughout their three years in law school. There are new and exciting opportunities for law alumni to support the law college and to participate fully in the education and preparation of tomorrow’s legal professionals.

While on campus for Homecoming and the ONU Law Alumni fall board meeting on Oct. 18, the Law Alumni Board class mentors were invited to make presentations to their respective law classes. The Law Alumni Mentoring program enables students to network with attorneys in a legal specialty and/or geographical location suiting their personal goals and fosters mentor relationships between alumni and students. Presentations by the mentors, who discuss various practice areas and interviewing techniques, are regularly offered. The program is designed for two to three alumni board members to be assigned to the incoming class and follow the incoming class in order to provide support and encouragement.

We encourage law students to take advantage of every possible opportunity provided by the Office of Law Alumni and Career Services to network with law alumni. Each of us looks forward to meeting you.

Sincerely, Robert Ryan, Esq., JD ’79

President, ONU Law Alumni Association

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Philip R. Wiese, Esq., JD ’96Hudson, Ohio Attorney-At-Law

Areas of Practice: Complex litigation, intellectual property litigation, bankruptcy

Philip Wiese has served on the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2002. Wiese has been identified in the Best Lawyers in America (2010-11). Wiese has served as outside local and lead counsel representing a variety of national and international concerns, including the motion picture industry (MPAA), the service entertainment and broadcasting industries (ESPN), various Internet and satellite companies, and various manufacturing clients involved in the pharmaceutical, chemical and polymer/plastics, automotive/transportation, medical product/device manufacturing industries. He served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. James S. Gwin, United States District Court, Akron, Ohio (1997-99) and to the Hon. William T. Bodoh, United States Bankruptcy Court, Youngstown, Ohio (1996-97) and was a judicial extern to the Hon. Walter H. Rice, U.S. District Court, Dayton, Ohio (1994). Wiese also worked as a research specialist with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of the General Counsel, Washington, D.C. (1995). Co-Author, Thought Leadership in Intellectual Property Law 2008: Top Lawyers on Trends and Key Strategies for the Upcoming Year, chapter titled: “The Changing Face of Patent Law,” Aspatore Books (March 2008); Thought Leadership in Intellectual Property Law 2007: Top Lawyers on Trends and Key Strategies for the Upcoming Year, chapter titled: “A Supreme Court Case that Was Never Decided: But Did the United States Patent and Trademark Office Get the Message?” Aspatore Books (March 2007); Author of E-Discovery Series: A New Era of Document Preservation, Buckingham, Doolittle and Burroughs, LLP Advisor (Vol. 15, Issue 3, August, 2006). Contributor, Interviewed by National Notary Magazine, article titled: “Security in Paper or Electronic Transactions” (May 2006). Author: Law of Unintended Consequences - Internet Jurisdiction, Buckingham Doolittle & Burroughs, LLP Advisor (Vol. 10, Issue 2, 2001); Popcorn & Primetime: The Televised Execution Issue, 23 Ohio N.U.L. Rev. 257 (1996); Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School Comment District v. Grumet - Crossing the Line of Establishment Clause Jurisprudence (Note 21 Ohio N.U.L. Rev. 629, 1994).

Professional Activities: Former adjunct professor of law, University of Akron School of Law (2003-05). Board Member: Great Trail Council, BSA, Advisory Committee; Ohio Northern University College of Law. Member: Barrister, Scanlon Inn of Court; Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity; Elder, Hudson Presbyterian Church. Troop Committee Chairman, BSA Troop 333 Hudson, Ohio; also Eagle Scout (1982), Inaugural Award Recipient, Electronically Stored Information (ESI) Individual Award “Champion of Technology,” presented by Vestige Ltd, Cleveland, Ohio.

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Susan A. Wetzel Esq., JD ’97Dallas, TexasHaynes and Boone LLP Areas of Practice: Executive Compensation, Health and Welfare Plans, Retirement Plans, and Health Law.

Susan Wetzel was appointed to the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2010.

Wetzel specializes in advising clients regarding ERISA and employee-benefit issues in mergers and acquisitions, and acting as counsel to both buyers and sellers, including transactions involving benefit and equity issues in the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Finland, Singapore, China, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic.

