The complexities of business today require the services of attorneys with the knowledge and experience to handle a myriad of business disputes. The Tucker Ellis Business Litigation Group, ranked in the top 25% of all law firms for commercial litigation (BTI Litigation Outlook 2018), provides a full range of legal services related to all aspects of disputes concerning business transactions and relationships. The scope of our services includes counseling clients and litigating contract disputes, employment matters, issues of fiduciary obligations, licensing, unfair business practices, antitrust, securities fraud, broker/dealer regulation, RICO, and other business torts. We also manage and coordinate complex multi-party and multi-litigation matters in both federal and state courts.
Our clients range from multinational corporations to family businesses, entrepreneurs, and sole proprietorships. Our objective in every matter is to learn the business practices and concerns of our clients and immediately develop a strategy that fits their objectives. Our goal is to resolve our clients’ business problems in the most effective, timely, and efficient manner.
In some cases, resolution is the best strategy, and we work to accomplish that goal cost effectively, thereby avoiding the burden of litigation. In those cases that must be tried to a jury, court administrative body, or arbitration panel, our trial attorneys are prepared: we have substantial experience in virtually every business setting and have tried cases in federal and state forums from coast to coast—and we often work with our Appellate & Legal Issues Group to prosecute cases beyond the trial stage.
Our Business Litigation practice is ranked in Chambers USA in the category of Litigation: General Commercial (Ohio), where our team is described as “highly skilled and strategic.” One client comments that our attorneys are “very savvy and offer excellent suggestions that work for our business.” Another source notes that our team “demonstrates ease in discussing complex, nuanced issues, and provides real-world examples and experience to support guidance.”
Key Contacts
Thomas R. Simmons
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Chelsea Mikula
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Bart L. Kessel
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Matt J. Fletcher
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Orange County, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
Our Team
Gregory P. Abrams
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Chicago, IL
Michael T. Adelsheim
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- San Francisco, CA
Motunrayo D. (M.D.) Akinmurele
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Nwadiuto (DT) Amajoyi
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Michael Anderton
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Thomas W. Baker
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Alex M. Barfield
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Atlanta, GA
Patrick M. Barkley
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Chicago, IL
Karl A. Bekeny
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Jason J. Ben
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Chicago, IL
Mollie F. Benedict
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Ariana E. Bernard
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Matthew A. Boyd
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Atlanta, GA
Anthony D. Brosamle
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Jay R. Campbell
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Cecelia (Celia) K. Carroll
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- St. Louis, MO
Lisa I. Carteen
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Christopher J. Caryl
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Stephanie Chang
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Kristen L. Chic
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Peter L. Choate
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Michael J. Choi
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- San Francisco, CA
Nicholas B. Clifford
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- St. Louis, MO
Jonathan R. Cooper
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Robert S. Crowder
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Daniel C. Curth
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Chicago, IL
Richard A. Dean
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Bradley H. Dennis
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Connor Doughty
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Chicago, IL
Danielle M. Easton
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Ndubisi (Bisi) A. Ezeolu
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
John A. Favret III
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Thomas R. Fawkes
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Chicago, IL
Joshua Fellenbaum
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Matt J. Fletcher
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Orange County, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
Nicole E. Gage
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- San Francisco, CA
Smita Gautam
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Anna L. Gecht
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Diana Katz Gerstel
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Morristown, NJ
Marlin Gramajo Gillespie
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Emily R. Day Grace
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Marc R. Greenberg
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Francisco, CA
Manju Gupta
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Douglas A. Hedenkamp
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Orange County, CA
Laura Kingsley Hong
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Izaak Horstemeier-Zrnich
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Aaron P. Howell
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Maxwell D. Huber
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- St. Louis, MO
Brian J. Huelsmann
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- St. Louis, MO
Scott R. Hunsaker
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- St. Louis, MO
Brian J. Jackiw
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Chicago, IL
Courtenay Youngblood Jalics
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Andrew L. Johnson
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Orange County, CA
Maha M. Kabbash
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Morristown, NJ
Matthew I. Kaplan
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Alexander J. L. Kaplan
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Brendan P. Kelley
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Melissa Z. Kelly
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Daniel J. Kelly
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- San Francisco, CA
Bart L. Kessel
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Sherry A. Knutson
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Chicago, IL
Spencer Krebs
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Howard A. Kroll
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Christine A. Kurke
- Position
- Counsel (admitted in Florida only)
- Locations
- Atlanta, GA
DeAngelo A. LaVette
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Nicole E. Braden Lewis
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Zi C. Lin
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Cicely I. Lubben
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- St. Louis, MO
Joanna Maxwell
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
John F. McCaffrey
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Bridget A. McCusker
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Meghan E. McDonnell
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Jennifer L. Mesko
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Steven Meyer
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Chelsea Mikula
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Monica Williams Monroe
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- San Francisco, CA
Joseph J. Morford
- Position
- Managing Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Carl F. Muller
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Tariq M. Naeem
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Nathan P. Nasrallah
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Nathan T. Newman
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Chicago, IL
- Los Angeles, CA
Edet D. Nsemo
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Chicago, IL
Jon W. Oebker
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Tyler Palmer
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Orange County, CA
Breshauna Perkins
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Atlanta, GA
Anthony R. Petruzzi
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Ronald G. Polly, Jr.
