Vorys Expands National Economic Development Incentives Practice
Vorys announced today that Jonathan Stock and Christopher Knezevic, attorneys with more than 30 years of combined experience, have joined the firm’s economic development incentives practice. These additions strengthen an already burgeoning practice. The team has now consulted on economic development incentives issues in more than 30 states across the country.
“Our clients are now calling upon our services throughout the United States. Welcoming Jon and Chris will help us better serve our clients’ needs in closing economic development incentives deals that help them meet their business objectives,” said Scott Ziance, leader of the firm’s tax incentives and economic development practice.
Stock joins as of counsel in the Vorys Columbus office. Prior to joining Vorys, he served as chief legal counsel for the Ohio Development Services Agency. Stock’s experience at the agency included overseeing programs involving tax credits, grants, loans, workforce training, export assistance, small business centers, minority business services and support for technology and innovation companies. Prior to joining ODSA, he focused his legal practice on complex commercial litigation and class actions. He received his J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School and his B.A. summa cum laude from Dartmouth College.
“Jon, having served as the chief counsel of a state economic development agency, brings a unique government perspective that will bring great value to our clients,” Ziance said. “He also has significant litigation experience, which allows him to see and analyze the potential risk exposure for prospective transactions.”
Knezevic joined as an associate in the Vorys Columbus office. He has a decade of experience advising domestic and international companies on economic development incentives, tax incentives and site selection analysis. Knezevic has helped his clients, spanning from Fortune 100 corporations to small and middle market enterprises in jurisdictions across the U.S., obtain more than $500 million in incentives. Prior to joining Vorys, he was a senior manager at Ernst & Young in Charlotte, North Carolina. Knezevic received his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and his B.A. cum laude from Miami University.
“Chris has spent a decade focused on helping clients obtain business incentives in states across the country,” said Ziance. “In addition, he has worked for clients in a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing, financial services, energy, distribution, transportation, healthcare, education and retail. As we continue to expand our practice into more states, our clients will continually call upon Chris’ skill set.”
The attorneys in the Vorys tax incentives and economic development practice have broad experience serving both public entities and private businesses in all aspects of structuring, securing, implementing and maintaining federal, state and local economic development incentives. The breadth and depth of the firm’s capabilities have helped the firm to develop one of the largest multi-state economic development incentives practices based in a U.S. law firm. For example, Vorys lawyers:
- Represent a West Coast-based Fortune 50 company as incentives counsel in 12 states from coast to coast
- Served as incentives counsel to a majority of the 10 largest public companies in central Ohio
- Served as special counsel to a city and helped it win a site-selection contest for a 1,400-employee corporate headquarters facility and construct $50M+ of public improvements to leverage the headquarters and related development
- Served as incentives counsel in connection with three of the largest five incentives packages in the history of the Ohio Department of Development
About Vorys: Vorys was established in 1909 and has grown to be one of the largest Ohio-based law firms with 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.