She advises clients regarding the design and implementation of all types of tax-qualified plans, including defined benefit plans, Section 457(b) plans, Section 457(f) plans and Section 401(k) plans. She counsels clients regarding tax compliance and regulatory issues associated with fully insured and self-funded health plans, VEBAs and MEWAs, including the impact of health care reform on plan documents and operations. She assists clients with benefits issues relating to inbound and outbound transactions, including Internal Revenue Code Section 409A issues relating to expatriate allowances, tax equalization programs, foreign benefit plans, and equity awards to foreign-based employees. She negotiates executive employment and severance agreements, acting as counsel to both executives and employers, and counseling clients regarding issues under Internal Revenue Code Sections 162(m), 280G and 409A. She designs and implements all types of equity compensation plans, including stock options, restricted stock, phantom stock, and stock appreciation rights. She counsels plan sponsors regarding how the HIPAA privacy and security regulations affect their group health plans and drafting forms, policies and procedures to assist group health plans in complying with the HIPAA privacy and security regulations.

Wetzel was named one of the Best Lawyers under 40 in 2006 by D Magazine and was selected for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers - Rising Stars Edition (2004-05, 2007-09). She is also listed as one of The Best Lawyers in America in Employee Benefits Law (Woodward/White, Inc., 2009-11) Bar Admissions: Texas and Indiana Court Admissions: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit

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Robert S. Ryan, Esq., JD ’79Lexington, Ky.Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP

Areas of Practice: Real estate, business and commercial matters, contracts, creditor’s rights, insurance, bankruptcy and commercial litigation

Robert Ryan is the current president of the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors. He has served on the board since 1993. Ryan is a member in his firm’s Real Estate & Lending Service Team. His practice experience encompasses real estate, business and commercial matters, contracts, creditor’s rights, insurance, bankruptcy, and commercial litigation. He represents clients in connection with the negotiations and preparation of contracts and leases, the development of residential communities and commercial properties, the examination and clearing of title to real property, and the closing of financing and acquisition of real estate. Ryan also provides general legal counsel to individual and business clients and community associations, including representation of business clients in the purchase and sale of business interests and community associations with their establishment and corporate governance. His experience includes third-party opinion letters, loan defaults, workouts, foreclosures and pre-bankruptcy counseling. Ryan is trained as a certified mediator to conduct mediated settlement conferences and has served as a receiver and receiver’s counsel. Professional Associations and Memberships Ryan is a member of the Fayette County, Kentucky Bar and North Carolina Bar Associations. He also is a certified mediator. Pro Bono and Community Leadership Ryan is active in organizations dedicated to business growth, community service and education. As a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Lexington, he has served as president and member of the Board of Directors, helping to inaugurate service projects that have a regional impact. Ryan served as rotary district governor for the Eastern District 6740 of Kentucky during 2010-11. Ryan also served on the Board of Directors for Project Graduation.

He is a past contributing writer for Business Lexington, writing on a variety of legal topics. Ryan also is a board member for the Burning Stick Foundation and a member of the Kentucky Civil War Roundtable.

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Jeffrey S. Snell, Esq., JD ’07 Chicago, Ill. United States Department of Justice, Office of the United States Trustee

Areas of Practice: Bankruptcy and litigation

Jeffrey Snell was appointed to the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2010.

Snell graduated from law school with distinction after receiving a BA in history from Ohio State University. He is currently a trial attorney for the Department of Justice, Office of the United States Trustee, in Chicago, Ill. He represents the United States Trustee in all phases of investigations and civil enforcement actions.

Following law school, Snell completed two clerkships with judges of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. For his initial one-year term, he was a law clerk to the Hon. Steven Rhodes and the Hon. Daniel Opperman. Thereafter, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Walter Shapero for two years before joining the Department of Justice in 2010 through the Attorney General’s Honors Program.

During law school, Snell participated in the Ohio Northern Bankruptcy Clinic as a bankruptcy extern. This experience afforded him the opportunity to draft motions, pleadings and briefs addressing issues such as jurisdiction, Bankruptcy Code pre-emption, property turnover, preferential transfers, and enforcement of foreign judgments as well as appear on behalf of the Chapter 7 trustee before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Also during law school, he was a judicial extern for Associate Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger of the Ohio Supreme Court, where he researched and reviewed jurisdictional briefs filed with the court and drafted memoranda to the justice with recommendations as to whether the court should hear the appeal. During his second year, Snell worked for the West Virginia Public Defender Corporation in its Clarksburg office. In this position, he conducted client interviews, researched legal issues for staff attorneys, and was the primary author of two appellate briefs to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. His bar admissions and professional activities include Ohio (admitted 2007; currently inactive), New York (admitted 2010), American Bankruptcy Institute and the Chicago Bar Association

