Vorys Elevates Seven Attorneys to Partner

COLUMBUS, OHIO, Jan. 17, 2008—The law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP is pleased to announce that it has named seven new partners to the firm. The breadth of their experience reflects the increasing demand for the firm’s legal expertise in all areas of business law including corporate and finance, labor and employment, litigation and tax law.

The new partners, by office, include:

Columbus:

Anthony D. Weis- Mr. Weis is a member of the corporate and finance practice group.  He represents and advises public and privately-held corporations and financial institutions on a broad range of legal matters, including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures and strategic alliances, private placements and public offerings of securities, compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting obligations, regulatory compliance matters, organization of corporations and limited liability companies, and corporate governance and other general corporate matters.

Kelly Jennings Yeoman- Ms. Yeoman is a member of the labor and employment group. She concentrates her practice on labor and employment issues, including the defense of employers in employment-related claims, the development of personnel policies and practices, employee discipline and termination, and internal complaints and investigations.  Ms. Yeoman also counsels clients regarding compliance with employment related statutes, such as Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the American Discrimination in Employment Act, (ADEA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and with Executive Order 11246 (affirmative action for federal contractors). 

Cincinnati:

Anthony L. Osterlund- Mr. Osterlund is a member of the litigation group. His practice focuses on civil litigation in state and federal court.  He represents parties in business, construction, contractual, toxic tort, bank fraud, and employment disputes as well as race, sex, age, and disability actions.  Mr. Osterlund has significant experience in obtaining and opposing injunctive relief. He has successfully defended a large pharmaceutical manufacturer in federal and state court actions asserting individual and class claims as well as prosecuted actions against numerous individuals for bank fraud and embezzlement.

Kimberly J. Schaefer- Ms. Schaefer is a member of the corporate and finance group. Her practice includes general corporate law, securities law, banking law and franchising regulation.  She represents public and private company clients in connection with mergers, stock and asset acquisitions, initial public offerings, franchising regulation, going private transactions, executive compensation, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting, corporate governance and corporate disclosure. She also assists financial services companies with complex financial regulations, trust preferred offerings and supervisory actions.

Michael G. Schwartz- Mr. Schwartz is a member of the probate and tax practice group. He represents individuals and closely-held businesses in all facets of estate and business planning.  His estate planning experience ranges from simple to the most complex estate plans. He is one of only four attorneys in

Ohio certified as a dual specialist by the Ohio State Bar Association in the practice areas of Federal Taxation Law and Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law.  He also serves as outsourced general counsel to several closely-held businesses in a variety of service and manufacturing industries

Akron:

Thomas R. Crookes- Mr. Crookes is a member of the labor and employment group.  He represents employers with a variety of labor and employment law matters, including federal and state employment discrimination litigation, defense of administrative charges, union election campaigns, collective bargaining, non-competition litigation, civil rights actions, wage and hour disputes, and workplace safety matters. 

J. Bret Treier- Mr. Treier is a member of the corporate and finance group.  His practice focuses primarily on business transactions and representation of public companies.  He regularly counsels both public and private companies on matters of corporate governance, including fiduciary and organizational concerns, in addition to their transactional and contractual matters.  Mr. Treier is also experienced in nonprofit organization formation and operation and financial institution regulatory matters. 

“On behalf of the other partners in our firm, I am delighted to welcome these seven exceptional attorneys to our partnership,” said Russell M. Gertmenian, Presiding Partner of Vorys. “They have demonstrated keen legal abilities and comprehensive knowledge of our clients’ business interests and will be a significant asset to our current and future clients.”