MEMBERS OF FIRM
William M. Connelly (Member) born Toledo, Ohio, September 4, 1939; admitted to bar, 1964, Ohio; 1965, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; 1969, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; 1971, U.S. Supreme Court; 1993, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan; 1996, U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan; 1997, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio. Education: John Carroll University (B.S.S., cum laude, 1961); The Ohio State University (J.D., 1964). Phi Delta Phi. Recipient, Distinguished Toledo Lawyer Award, 1995. Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 1987. Adjunct Professor: University of Toledo College of Law, 1968-1975; Adjunct Professor, University of Toledo Medical Center, 1986-1992. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Ohio, 1969-1971. Special Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Internal Security Division, 1971-1972. Vice President, General Counsel, 2001-2004, Member, Board of Trustees, 1992-2001 and Chairman, 1999-2001, University of Toledo Medical Center. Member: Toledo, Ohio State and American Bar Associations. Fellow: American, Ohio and Toledo Bar Foundations. Practice Areas: Complex Business Litigation.Email: William M. Connelly
Reginald S. Jackson, Jr. (Member) born Toledo, Ohio, October 8, 1946; admitted to bar, 1971, Ohio; 1972, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; 1976, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court; 2003, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio; 2006, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. Education: The Ohio State University (B.A., 1968; J.D., 1971). Adjunct Professor, Trial Practice, University of Toledo College of Law, 1976-1989. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Ohio, 1976-1978. Member: Toledo (President, 1989-1990), Ohio State (President, 2000-2001), Federal and American (House of Delegates, 1996-1999; 2001) Bar Associations; American Judicature Society; Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers; American Board of Trial Advocates (Associate). Fellow: Toledo (President, 1993-1998), Ohio (President, 2008-2009) and American Bar Foundations. (Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy). Practice Areas: Complex Business Litigation; Professional Liability; Federal White Collar Criminal Defense.Email: Reginald S. Jackson, Jr.
Steven R. Smith (Member) born Findlay, Ohio, October 3, 1953; admitted to bar, 1980, Ohio; 1981, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; 1984, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: Miami University (B.A., with honors, 1975); The Ohio State University (M.A., 1977); University of Toledo (J.D., 1980). Phi Kappa Phi. Articles Editor, University of Toledo Law Review, 1979-1980. Member: Toledo (President, 2004-2005), Ohio State, Federal and American Bar Associations; The Ohio Association for Justice. Fellow: Toledo and Ohio State Bar Foundations. Practice Areas: Complex Business Litigation; Insurance Coverage.Email: Steven R. Smith
Steven P. Collier (Member) born Deshler, Ohio, October 4, 1955; admitted to bar, 1981, Ohio; 1982, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; 1984, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: Wittenberg University (B.A., cum laude, 1977); University of Cincinnati (J.D., 1981). Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Toledo Medical Center, 1992. Adjunct Professor, University of Toledo College of Law, 1997-2004. Listed, Best Lawyers in America, Personal Injury, 1997 and Ohio Super Lawyers, 2004. Member, Ohio Medical Malpractice Commission, 2003-2005. Member, Supreme Court of Ohio Task Force on Court Reporter Certification. Member: Toledo, Ohio State and American Bar Associations; The American Association for Justice; The Ohio Association for Justice (President, 2001-2002; Fellow, 2003; Distinguished Service Awards, 1996, 2004, 2005); American College of Legal Medicine (Associate Member); American Board of Trial Advocates (Associate); Ohio State Bar Foundation; Toledo Bar Foundation. Fellow: Toledo Bar Foundation and Ohio State Bar Foundation. (Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy). Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Medical Malpractice; Product Liability.Email: Steven P. Collier
Michael A. Bonfiglio (Member) born Toledo, Ohio, March 31, 1955; admitted to bar, 1985, Ohio; 1986, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; 1994, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; 1996, U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan; 2009, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Bowling Green State University (B.S., 1977); University of Toledo (J.D., cum laude, 1985). Assistant Lucas County Prosecutor, Criminal Division, 1987-1988. Member: Lucas County, Toledo and Ohio State Bar Associations; The Ohio Association for Justice; Toledo Trial Lawyers Association. Fellow: Toledo Bar Foundation. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice; Personal Injury.Email: Michael A. Bonfiglio
Janine T. Avila (Member) born Perrysburg, Ohio, July 12, 1950; admitted to bar, 1991, Ohio; 1992, Michigan, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan; U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Miami University (B.A., cum laude, 1972); University of Toledo (J.D., summa cum laude, 1991). Phi Kappa Phi; Order of the Coif. Student Editor, University of Toledo Law Review, 1990-1991. Member: Toledo, Ohio State and American Bar Associations; The Ohio Association for Justice (Trustee, 2000); The American Association for Justice. Fellow: Toledo Bar Foundation. Transactions: Ohio Supreme Court Commission on Ohio Rules of Practice and Procedure (January 2008-December 31, 2010); Editorial Board, Ohio Trial Magazine (2004); Author: "Kissing Cousins: The relationship of a dual-capacity doctrine to workers' compensation," Tort Law Journal of Ohio, Vol. I, Issue 4; "Trial of the Multiple Tortfeasor Case: Tips on How to Untangle the Web," Ohio Trial. Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Employment Litigation; Complex Business Litigation; Insurance Coverage.Email: Janine T. Avila
Anthony E. Turley (Member) born Findlay, Ohio, February 6, 1963; admitted to bar, 1998, Ohio; 1999, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio and U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: University of Toledo (B.S., 1995; J.D., magna cum laude, 1998). Order of the Coif. Author: "Tragedy Tomorrow, Comity Tonight," 29 U. Tol. L. Rev. 177, 1998. Member: Toledo, Ohio State and American Bar Associations; The American Association for Justice; The Ohio Association for Justice. Fellow: Toledo Bar Foundation. Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Medical Malpractice.Email: Anthony E. Turley
ASSOCIATES
Tammy Geiger Lavalette (Associate) born Cincinnati, Ohio, November 14, 1969; admitted to bar, 1999, Ohio; 2000, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; 2001, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio and U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: Ohio University (B.A., cum laude, 1992); University of Toledo (J.D., magna cum laude, 1999). Order of the Coif. Member, University of Toledo Law Review, 1997-1999. Member: Toledo and Ohio State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Business Litigation; Employment; Insurance.Email: Tammy Geiger Lavalette
Timothy P. Nackowicz (Associate) born Cleveland, Ohio, November 18, 1977; admitted to bar, 2003, Ohio; 2004, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; 2007, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: Miami University (B.A., International Studies, cum laude, 2000); The Ohio State University (J.D., with honors, 2003). Member: Toledo, Ohio State and American Bar Associations; The American Association for Justice; The Ohio Association for Justice. Practice Areas: Complex Business Litigation; Professional Liability.Email: Timothy P. Nackowicz
Adam S. Nightingale (Associate) born Rochester, Minnesota, November 1, 1979; admitted to bar, 2005, Ohio, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio and U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan. Education: Ohio State University (B.A., Music, 2002); University of Toledo (J.D., magna cum laude, 2005). Assistant Executive Editor, University of Toledo Law Review, 2004-2005. Law Clerk, Honorable Jack Zouhary, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, 2006-2007. Member: Toledo, Ohio State and American Bar Associations; The Ohio Association for Justice. Practice Areas: Complex Business Litigation; Insurance Coverage; Administrative Law; Personal Injury.Email: Adam S. Nightingale