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The Hon. Jessica E. Price Smith, JD ’97 Cleveland, OhioNorthern District Of Ohio, Eastern Division United States Bankruptcy Court

Area of Practice: Judicial

The Hon. Jessica E. Price Smith has served on the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2006. Price Smith was appointed to the position of judge in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, in 2011. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, she is a graduate of Miami University where she was among the first group of students awarded the prestigious Harrison Scholarship. Price Smith graduated with distinction from the Ohio Northern University Claude W. Pettit College of Law where she was a member of the Law Review, Moot Court Board of Advocates, and was inducted into the Willis Society, the highest academic honor society at the College of Law. She began her legal career as the law clerk to the Honorable Randolph Baxter, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Ohio, whom she succeeded on the bench. She spent two years as a bankruptcy associate with the law firm of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP. Immediately prior to becoming a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, she was engaged in the private practice of law, representing corporate debtors, creditor committees, and trade creditors in all aspects of commercial bankruptcy cases and out of court debt restructuring as a shareholder at Brouse McDowell, LPA. In addition to practicing law, Price Smith was a legal studies faculty member at Ursuline College in the adult accelerated education program.

Price Smith has balanced her professional life with service to her community as a member of various civic boards and through her membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated and The Drifters, Incorporated. She and her husband, Gregory A. Smith, are the proud parents of two sons.

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Suzanne F. Garwood Esq., JD ’97 Washington, D.C. Venable LLP

Areas of Practice: Finance services wage compliance, banking and financial services, regulation, consumer finance, regulatory, advertising and marketing litigation

Suzanne Garwood is secretary of the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors. She has served on the board since 2007. Garwood represents clients from all aspects of the financial services industry, from credit counselors to mortgage lenders and credit card issuers. She represents the interests of those clients before Congress, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Reserve Board, and other federal banking agencies. She focuses her practice on state and federal law relating to consumer credit and financial services. She has assisted mortgage lenders, banks and thrifts with issues arising under federal and states laws, including the Truth in Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and state anti-predatory lending and fair lending laws. In addition to her consumer credit background, Garwood is experienced in issues related to credit unions. Prior to entering private practice, Garwood worked for the National Association of Federal Credit Unions as the primary liaison to the National Credit Union Administration. Garwood continues to represent credit unions in matters relating to field of membership, mergers and other significant regulatory matters.

Activities: Garwood is the president of the Women in Housing and Finance. Notable Speaking Engagements: Mortgage Bankers Association’s Legal Issues and Regulatory Compliance Conference, Fall Conference of the American Association of Debt Management Organizations, National Housing Counseling Association’s Annual Conference Bar Admissions: Virginia, District of Columbia

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The Hon. Benjamin H. Logan II, BSBA ’68, JD ’72, Hon. D. ’92 Grand Rapids, Mich. 61st District Court of Grand Rapids, Mich.

Area of practice: Judicial

The Hon. Benjamin H. Logan II is current treasurer of the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors, serving on the board since 1992. Logan has served as judge of the 61st District Court in Grand Rapids, Mich., since 1989. From 2004-06, the Michigan Supreme Court appointed Logan as chief judge of the 61st District Court. He was the first African-American chief judge in the history of the Michigan state court system. The chief judge runs the district court system, which includes five other judges, and presides over his own criminal caseload. As the court’s judicial leader, Logan is in a position to make administrative changes. He is responsible for administrating the 61st District Court budget. The district court handles small civil claims and misdemeanor crimes, and its judges decide if felony crimes should be bound over to the higher Kent County Circuit Court. The 61st District Court serves the city of Grand Rapids, which according to the 2010 census has a population of 188,000. While criminal and traffic cases are filed with the court by at least a dozen different law enforcement agencies, the majority of cases come from the Grand Rapids Police Department and the Michigan State Police. The district court is often referred to as “The People’s Court,” in part because citizens have more contact with the district court than any other court in the state and, in part, because many citizens go to district court without an attorney. The district court has exclusive jurisdiction over all civil claims up to $25,000, including small claims, landlord-tenant disputes, land contract disputes and civil infractions. The court may also conduct marriages in a civil ceremony. If a district court attorney magistrate enters the judgment, the case may be appealed to the district judge. Civil infractions are offenses formerly considered criminal, but decriminalized by statute or local ordinance, with no jail penalty associated with the offense.

