Baker, Kaplan, Ma, MacDougall, Nelson, and Wilson Elected as Partners

Cleveland, Ohio – (January 1, 2010) Tucker Ellis & West is pleased to announce that Thomas W. Baker, Matthew I. Kaplan, Lillian C. Ma, Irene M. MacDougall, Evan C. Nelson, and Lance Wilson have been elected as Partners.

Thomas W. Baker practices in the firm’s Cleveland office, with broad experience in complex commercial and product liability litigation, representing product manufacturers and suppliers, corporations involved in business disputes, and Great Lakes shipping carriers in maritime litigation. He is a Trustee of the Lakewood Public Library Foundation and was a member of the Cleveland Leadership Center's Bridge Builders Class of 2008. Mr. Baker received his juris doctorate from Cleveland Marshall College of Law and his undergraduate degree from Baldwin Wallace College.

Matthew I. Kaplan practices out the firm’s Los Angeles office, where he has a wide range of litigation experience in State and Federal Courts at both trial and appellate levels. His trial practice encompasses cases concerning business litigation, financial institutions, environmental matters, mass tort and product liability. Matt is a cum laude graduate from the University of Minnesota Law School and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.

Lillian C. Ma’s primary practice involves products liability and mass tort litigation in the San Francisco office. She also has experience in premises liability, general tort claims, environmental law, and employment law. Ms. Ma manages a large West Coast mass tort practice as national counsel for a number of Fortune 500 clients. She has also served as first chair and second chair trial counsel in mass tort cases. Lillian graduated from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Riverside. She was admitted to the California Bar in 2000. Ms. Ma is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Irene M. MacDougall is a member of the Real Estate group in the Cleveland office. With over twenty years experience in financial transactions, real estate and corporate law, Irene brings significant depth to our firm in the areas of commercial and real estate lending, real estate transactions, and commercial workouts. Irene received both her undergraduate and law degrees, magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, from Case Western Reserve University. Her numerous speaking engagements include the annual Real Estate Institutes presented by the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and the Ohio State Bar Association, and National Business Institute Seminars.

Evan C. Nelson is a member of the Mass Tort and Product Liability group and resides in the firm’s San Francisco office. His practice focuses on product liability, corporate and asbestos litigation. He has substantial first and second chair trial experience predominantly in the context of mass tort/toxic tort cases. Evan received his law degree and his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University. He holds admissions to California and Utah State bars and is also a member of the Defense Research Institute and the American Bar Association.

Lance Wilson is a trial attorney in the firm’s San Francisco office. A member of the Mass Tort and Product Liability team, Lance has extensive civil trial experience to verdict/judgment in product related matters and mass tort matters, with over eight years experience in environmental tort litigation defense. Mr. Wilson received his law degree from Brigham Young University and his undergraduate degree from California State University at Northridge. He is licensed in both California and Idaho and is a member of the Association of Defense Counsel and the Defense Research Institute.

Tucker Ellis & West LLP is a full service law firm with over 145 attorneys with offices in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, Denver, Colorado, and Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. 

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