Vorys Elevates Nine to Partner
Vorys is pleased to announce that Leslie A. Allen, James T. Barnish, Jessica Knopp Cunning, Suzanne R. Galyardt, Liana R. Hollingsworth, Joel M. Lund, Gabriel A. Moyer, Matthew J. Porter and Frank C. Zonars became partners of the law firm on January 1, 2021. Learn more about each of them below.
Leslie Allen is a member of the eControl group in the Vorys Cincinnati office. As a member of the Vorys eControl, Leslie focuses on enforcement against unauthorized and illegal online sellers for both direct sales and retail clients, identifying sellers and unraveling complex diversion schemes in the U.S. and internationally. Allen also leads Vorys’ in-house investigation and volume enforcement teams and is a contributor to the Marketplace Solutions blog.
Jim Barnish is a member of the litigation group in the Vorys Houston office. His practice is focused on litigation in the construction, transportation, utility and oil & gas industries. He regularly represents general contractors and subcontractors in disputes over performance and payment, and advises construction clients about their indemnity and insurance coverage obligations. Barnish has represented employers in disputes involving non-competition agreements, non-solicit agreements, theft of trade secrets/confidential information, discrimination claims, and class actions. He also has experience in complex commercial cases involving contract disputes and tort claims.
Jessica Knopp Cunning is a member of the eControl group in the Vorys Akron office. Her practice focuses on designing and implementing product distribution and enforcement strategies designed to protect brand value by controlling online sales. Her areas of focus include advising on online go-to-market strategies best suited to protect and grow brands, revamping outdated distribution models to support brand success, and executing legal strategies to remove unauthorized sellers and minimum advertised price (MAP) violators. She also counsels brands and manufacturers on intellectual property matters and antitrust considerations, including minimum advertised pricing policies and resale price maintenance.
Suzanne Galyardt is a member of the trusts, estates, and wealth transfer group in the Vorys Columbus office. Her practice focuses on tax-exempt organizations, estate planning, estate and trust administration, and litigation involving gifts, estates, and trusts. She advises tax-exempt organizations with respect to corporate governance, business transactions, and tax and gift matters. In addition to her tax-exempt organizations practice, Suzanne works on a wide variety of wealth transfer matters for clients, including estate planning designed to protect clients’ assets and minimize estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes, strategic philanthropy, representation of corporate and individual fiduciaries on various trust and estate administration issues, and litigation involving estates and trusts.
Liana Hollingsworth is a member of the labor and employment group in the Vorys Cleveland office. Her practice focuses on representing employers in litigation arising out of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title VII, Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Equal Pay Act (EPA), and similar state laws. She also participates in employment-related arbitrations and defends employers against charges and complaints before federal and state administrative agencies. Hollingsworth also counsels clients on a variety of employment law matters, including compliance issues, reductions in force, employee discipline and termination decisions, and internal complaints and investigations.
Joel Lund is a member of the finance, energy and real estate group in the Vorys Cincinnati office. His practice focuses primarily on commercial and structured finance matters and general real estate matters. Joel represents clients in a wide range of financing transactions, including syndicated and participated credit facilities, asset-based lending facilities, acquisition financings, structured and mezzanine financings, and workouts and restructurings.
Gabe Moyer is a member of the finance, energy and real estate group in the Vorys Cincinnati office. His practice focuses on the acquisition, sale, financing, and development of apartment buildings, skilled nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other senior living and senior health care facilities. He represents lenders and borrowers in financing transactions and lenders, purchasers and sellers in real estate transfers, including transfers requiring the approval of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Matthew Porter is a member of the finance, energy and real estate group in the Vorys Washington, D.C. office. His practice is focused on commercial real estate finance, primarily FHA-insured healthcare facilities and multifamily housing projects. Matt represents lenders and borrowers on refinancings, construction loans, bridge loans, mezzanine loans, asset transfers and acquisitions, and loan modifications, and has served as lead lender's counsel on transactions in over 35 states.
Frank Zonars is a member of the corporate group in the Vorys Columbus office. His practice focuses on sophisticated merger & acquisition, joint venture, venture capital and private equity transactions. Zonars serves as outside general counsel to privately held companies and venture capital-backed startups, advising on a range of general business matters related to business formation, growth and disposition. Zonars is also an active legal voice in the Esports industry, and is the leader of Vorys’ Esports & Video Gaming Legal Solutions practice.
About Vorys: Vorys was established in 1909 with just four attorneys and has grown to nearly 375 attorneys in seven offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Akron, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; Houston, Texas; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Vorys currently ranks as one of the 200 largest law firms in the United States according to American Lawyer magazine.