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Victoria U. Maisch Rumer, Esq., BA ’76, JD ’94 Lima, Ohio Rumer & Maisch Co. LLC

Areas of Practice: Civil litigation, including, but not limited to, personal injury, medical and legal malpractice, wrongful discharge/employment law, employer intentional tort, products liability, construction litigation, contract litigation, probate matters, and other complex litigation.

Victoria Maisch Rumer has served on the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2002. Maisch Rumer is a founding member of the law firm Rumer & Maisch Co. LLC, which was formed in 2006 and focuses its practice on civil litigation. Prior to 2006, she was a partner at Cory, Meredith, Witter, Rumer & Cheney LPA. She began her legal career at Siferd & Reed LPA. She practices in both federal and state courts, including State Appellate Courts and the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Rumer has also appeared and argued before the Ohio Supreme Court. In a former era, Rumer was a social worker, graduating from the University of Dayton with a M.S.Ed, and served on various tasks forces through the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, the Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation Developmental Disabilities, during the implementation phase of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and subsequent amendments. Rumer is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, the United States Northern District Court and the Ohio Supreme Court. She is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Foundation, the Allen County Bar Association and a trustee for the West Central Ohio Paralysis Foundation. She was a 3rd District trustee for the Ohio Women’s Bar Association from 1996-2000.

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James W. Pry II, Esq., JD ’70 Bucyrus, Ohio Sears, Pry, Griebling, McBride PLL

Areas of Practice: Business organization and formation, civil law and litigation, corporation, estate planning, foreclosures, landlord/tenant, personal injury law, probate law, real estate, taxation, wills and trusts

James W. Pry II has served on the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2007.

Pry is a general practice lawyer located in Bucyrus, Ohio, who specializes in real estate, business, tax and corporate matters. He received his bachelor of arts from Ohio Wesleyan University and his JD from Ohio Northern University College of Law. Pry is also a certified public accountant. Pry does extensive traveling outside the United States.

The law firm of Sears, Pry, Griebling & McBride PLL (SPGM) has served clients in Crawford County and the surrounding areas since the 1860s, and the attorneys have a combined experience of more than 100 years. SPGM is a full-service law firm that provides counsel for individuals, individual corporations, financial institutions and nonprofit organizations.

His professional memberships and involvement include admission to the Ohio State Bar Association in 1971, admission to U.S. Supreme Court, admission to the U.S. District Court – Northern District of Ohio, admission to the U.S. Tax Court, member of the Crawford County Bar Association, member of the Ohio State Bar Association, legal counsel for Bucyrus Area Community Foundation, legal counsel for Crawford Park District, member of the Sandusky River Water Coalition, trustee at Ohio Wesleyan University, member of Ohio Northern University’s College of Law Advisory Council, and member of First Congregational Church.

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Jerome L. Skinner, JD ’79, Hon. D. ’09 Cincinnati, Ohio Barron Peck Bennie & Schlemmer

Areas of practice: Multi-district commercial airline, complex tort, product liability, class-action litigation

Jerome Skinner is past president of the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors and charter member, having served on the board since its inception in 1988. Skinner is a skilled aviation litigator handling domestic and international cases. He handles all types of aviation accident cases in which catastrophic loss of life or personal injury has occurred as a result of negligence. He brings to his clients 25 years of multi-district commercial airline litigation, complex tort, product liability and class-action experience. Skinner has successfully advocated for families victimized by almost every major U.S. airline disaster since 1989, including the negotiations that resulted in the State of Libya paying a historic $2.7 billion settlement to the survivors of those killed by the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. He believes that aviation law is one of the most complex areas of law and that success in this area requires not only legal and technical knowledge but also the ability to work with deeply wounded clients who need compassion as much as they need expertise. Skinner has been a member of the court-appointed litigation steering committee PSC in the following cases: Pan Am Flight 103 – Libyan Litigation, NW Flight 255, USAF CT-43, TWA Flight 800, Swissair Flight 111, Egypt Air flight 990. In the litigation arising out of the Egypt Air 990 accident, Skinner also served as MDL liaison counsel, acting on behalf of all plaintiffs. Those cases were mediated in Cairo. Skinner was plaintiff’s liaison counsel for the Cessna Caravan 208 Products Liability Litigation. He has also represented plaintiffs in general aviation accident cases involving Beechcraft and Cessna small aircraft as well as in Agusta and Sikorsky helicopters. Some of his significant cases include: Egypt Air Flight 990, Com Air Flight 3272, USAF CT-43, USAir Flight 427, USAir Flight 405, Northwest Airlines Flight 255, United Airlines Flight 232, Pan Am Flight 103, Lockerbie, Scotland 1988, Arrow Air, Gander, Newfoundland, 1989, TWA Flight 800, New York, New York, 1996, Swissair Flight 111, Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, 1998.