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Atlanta, GA
Robert J. Porter
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Anika M. Prednis
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Orange County, CA
Edward W. Racek
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Justin E. Rice
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Dina Roumiantseva
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- San Francisco, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
Scarlet R. Rush
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Orange County, CA
Stephanie A. Rzepka
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Lindsey E. Sacher
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Alexander R. Safyan
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Benjamin C. Sassé
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
V. Sathienmars
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- San Francisco, CA
Riley J. Shaw
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Thomas R. Simmons
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Jeffrey C. Sindelar, Jr.
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
John P. Slagter
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Hannah M. Smith
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Christine M. Snyder
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Brianna Soltys
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
William J. Stavole
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
David J. Steele
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Scott J. Stitt
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Columbus, OH
Edward E. Taber
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Christopher T. Teodosio
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Caroline M. Tinsley
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- St. Louis, MO
Anna-Sophie Tirre
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Cheska Tolentino
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Morristown, NJ
Jason M. Torf
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Chicago, IL
Robert C. Tucker
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Anthony R. Vacanti
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Victoria L. Vance
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Amanda Villalobos
- Position
- Counsel
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Genevieve R. Vince
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
S. Peter Voudouris
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Seth H. Wamelink
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Ethan W. Weber
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Joshua J. Wes
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Sandra J. Wunderlich
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- St. Louis, MO
Kevin M. Young
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Viktorija Zdraveva
- Position
- Associate
- Locations
- Columbus, OH
Michael C. Zellers
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
- Defend manufacturers, suppliers and retailers in product liability and warranty lawsuits
- Prosecute and defend jury and bench trial matters involving breach of contract, trade secrets, employment issues, breach of non-competition agreements and unfair competition
- Defend private and public sector employers against discrimination claims based on age, race, sex, disability and national origin in federal and state courts, arbitrations, EEOC and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission
- Counsel private and public sector employers on compliance issues under the FLSA, FMLA, ADA, ADEA and all aspects of federal and state civil rights and discrimination laws
- Defend individual and class action antitrust claims for a variety of industries and markets
- Represent banking/financial/mortgage companies in individual and class action litigation involving lender liability, Truth in Lending Act claims, Electronic Funds Transfer, Fair Credit Reporting Acts and predatory lending claims
- Represent closely held corporations, and directors and officers in shareholder litigation
- Represent defendants in numerous securities actions brought individually and as class actions involving violations of various federal and state securities laws
- Arbitrate securities claims in proceedings before the FINRA
- Represent employers in numerous individual and class actions involving overtime compensation, race and sex discrimination
- Prosecute and defended claims arising in the construction context for owners, architects, engineers, suppliers, contractors, and subcontractors
- Represent companies in franchisor/ franchisee and dealer termination disputes
- Defend and prosecuted claims of accounting malpractice in state and federal courts and in administrative proceedings
- Serve as General Counsel for Boards of Directors of non-profit organizations and municipal utilities
- Artificial Intelligence & Autonomous Vehicles
- Class Action Litigation
- Commercial Asset Recovery & Protection
- Construction
- Consumer Product Safety
- Educational Institutions
- ERISA Litigation
- Financial Services
- Financial Services Litigation
- Fire Litigation
- Internet Law & Domain Names
- IP Business Strategy & Agreements
- IP Litigation
- Middle Market
- Patent Litigation
- Technology Transfer
- Trade Secret Litigation
Key Contacts
Thomas R. Simmons
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Chelsea Mikula
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Cleveland, OH
Bart L. Kessel
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Los Angeles, CA
Matt J. Fletcher
- Position
- Partner
- Locations
- Orange County, CA
- Los Angeles, CA