Employer: Thompson Hine Title and Practice Area: Partner, Litigation

Describe your biggest win or accomplishment in practice.  My most significant win was a jury verdict in Bazarian Int'l Fin. Assocs. v. Desarrollos Aerohotelco (U.S. District Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.) The case against several companies controlled by a Venezuelan developer required us to pierce the corporate veil across multiple entities, which we successfully did, while also recovering our attorneys' fees.

What was the most valuable lesson you learned in your first year practicing law?  The most valuable lesson I learned during my first year was the importance of being cordial and developing a constructive relationship with opposing counsel. Being reasonable and able to work together generally leads to a better outcome for one's client.

Who is your greatest lawyer mentor and what has he or she taught you?  Instead of having one lawyer mentor, my learning has been forged over the years by the examples set by multiple attorneys who have demonstrated both the types of conduct in which to engage and the types of conduct to avoid. One learns extensively from both.

Please share a brief key to your success. One of the keys to my success in building my client base has been the importance of word of mouth and referrals from existing clients to new ones. My vaping industry client base has grown organically through clients' referrals of their industry contacts to me.