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Gregory S. Berman, Esq., JD ’93 Louisville, Ky. Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP Areas of Practice: Civil trial, tort and insurance law, commercial litigation, creditors’ rights, real estate litigation, contract, U.C.C., commercial foreclosures

Greg Berman has served on the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2006. Berman specializes in consumer protection litigation, including defending lawsuits alleging violation of Kentucky’s Consumer Protection Act, the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Clients: American Express, Bayer Properties, Chase Bank, and PNC. Honors: Highest professional ratings by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, named as Business First’s Forty Under 40. He is recognized as a 2009 Top Lawyer by Louisville Magazine. He was valedictorian of his graduating law class at ONU and served as editor-in-chief of the Ohio Northern Law Review. He received a BSBA from Boston University. Notable Speaking Engagements: Complying with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Residential and Commercial Evictions. Professional activities and memberships: Louisville, Kentucky and American bar associations, ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors, 2004 Leadership Louisville class and Jewish Family Vocational Services.

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Grey D. Pratt, Esq., JD ’93 Pittsburgh, Pa. Hanchak & Pratt LLC

Areas of Practice: Personal injury, business litigation, wills, estates and trusts

Grey D. Pratt has served on the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2002.

Pratt is a partner with the firm of Hanchak & Pratt LLC in Pittsburgh, Pa. He incorporated the firm in Pennsylvania in 1996 with another ONU law graduate, Carl M. Hanchak, JD ’89.

Hanchak & Pratt LLC is an individual private practice specializing in personal injury, divorce, wills, support, estate planning and probate, custody, auto accidents, accidental death, and the general practice of law.

Before forming the partnership with Hanchak, Pratt practiced in 1993 in the large insurance defense firm of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin in Pittsburgh, Pa. He also practiced in a small plaintiff’s firm for two years and then joined the business litigation firm of Wick, Streiff, Meyer, Metz & O’Boyle. He began his legal career as law clerk for the Common Pleas Court of Allegheny County serving Senior Judge Silvestri.

While at ONU, he served on Law Review, Law Review Board, Ohio Review Editor and the Moot Court Board of Advocates

He is admitted to the State Bar of Pennsylvania.

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The Hon. Mark Pietrykowski, JD ’79 Toledo, Ohio 6th Appellate District Court of Ohio

Area of Practice: Judicial

The Hon. Mark L. Pietrykowski has served on the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors since 1992. Pietrykowski was elected to the 6th District Court of Appeals in 1998 and re-elected in 2004. Pietrykowski received his BA from the University of Notre Dame in 1976 and his JD from Ohio Northern University College of Law in 1979. Upon admission to the bar in 1979, he began work as a law clerk to the Hon. Walter J. Krasniewski, U.S. bankruptcy judge for the Northern District of Ohio, Western Division. In 1981, he entered private practice and joined the law firm of Manahan, Pietrykowski, Bamman, and Delaney, concentrating in the civil litigation field.

Pietrykowski has previously held elected offices, serving on Toledo City Council (1985-92), vice mayor (1987-89), and the Board of Lucas County Commissioners (1992-99). Pietrykowski is married with three children. Ohio Courts of Appeals are established by the Ohio Constitution and serve as intermediate appellate courts. The state of Ohio is divided into 12 appellate districts. The 6th District Court of Appeals has its principal seat in Toledo, located in Lucas County. The 6th District is comprised of Erie, Fulton, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Williams and Wood counties. The court hears appeals from cases arising in the courts of common pleas (except cases in which the death penalty was imposed for offenses committed after Jan. 1, 1996), county district courts, and municipal courts within the 6th District. The court has concurrent jurisdiction with the Ohio Supreme Court to hear appeals from the County Board of Tax Appeals. The court exercises original jurisdiction in quo warranto, mandamus, habeas corpus, prohibition, and procedendo.

