Vorys Elevates 15 to Partner
Vorys is pleased to announce that Ilya Batikov, Jeffrey Bieszczak, Carrie Brosius, Zachary Brumfield, John Collins, Ryan Elliott, Lauren Fromme, Andrew Guran, Nicholas House, Hilary Houston, Elizabeth Howard, Ashley Manfull, Nicklaus Reis, Emily St. Cyr and Aaron Williams became partners of the law firm on January 1, 2023. Learn more about each of them below:
Columbus:
Ilya Batikov is a member of the firm’s energy group. His practice focuses primarily on oil and gas and public utility matters, including litigation before state and federal courts and administrative bodies. Ilya regularly counsels clients in matters involving oil and gas development, leasing and operating rights and mineral ownership. He also has experience representing clients, including wholesale and retail suppliers, in rate proceedings, complaint proceedings and investigations before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
Zach Brumfield is a member of the finance, energy and real estate group. His practice focuses on commercial finance matters, representing both lenders and large corporate borrowers in a wide range of financing transactions including syndicated loan facilities, asset-based lending facilities, acquisition financings, structured and mezzanine financings and other secured and unsecured loan facilities.
Ryan Elliott is a member of the energy and environmental group. He counsels clients in all aspects of environmental law, including administrative appeals, litigation, transactional, and federal and state air, water and waste regulatory compliance and permitting matters. Ryan has experience handling matters involving the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Clean Water Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Emergency Planning, and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
Lauren Fromme is a member of tax group. She advises clients on a range of federal income tax planning matters. These matters have involved mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, partnerships, LLCs, S corporations, consolidated groups, real estate, intangible and intellectual property, sale/leaseback transactions, cross-border tax planning, financings and public and private securities and debt offerings.
Hilary Houston is a member of the tax and probate group. Her practice is focused on state and local taxes, with an emphasis on sales and use tax, the certification of exempt facilities, multi-state real property tax exemptions, Ohio Board of Revision complaints, multi-state real property tax valuation matters, and taxes that apply to the oil and gas industry. Hilary has represented clients before the Ohio Department of Taxation, the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, the Ohio Supreme Court and various local Boards of Revision.
Elizabeth Howard is a member of the labor and employment group. Her practice focuses on employee benefits. She has experience working with employers and multiemployer plans on benefit issues, including assisting with the design, administration, and compliance of qualified retirement plans, deferred compensation plans, health and welfare plans, and fringe benefits. She also has experience representing clients with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of Labor (DOL) and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).
Nick Reis is a member of the finance, energy and real estate group. He focuses his practice on commercial real estate law and real estate-based commercial lending. Nick has represented financial institutions in connection with conventional construction and acquisition loans, permanent loans, letter of credit facilities, loan restructuring, loan participations, and low-income housing tax credit finance, historic tax credit finance and government-based subsidized finance and guaranty programs. He has also provided representation in connection with acquisitions and sales of office, industrial, retail and multi-family projects, and in negotiating and drafting of leases on behalf of commercial landlords and tenants, and other general real estate matters.
Cleveland:
Jeff Bieszczak is a member of the finance, energy and real estate group. His commercial finance practice focuses on representing administrative agents, lenders and borrowers in a diverse array of lending transactions, with an emphasis on fund finance and bilateral and syndicated middle-market, asset-based and leveraged loan transactions. Jeff’s fund finance experience includes advising banks in structuring, negotiating and documenting a variety of fund-finance loan products, including subscription lines of credit, NAV loans, “umbrella” credit facilities, “fund of one” credit facilities and private-banking loans to high-net-worth investors.
Carrie Brosius is a member of the firm’s bankruptcy and restructuring subgroup. Carrie has a diverse practice which allows her to assist clients on a wide range of legal and business issues. Carrie regularly represents financial institutions and other creditors on loan restructurings and workouts, bankruptcy proceedings, and other creditors’ rights matters, including receiverships, foreclosures and every aspect of collection law. Carrie regularly defends and prosecutes avoidance actions in bankruptcy courts across the country. Carrie is also an experienced finance attorney with expertise in complex lending transactions, including the structuring and documentation of traditional and mezzanine loans.
Nick House is a member of the finance, energy and real estate group. He is a corporate attorney whose practice focuses on commercial finance and real estate matters. Nick regularly represents lenders and borrowers in a wide range of secured and unsecured financing transactions, including syndicated and single bank asset-based facilities, commercial loans, subordinated debt financings, commercial real estate loans, and workouts and restructurings. Nick also represents public and private companies in real estate matters, including acquisitions, dispositions and development.
Aaron Williams is a member of the litigation and intellectual property groups. His practice focuses on representing clients in connection with the defense or prosecution of their intellectual property rights, including cases involving patent and trademark infringement, trade secrets, and non-competition agreements. Aaron also maintains a broad-based litigation practice representing public and private companies, as well as individual officers, directors, partners, and fiduciaries, in complex business disputes involving securities fraud violations, shareholder derivative actions, business torts, and class action defense.
Akron:
Andrew Guran a member of the litigation group. He is experienced in appellate, commercial, construction, toxic tort litigation, oil and gas litigation, and general business litigation. He has successfully presented oral arguments before the Court of Appeals Ninth Appellate District, represented a client in jury trial in contract dispute involving breach of environmental warranties and serving as a member of a team for national coordinating counsel for a Fortune 500 company in toxic tort litigation.
Ashley Manfull is a member of the labor and employment group. Her practice focuses on representing employers in employment-related litigation and defending them against charges before administrative agencies. Ashley also counsels employers on effective employment practices and compliance with federal and state labor laws, including civil rights laws, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and wage and hour law.
Cincinnati:
Emily St. Cyr is a member of the litigation group. She has a diverse practice representing large corporations, small businesses and individuals in both state and federal courts throughout the country. She has obtained a 7-2 decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of client, the petitioner, in Marietta Mem'l Hosp. Emp. Health Ben. Plan v. DaVita Inc., 142 S. Ct. 1968 (2022), obtained a verdict in favor of employer in bench trial on claims for violations of employees’ non-competition agreements, including obtaining an award of attorneys’ fees and costs on a post-trial motion for reconsideration and secured dismissal of actions and claims on motions to dismiss in both state and federal courts.
Houston:
John Collins is a member of the litigation group. His practice areas include commercial and business litigation, personal injury litigation, and insurance coverage and defense. John also has experience defending employers against claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in state and federal court, and he has represented employers before various administrative agencies in Texas and New Mexico. John also devotes a portion of his practice to real property tax valuation disputes and appeals, including regularly litigating such matters throughout the state of Texas.
About Vorys: Vorys was established in 1909 and currently has nearly 375 attorneys in nine offices in Ohio, Washington, D.C., Texas, Pennsylvania, California and London. Vorys currently ranks as one of the 200 largest law firms in the United States according to American Lawyer magazine. To learn more about Vorys’ diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, click here.
