Sixty-seven Calfee Attorneys Selected for Inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2021 and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch Lists; Two Calfee Lawyers Named to Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year"

News Release

CLEVELAND, August 25, 2020 – Sixty-seven Calfee attorneys were recognized in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. 

Two Calfee attorneys have been recognized as “Lawyers of the Year,” a designation presented annually to a single attorney in each practice and metropolitan area.

• Arthur C. Hall III was named the Best Lawyers^® 2021 Securities Regulation "Lawyer of the Year" in Cleveland. 

• John J. Eklund was named the Best Lawyers 2021 Litigation – Antitrust “Lawyer of the Year” in Cleveland.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become regarded as a definitive guide to legal excellence and serves as a resource for both lawyers and consumers in search of legal talent nationwide. Best Lawyers is based on a peer-review survey in which more than 55,000 leading attorneys cast more than 6.7 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas.

The list below includes attorneys from Calfee’s Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and New York offices who were recognized in the 2021 Best Lawyers in America publication, along with the year the attorney was first recognized and the practice areas for which each attorney is recognized.

Cincinnati, Ohio

David T. Bules (2021)

• Commercial Litigation

Charlie Luken (2020)

• Government Relations Practice

John A. Mongelluzzo (2020)

• Corporate Law

Jamie M. Ramsey (2015) 

• Commercial Litigation
• Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

Cleveland, Ohio

Brent D. Ballard (2006) 

• Corporate Law
• Real Estate Law

John Paul Batt (2008) 

• Venture Capital Law

Blake C. Beachler (2020)

• Public Finance Law

Virginia D. Benjamin (2005) 

• Public Finance Law

Fritz E. Berckmueller (2020)

• Commercial Litigation

Karl S. Beus (2006) 

• Banking and Finance Law
• Commercial Finance Law

Mitchell G. Blair (2005) 

• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)

John R. Cernelich (2013) 

• Employment Law – Management
• Labor Law – Management

John S. Cipolla (2012) 

• Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Patent Law

Peter J. Comodeca (2016) 

• Construction Law
• Litigation – Construction

William E. Coughlin (2019)

• Environmental Law

Mara E. Cushwa (2020)

• Real Estate Law

Steven W. Day (2020)

• Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Tax Law

Terrence F. Doyle (2020)

• Mergers and Acquisitions Law

John J. Eklund (2008) 

• Antitrust Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation – Antitrust

Amy K. Friedmann (2021)

• Trusts and Estates

Michael K. Gall (2019)

• Tax Law

Richard P. Goddard (2020)

• Commercial Litigation

Elizabeth Zoller Golish (2020)

• Real Estate Law

Arthur C. Hall III (2016) 

• Corporate Law
• Securities / Capital Markets Law
• Securities Regulation

Jean M. Hillman (2020)

• Tax Law
• Trusts and Estates

Maura L. Hughes (2021)

• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation – Antitrust

John J. Jenkins (2008) 

• Corporate Law
• Securities / Capital Markets Law

Joseph K. Juster (2013) 

• Corporate Law
• Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
• Venture Capital Law

Gus Kallergis (2016) 

• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Litigation – Bankruptcy

James F. Lang (2021)

• Energy Law

James M. Lawniczak (2005) 

• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Litigation – Bankruptcy

John J. McGuire (2021)

• Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Thomas F. McKee (2006)

• Corporate Law
• Securities / Capital Markets Law

Brian A. McMahon (2010) 

• Banking and Finance Law

Daniel J. McMullen (2020)

• Copyright Law

Matthew M. Mendoza (2018)

• Construction Law
• Litigation – Insurance

Joseph M. Mentrek (2018)

• Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
• Litigation – Trusts and Estates
• Tax Law
• Trusts and Estates

Robert A. Miller (2008) 

• Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

John Mino (2021)

• Corporate Law

Douglas A. Neary (2010) 

• Corporate Compliance Law
• Corporate Governance Law
• Corporate Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Securities / Capital Markets Law

Colleen M. O'Neil (2021)

• Commercial Litigation

Todd F. Palmer (2019)

• Employment Law – Management

Brent M. Pietrafese (2020)

• Corporate Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Alexander B. Reich (2021)

• Litigation – Labor and Employment

Karla M. Rogers (2021)

• Real Estate Law

Joshua M. Ryland (2021)

• Trade Secrets Law

Fran Mitchell Schaul (2016)

• Trusts and Estates

K. James Sullivan (2017)

• Commercial Litigation
• Insurance Law
• Litigation – Insurance

Michael G. VanBuren (2021)

• Health Care Law

Jennifer L. Vergilii (2021)

• Corporate Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions

Christopher S. Williams (2013) 

• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation – ERISA

Columbus, Ohio

Christopher Jones (2012)

• Environmental Law

Steven C. Karzmer (2013)

• Corporate Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Albert J. Lucas (2010)

• Commercial Litigation 

Leah Pappas Porner (2013)

• Government Relations Practice

Stephen C. Wiley (2012)

• Corporate Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Real Estate Law

New York, NY

H. Jeffrey Schwartz (2006)

• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

In addition, 10 Calfee attorneys have been named to the inaugural Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch list for 2021. These recognitions of attorneys who typically have been practicing law for five to nine years are for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States. The award recipients are selected through peer-review, just as with the traditional Best Lawyers list.

The list below includes attorneys from Calfee’s Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus offices who have been recognized in the 2021 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch list along with the practice areas for which each attorney is recognized.

Cincinnati, Ohio

Michael B. Hurley 

• Corporate Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Cleveland, Ohio

Michael W. Bowen 

• Government Relations Practice

Abbey Kinson Brown 

• Litigation – Labor and Employment

Kelly A. Callam 

• Commercial Litigation

Matthew A. Chiricosta 

• Commercial Litigation
• Insurance Law

Anthony J. Cox 

• Corporate Governance and Compliance Law

Bradley S. Pulfer 

• Intellectual Property Law
• Litigation – Patent

Salvatore J. Totino 

• Corporate Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Mark D. Tupa Jr. 

• Corporate Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Columbus, Ohio

Jason J. Blake 

• Commercial Litigation
• Insurance Law

About Calfee

Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP is a full-service corporate law firm with offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, New York and Washington, D.C., serving business, governmental and individual clients in the U.S. and globally. As a founding member of Lex Mundi, Calfee offers international representation through a network of independent law firms with access to 22,000 attorneys located in more than 125 countries.