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Peter A. Campia, Esq., JD ’98 Osterville, MA Attorney at law Areas of practice: Estate planning, elder law and tax planning, probate and estate administration, Medicaid planning, and guardianships and conservatorships of the elderly.

Peter Campia was elected to the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2010.

Campia received his juris doctor with distinction from Ohio Northern University College of Law, a master’s in tax law (LLM) from Boston University School of Law, a master’s in business administration (MBA) from Suffolk University and a bachelor of science in business administration from Northeastern University.

Campia is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts and has been admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court.

He is a member of the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Campia is an adjunct professor at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston where he teaches Wills, Trusts and Estates, and Elder Law. He also is an adjunct professor at Fisher College, where he teaches business law and law and ethics in the health care administration. Campia currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Town of Yarmouth Council on Aging. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Alzheimer’s Services of Cape Cod and the Islands.

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John M. Cotner, Esq., BA ’67, JD ’70 Troy, Ohio Attorney at law Areas of Practice: Sole practitioner

John Cotner has served on the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2006. Cotner received his JD from Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law in 1970 and was admitted to the State Bar of Ohio the same year. He began his legal career as an attorney for the Legal Department of the Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland, Ohio, where he practiced from 1970-71. In 1972, he joined the firm of Shipman, Utrecht and Dixon in Troy, Ohio, as an associate. He later became partner in the firm and remained until 1985 when he became a sole practitioner. He continues to practice as a sole practitioner in Troy, serving on several committees as member of the Miami County Bar Association and the Ohio State Bar Association. He served on the Ethics and Grievance Committee of the Miami County Bar Association from 1980-90 and was appointed to two terms as president of the Miami County Bar Association. He is currently serving on the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee of the Miami County Bar Association, where he has served diligently since 1984. He has been admitted to all courts in the state of Ohio, including the United States Federal District Court Southern District of Ohio in 1972 and the United States Federal District Court Northern District of Ohio in 1975. He was admitted to the United States Supreme Court Bar in 2006. He serves on various civic, social and fraternal organizations in Miami County, Ohio, in Walton County, Fla., and in Greenville and Charleston, S.C. He and his wife, Cheryl B. Cotner, BSBA ’68, ACIT ’05, have two married children and three grandchildren.

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Justin F. Madden, Esq., JD ’93Russell, OhioJustin Madden Co. LPA Areas of Practice: Class action, medical malpractice, premise liability, products liability, personal injury, airline, maritime law, railroad, motor vehicle, accident, employment, lemon law, predatory lending, foreclosure, defense, elder law, stockbroker, malpractice, FELA, and business litigation

Justin F. Madden has served on the ONU Law Alumni Association Alumni Board of Directors since 2002.

Madden was partner with the firm of Landskroner, Grieco, Madden Ltd. from May 2004 until recently when he opened his own practice in Russell, Ohio. His practice is Justin Madden Co. LPA. He was formerly a partner with the firm Spangenberg, Shibley & Liber LLP, where he practiced from August 1993 to May 2004. He began his legal career as a law clerk for the Allen County Common Pleas Court assisting the Hon. Richard K. Warren. He is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and the Willis Society. His professional memberships and offices include past president of the Cuyahoga County Bar Association, past chair of the Cuyahoga County Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section, Grievance Committee, member of the Geauga County Bar Association, member of the Ohio State Bar Association, fellow in the American Bar Association, member of the Association of Trial Lawyers, member of the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers, and member of the Cleveland Academy of Trial Attorneys.

In addition, he is past chair of the St. Ann Church Finance Council, and he is USA Hockey master level 5 certified hockey coach.

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Johnnie L. Johnson III, Esq., JD ’70 Attorney at Law Reston, Va., and Memphis, Tenn.

Areas of Practice: Title VII, employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, or age, Discrimination in Employment Act, Equal Pay Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.

