PARTNERS
Karen L. Giffen (Partner) born Ellwood City, Pennsylvania; admitted to bar, 1989, Ohio. Education: Cleveland State University (B.A., 1980); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., summa cum laude, 1989). Super Lawyer-Corporate Counsel; 2007 NEO Success Award; Federal Bar Association Award for Excellence in Constitutional Law. Member: Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations; National Association of Minority and Female Owned Law Firms; DRI. Practice Areas: Employment(60%); Securities Litigation(30%); Commercial Disorder(10%).Email: Karen L. Giffen
Kerin Lyn Kaminski (Partner) born Cleveland, Ohio; admitted to bar, 1985, Ohio; U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio; U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Ashland College (B.A., cum laude, 1980); Cleveland-Marshall Law School (J.D., magna cum laude, 1985). Listed: Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel; Super Lawyers Top 50 Ohio Women; Crain's Women of Note; Inside Business Leading Lawyer. Member: Cleveland Bar Association (President, 2008); Ohio State Bar Association; National Association of Minority and Female Owned Law Firms; DRI. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Employment Litigation; Real Estate Litigation; Creditors Rights; Probate Litigation; Trust and Probate Litigation; Banking Litigation.Email: Kerin Lyn Kaminski
Peggy Foley-Jones (Partner) born Milwaukee, Wisconsin; admitted to bar, 1985, Ohio. Education: Macalester College (B.A., 1980); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., 1984). Retired Judge: Cuyahoga Court of Common Pleas; Eighth District Court of Appeals. Member: Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations; American Inns of Court - William K. Thomas Chapter; Ohio Women's Bar Association. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Arbitration; Mediation.
Carole Schwartz Rendon (Partner) born Cleveland, Ohio; admitted to bar, 1989, Illinois; 1997, Massachusetts; 1999, Ohio; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; U.S. Court of Appeals, First and Sixth Circuits. Education: Northwestern University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1984); Northwestern University School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1987). Phi Beta Kappa; Wigmore Scholar. Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. Law Clerk to the Honorable Joel M. Flaum, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, 1987-1988. Prosecutor, Organized Crime Strike Force Unit, U.S. Attorney's Office, Boston, Massachusetts, 1988-1994. Chief, New England Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, 1994-1997. Member: Cleveland and American Bar Associations; Anthony J. Celebrezze Inn of Court. Practice Areas: Criminal Litigation; Civil Litigation; White Collar Criminal Defense.
Kathleen Nitschke (Partner) born Olney, Maryland; admitted to bar, 2001, Ohio; U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio. Education: John Carroll University (B.S., cum laude, 1997); Michigan State University (J.D., cum laude, 2000). Member: Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Real Estate Litigation; Banking Litigation.Email: Kathleen Nitschke
Wm. Joseph Baker (Partner) born Benton Harbor, Michigan; admitted to bar, 2000, Ohio; U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio. Education: Northern Michigan University (B.S., 1996); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., 2000). Member, Cleveland Marshall Law Review. Member: Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Securities Litigation; Broker-Dealer Litigation; Commercial Litigation; White Collar Criminal Defense.
ASSOCIATES
Paul D. Castillo (Associate) born El Paso, Texas; admitted to bar, 2006, Texas; 2007, Ohio; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.S., 1998); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2006). Member: Cleveland Metropolitan and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Real Estate Litigation; Employment Litigation.
Melissa A. Laubenthal (Associate) born Cleveland, Ohio; admitted to bar, 2005, Ohio; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: Hiram College (B.A., 2001); Case Western Reserve University School Of Law (J.D., 2004). Member: American Immigration Lawyers' Association (AILA); Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Immigration Law; Commercial Litigation; Real Estate Litigation.
Rachael L. Israel (Associate) born Lorain, Ohio; admitted to bar, 2000, Ohio; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: Wittenberg University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1995); Case Western Reserve University School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2000). Ohio Super Lawyer, 2006 Rising Star; Law Clerk to the Honorable Patricia A. Gaughan, U. S. District Court, N.D. Ohio, 2000-2002; Adjunct Professor, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, 2001-2005. Associate, Baker & Hostetler. 2002-2005. Associate, Kushner & Rendon, 2005-2007. Member: Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; White Collar Criminal Defense; Employment Litigation; Employment Discrimination; Banking Law.
Danielle N. Linert (Associate) born New London, Connecticut, August 17, 1968; admitted to bar, 1995, Massachusetts; 1996, Connecticut. Education: Assumption College (B.A., cum laude, 1991); Suffolk University (J.D., cum laude, 1995). Author: "Beware of What You Offer - It May Be Accepted, Boston Business Journal, August 25, 2000 and Massachusetts Expert Witnesses, Employment Lawsuits, 2002. Formerly with: Schwartz & Brennan, P.C. and Posternak, Blankstein & Lund. Reported Cases: Bhawan v. Fallon Clinic, Inc., 5 F. Supp 2d. 64 (D.Mass. 1998); United Rug Auctioneers, Inc. v. Arsalen, 2003 WL 221 33172 (Mass. Super. Ct, July 31, 2003). Practice Areas: Employment Law(95%); Litigation(5%).Email: Danielle N. Linert
Jaime M. Bouvier (Associate) born Miami, Florida, August 23, 1972; admitted to bar, 1999, Ohio. Education: University of Iowa (B.A., 1994); Case Western Reserve University (J.D., 1999). Order of the Coif. Adjunct Professor, Constitutional Law and Civil Rights and Liberties, Cleveland State University, 2004-2007. Member: Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. Languages: French.Email: Jaime M. Bouvier
Edward A. Proctor (Associate) born Cleveland, Ohio, December 3, 1968; admitted to bar, 1998, Ohio; 2004, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio. Education: John Carroll University (B.S.B.A., 1992); Ohio State University (J.D., 1998). Certified Public Accountant. Member: Ohio State Bar Association. Practice Areas: Real Estate Litigation(50%); Employment Litigation(20%); General Liability(20%); Construction Litigation(10%).Email: Edward A. Proctor