Mitchell A. Tobias

Mitch is a partner in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the litigation group.  Mitch is a member of Vorys' drone and autonomous vehicle working group, with a focus on the energy industry.  He is also a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Columbus Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association.

Notable experience includes:

• Serving as second chair in a week-long jury trial concerning a franchise dispute, securing a favorable result for client
• Serving as second chair in a bench trial concerning a commercial property dispute, securing a favorable result for client
• Serving as first chair in a bench trial and subsequent appeal involving the Convention on The Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, securing a favorable result for the client in both the trial court and the Sixth Circuit
• Representing multiple clients in several arbitrations involving breach of contract, product liability, and oil & gas lease disputes
• Serving on multiple teams representing clients in construction law, commercial property and oil & gas lease disputes
• Defending product liability claims involving products ranging from small consumer goods to large industrial equipment
  
• Assisting clients with matters involving the Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Presenting at the Ohio State Bar Association Construction Law Forum CLE
• Defending a Criminal Justice Act (CJA) client in a Sixth Circuit appeal and subsequent petition for Writ of Certiorari to the United States Supreme Court

In late 2013, Mitch began a 4-month secondment as in-house counsel for one of the firm's clients.  During his secondment, Mitch assisted the client with all legal matters involving a division of the company.

Mitch received his J.D. summa cum laude from Capital University Law School, where he was a member of the Order of Barristers and the Order of the Curia.  He was also a member of the Capital University National Moot Court Team, competing in the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition.  He received his B.S.M.E. from the University of Rochester, where he was Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi.

Prior to joining Vorys, Mitch was a practicing mechanical engineer.  In that role, his notable experiences included:

• Designing scales with capacities of up to 1.5 million pounds for weighing vehicles such as over-the-road trucks, off-highway trucks and rail cars
• Co-inventor of U.S. Patent No. 8,353,388

Honors & Recognitions

The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, 2025

Professional & Community Activities

Columbus Bar Foundation, Fellow

NAIOP, Central Ohio Chapter, Programming Committee, Member