Johnnie Louis Johnson III is a charter member of the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors, serving since 1988. Johnson worked in United States Attorney’s office for the Western District of Tennessee in Memphis as a legal intern after graduation from Ohio Northern. After passing the Tennessee Bar, he was employed as assistant United States attorney. He was transferred from the Department of Justice to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in the Atlanta Regional Litigation Center as an assistant regional attorney. In July 1975, he was transferred from Atlanta, Ga., to the EEOC’s Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he worked as an attorney for the EEOC Commissioner Colston A. Lewis from 1975-77. He was transferred to the position of supervisory trial attorney in the EEOC’s Headquarters litigation unit and remained there until July 1985. From 1985 to June 2006, he worked as a senior trial attorney in the EEOC’s Headquarters Systemic Litigation Services. In June 2006, he transferred from the EEOC’s Headquarters to the EEOC’s Memphis District Office. He retired from the EEOC in July 2007 but continues to work in a private practice in Memphis as an attorney at law. While in D.C., Johnson was president of the EEOC Headquarters Local 2667 of the American Federation of Government Employees. He was featured in the article, “Not Your Usual Federalist,” issued Oct. 21, 2002, in the Washington, D.C., publication, the Federal Paper. In July 2003, as senior attorney for the EEOC, he obtained a $4.5 million settlement for the Local 580 Ornamental Iron Workers Union of New York City. The $4.5 million settlement represented an increase of $3.3 million to a budget previously allocated for the expansion of Local 580’s Apprentice Training Facility in New York. Bar Admissions: Tennessee, Virginia and the District of Columbia, U.S. Supreme Court Johnnie and Tina have four adult sons and seven grandchildren (four girls and three boys). He resides in both Memphis, Tenn., and Reston, Va.

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Mitchell Falber, Esq., JD ’80 New York, N.Y. ABC Carpet & Home

Areas of Practice: Employment law, real estate, risk management and insurance law, corporate governance and global strategic planning, legal and commercial transactions, litigation, mediation and alternative dispute resolution at federal, state and local levels,

e-commerce and website development, intellectual property, municipal regulation and environmental law, licensing and branding, administrative law, ERISA and benefits law, banking and finance

Mitchell Falber has served on the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2001.

Falber is a member of the Board of Directors, general counsel and senior executive vice president of ABC Carpet & Home. ABC is a privately held affiliation of domestic corporations with more than $160 million in annual sales with exclusive stores in New York, New Jersey and Florida, and previously a long-term licensee at Harrod’s Department Store in London, England. It is one of the largest single home furnishing stores in the world. ABC has been awarded the prestigious “Retailer of the Year” award by the National Retail Federation. It is also listed by the New York Chamber of Commerce as one of the top 100 sights to see when visiting New York. ABC’s regular customers include prominent national and local politicians, actors, business people, professional athletes, and world-renowned celebrities and entertainers.

Falber began his legal career at ABC in 1990 when he acted as trial assistant to outside counsel in E.R. Carpenter v. ABC Carpet Co. Inc., which resulted in a $5 million settlement in ABC’s favor. It remains the largest counterclaim recovery in New York City Civil Court history.

As general counsel for 30 years, he has seen ABC grow from 70 employees to more than 1,300 and has faced a broad range of legal issues. He has been significantly involved in all matter of corporate governance and strategic planning, legal and commercial transactions, and global business affairs. He is responsible for the negotiation and implementation of a multi-million-dollar, cutting-edge flagship computer hardware and software licensing agreement in coordination with Management Information Services. He is an active participant in the development of ABC’s e-commerce platforms, particularly with regard to ABC’s most recent launch of its new website in September 2013.

He lectures often on the topics of job search and the in-house counsel role in corporate affairs, along with the topic of establishing a synergy and partnership relationship with outside counsel. He offers continuing legal education courses on ethical standards for corporate counsel. His lectures have been featured in New York Law Journal and the National Law Journal, and his presentation on in-house practice has appeared on the National Academy of CLE website.

He is a 1976 graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications of Syracuse University with a B.S. in television/radio. He received his JD from Ohio Northern University in 1980 with bar admissions in New York in 1981 and New Jersey in 1986. He is admitted to the U.S. District Court in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and is a member of the Corporate Counsel Association of America, the National Retail Federation General Counsel Forum, and the New York city and state bar associations.

He has been married to his beautiful wife, Shari, for more than 30 years. He and Shari have two sons, Lee, 26, and Jamie, 24, who, he states, “still manage to make us proud every day.”

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John H. Genovese, JD ’79 Miami, Fla. Genovese, Joblove & Battista Areas of Practice: Troubled loan workouts, bankruptcy, insurance insolvencies, with an emphasis on complex litigation in bankruptcy and U.S. district courts, and other complex commercial litigation.

John H. Genovese was elected to the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2010.

