Gretchen Rutz Leist

Gretchen is an associate in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the firm’s financial and real estate group.  As part of her practice, she drafts and negotiates a wide variety of agreements including non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, license agreements, terms of use, terms of sale, sourcing agreements and services agreements.  As part of her collaboration with other Vorys attorneys handling real property development that involves multiple legal disciplines, Gretchen also drafts and negotiates agreements with design professionals and construction contractors. In addition, Gretchen has experience drafting and negotiating event agreements and influencer agreements, with a passion for tracking the growing industry of social media influencers across various platforms. 

Gretchen is also an active member of the firm’s privacy & data security practice.  She has experience drafting website terms, conducting legal research, and advising clients on the application of U.S. state and federal privacy laws, including the CCPA, CPRA, BIPA, CDPA, FERPA, TCPA and COPPA, as well as advising clients on GDPR compliance.  Gretchen’s practice focuses on corporate, commercial and retail transactions.  Prior to joining Vorys, Gretchen was a judicial extern for the Ohio Supreme Court, performing legal research, editing drafts for majority and dissenting opinions, and drafting memoranda analyzing discretionary and certified conflict appeals.

Gretchen received her J.D. summa cum laude from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where she was a member of the Student Bar Association and an online editor of the Ohio State Law Journal.  She received her bachelors of music summa cum laude from Capital University, conducting her student teaching in band and choir.  She regularly sings with the Lancaster Chorale and is a board member of Early Music in Columbus.

Honors & Recognitions

Columbus CEO, Best Lawyers, Information Technology, 2022

CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Legal Negotiations, 2019

CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Energy Law, 2019

The Ohio State University Chapter of The Order of the Coif, 2019

John J. Adams Memorial Award, 2019

CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Law & Religion, 2018

CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Advanced Constitutional Law, 2018

CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Privacy Law, 2018

CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Advanced Legal Writing, 2018

CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Big Data Law and Policy, 2018

CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Trademarks, 2017

CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in LAW II, 2017

CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Transactional Practice, 2017