CLEVELAND–LAWFUEL – The Legal Newswire – Ulmer & Berne LLP, one of Ohio’s largest law firms, announced that the Firm and nine of its partners have received top rankings in the 2007 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. This is the fifth year in a row that Ulmer & Berne and several of its attorneys have been ranked so highly.
The Firm was distinguished as a leading law firm in Ohio for its construction, employee benefits & executive compensation, litigation and real estate practices.
Construction: Chambers USA highlights Ulmer & Berne’s experienced construction practice, noting that the Firm’s Construction Litigation Group is “best-known for representing architects and design professionals, with some of the biggest architect firms in the state featured in its client roster.”
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation: Chambers USA reports that commentators praise the group as being “very professional and efficient.” The publication further reports that “the team is particularly skilled in qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, and lawyers respond rapidly with high-quality work at reasonable prices.”
Litigation: Chambers USA recognizes the team for its continued strength in Cleveland and commends the group for gaining a “growing reputation” in Cincinnati for its “significant pharmaceutical practice.”
Real Estate: Chambers USA commends Ulmer & Berne for growing its real estate practice and recognizes the Firm’s “healthy leasing practice” and representation of corporate clients.
Nine Ulmer & Berne partners, up from seven in 2006, were recognized by Chambers USA, including: Thomas H. Barnard (Employment & Labor), Bill J. Gagliano (Real Estate), John J. Haggerty (Litigation), Ronald L. Kahn (Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation), Marvin L. Karp (Litigation), Craig S. Miller (Real Estate), Patricia A. Shlonsky (Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation), Michael N. Ungar (Litigation), and F. Thomas Vickers (Construction).
Thomas H. Barnard, Past Chair of Ulmer & Berne’s Employment & Labor Group, was once again distinguished as a Star Performer. Barnard has more than 35 years of highly developed expertise in employment and labor law matters, class actions, jury trials and administrative hearings. According to Chambers USA, “the market proffers the unanimous opinion that [he] is ‘fantastic [and] ‘deserves all of the kudos he gets.’” The publication further reports that Barnard has been described as “one of the bright lights of the labor and employment Bar.”
Bill J. Gagliano, Chair of the Firm’s Real Estate Group, has more than 25 years of experience in construction law, affordable housing, real estate development, property taxation and abatement, and leasing. He recently acted on behalf of a major national restaurant chain in the reorganization of the company’s property portfolio. Gagliano was recognized by Chambers USA for the third consecutive year for his extensive experience in representing private and publicly held property owners, contractors and developers, as well as governmental entities in real estate matters.
John J. Haggerty, Chair of Ulmer & Berne’s Business Litigation Group, handles complex commercial, product liability, mass tort and class action litigation matters. He was distinguished by Chambers USA for the third year in a row and recognized for his stellar nationwide work in complex product liability, mass tort and class action litigation.
Ronald L. Kahn, Chair of the Firm’s Tax Practice Group, has extensive experience and expertise in the area of employee benefits. Kahn has been recognized by Chambers USA for the second straight year for his work in employee benefits and executive compensation. Chambers USA reports that Kahn has been described as the “lawyer’s lawyer” and is commended for his skills and ability to “recognize the issues and look for creative solutions to problems.”
Marvin L. Karp, Chair Emeritus of the Firm’s Litigation Department, has more than 45 years of trial and appellate experience in business, corporate and insurance litigation. He was recognized in Chambers USA as a Senior Statesman in Ohio, and was described as “a truly fantastic, first-class lawyer.” The publication goes on to state that “commentators were unanimous in their praise and [he] has managed to inspire admiration and affection among his peers.”
Craig S. Miller, Chair of Ulmer & Berne’s Public Law Group, has 30 years of experience that integrates urban development, public law/public contracts/government relations, real estate development and financing, construction law, zoning and land use, and nonprofit corporations. He has been distinguished by Chambers USA as a leading real estate attorney for the past two years.
Patricia A. Shlonsky, Chair of the Firm’s Employee Benefits Group, has more than 20 years of experience assisting clients in the establishment, qualification and maintenance of all types of employee benefit plans. Chambers USA reports that she is described as an “extremely knowledgeable” attorney, who receives high praises for her ability “to communicate with people in a manner they can understand.” As noted in Chambers USA, “she can get to the bottom line of an issue very easily.”
F. Thomas Vickers, Chair of the Firm’s Construction Litigation Group, represents public and private owners, contractors, architects and engineers in all phases of construction-related matters. Chambers USA reports that he “inspires widespread praise from his clients,” including one who described Vickers as a lawyer who provides “thorough research and [a] meticulous work product [that] never fails to put me at ease.”
Michael N. Ungar, Chair of the Litigation Department, has a national business litigation practice that encompasses a broad range of general business disputes, with a focus on banking, securities and broker-dealer matters, class actions and other types of complex litigation, including defense of shareholder and derivative claims, trade secrets/unfair competition, SEC, NASD and NYSE investigations, and professional liability. Chambers USA reports that he was commended for his extensive business litigation experience and for his reputation as a “razor-sharp litigator and all-around high-class guy.”
Chambers USA is published by London-based, top legal publishers Chambers & Partners Legal Publishers, which produces a similar directory in the United Kingdom. The US directory, in its fifth year, lists top attorneys by state. The attorneys listed were chosen after more than 40 full-time researchers conducted over 14,000 interviews with clients and attorneys. According to Chambers & Partners, law firms and individual attorneys are ranked based on “technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial awareness/astuteness, diligence, commitment and other qualities most valued by the client.” The directory also includes comments on each attorney that come directly from the interviews conducted by the researchers.
Ulmer & Berne LLP, established in 1908, is one of Ohio’s largest law firms. The Firm was recently recognized in The BTI Consulting Group’s most recent survey of corporate counsel as one of only 85 firms nationally that “delivers the best value for the dollar.” Also, in a survey of Fortune 500 companies by Corporate Counsel magazine, Ulmer & Berne has been chosen as a Go-To Law Firm®. Less than one-half of one percent of all of the law firms in the US and abroad received this distinction.
A full-service firm with over 180 attorneys in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Chicago, Ulmer & Berne represents publicly traded and privately held companies, financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, family businesses, international joint ventures and affiliations, investor groups, start-ups and emerging businesses, public bodies and nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit www.ulmer.com.