Genovese is head of his firm’s reorganization and insolvency practice. He acted as co-counsel for the class action shareholders/note-holders in Enron Chapter 11 proceeding and related matters, which resulted in settlements in excess of $7.2 billion, the largest class action recovery ever. He has recently acted as special litigation counsel to the Chapter 11 Trustee of Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler, P.A, reported to be the fourth largest Ponzi scheme ever, in settling litigation matters for in excess of $100 million.

Genovese is “AV” rated by Martindale-Hubbell, has been listed in each edition of Woodward/White’s the Best Lawyers in America since 1989, and has been named to the Legal Media Group’s guide to the World’s Leading Insolvency and Restructuring Lawyers, one of 16 Florida attorneys named. He has also been named as one of Florida’s top lawyers by Florida trend Magazine’s Legal Elite, South Florida Legal Guide, Florida Super Lawyers, Who’s Who Legal: Florida 2008, which refers to Genovese as a “formidably skilled individual,” and a top Florida bankruptcy attorney in chambers & Partners USA, which describes Genovese as a “tenacious fighter” and “tough as nails when fighting to get a solution.” Genovese was formerly co-chair of New York’s Kelley Drye & Warren’s national bankruptcy practice. A frequent lecturer on bankruptcy and creditors’ rights issues, Genovese is also active in the Bankruptcy/UCC Committee of the Business Law Section of the Florida Bar and has served as co-chairman of the South Florida Court and U.S. Trustee Liaison Committee. Additionally, Genovese was appointed to the Florida Judicial Nominating Commission by Florida U.S. Senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez and elected to the Board of Directors for the Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Southern District of Florida. Genovese was a founding director of the Florida Receivers’ Forum and serves on the Board of Directors of the Florida Fiduciary Forum. He co-authored “Rash Ruling Should Not Affect Chapter 11 Valuations” and “Breakout the D&O Policy,” in the National Law Journal. He has been active with the University of Miami School of Law, Florida International University College of Law and Siena College in supporting military veterans.

He served as law clerk to former Chief Judge Norman C. Roettger, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, from 1979-81.

Mr. Genovese is a member of the Florida Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, the United States Supreme Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He earned his juris doctor, with distinction, from Ohio Northern University, where he was vice president of the Student Bar Association, Best Oral Advocate and a member of the National Moot Court Team. He earned his bachelor of science in business, magna cum laude, from Siena College in 1976. He also served in the United States Army from 1968-71.

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W. Michael Gradisek, Esq., JD ’93 Philadelphia, Pa. Duane, Morris LLP Areas of Practice: Employee benefits, executive compensation

W. Michael Gradisek has served on the ONU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2004.

Gradisek chairs his firm’s executive compensation practice. His practice encompasses all areas of employee benefits and executive compensation. He counsels employers and sponsors on a daily basis regarding the requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA and has advised clients with respect to fiduciary responsibilities, prohibited transactions, and day-to-day administration of tax-qualified and ERISA-covered plans. His practice involves counseling employers and executives on the design and compliance of nonqualified deferred compensation, severance and other executive agreements with Code section 409A, and he routinely advises clients on equity compensation issues. He also counsels clients on health and welfare plan issues and assists buyers and sellers with respect to employee benefits and executive compensation in corporate transactions. He represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor and Pension Benefits Guarantee Corporation. He is a member of the Taxation Section of the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia bar associations, and the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals. He is also a member of the ASPA Benefits Council of the Delaware Valley and formerly served on its board of directors, and is a former president/program chair and co-founder of the Philadelphia Chapter of WEB Inc., a network of benefits professionals.

Bar Admissions: District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

2010 Speaking Engagements—Speaker, “Employee Benefits and Healthcare Reform,” Duane Morris’ Developments in Workplace Law and Practice 2010, Philadelphia, April 29, 2010; Speaker, “Healthcare Reform: What Is the Impact on Employers?” Duane Morris Institute Webinar, April 28, 2010; “HIPAA, ADA, and FMLA,” Lorman Seminar, Washington, D.C., February 27, 2004; “HIPAA’s Effect on Small Group Health Plans,” Audio conference sponsored by the Assisted Living Federation of America, February 25, 2010.

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For further information, contact:Ohio Northern UniversityClaude W. Pettit College of LawOffice of Law Alumni Career Services525 S. Main StreetAda, OH 45810-1599419-772-2249lawalumni@onu.edu