Daniel E. White

John Gerak routinely advises employers on all aspects of the employment relationship. John has developed a reputation as a true business partner, assisting employers to avoid litigation through highly focused custom training, human resource policy and process improvement and legal compliance. In the event litigation cannot be avoided, John has extensive experience litigation sing-plaintiff employment cases as well as class action discrimination and wage and hour cases.

Jeffrey W. Van Wagner is the Managing Shareholder of BSPH. His career as a litigator and trial attorney has now spanned three decades. He is a 1979 graduate of Case Western Reserve School of Law and has extensive litigation and trial experience in the areas of nursing home liability, medical malpractice defense of physicians and institutions, and product liability. He has extensive experience in defending physicians and institutions where opioid prescription practices are at issue and is well...

Christopher Mellino is the owner and founder of The Mellino Law Firm. He has been representing Ohioans in serious personal injury , wrongful death , and medical malpractice claims for more than 30 years. His work on landmark cases, such as Moskovitz v. Mt. Sinai Medical Center (1994) and Watkins v. Cleveland Clinic Foundation (1998), has been instrumental in changing state law regarding medical malpractice and negligence. Chris has successfully recovered million- and multimillion-dollar settl...

Daniela Paez is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Daniela, who practices law in Cleveland, Ohio, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Daniela is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jim Vail joined the Firm in 1979 and has been a Partner since 1986. He served as the Firm's Managing Partner from 1996 through 2019. Jim primarily counsels businesses, nonprofit and health care organizations in all aspects of their operations, including formations, mergers and organizations, joint ventures, contracting, and succession planning. Jim argued a case before the United States Supreme Court where he obtained a unanimous favorable decision. Spectrum Sports, Inc. v. McQuillan, 506 U.S...

Bruce Waterhouse is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law. Bruce, who practices law in Cleveland, Ohio, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Bruce is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Anthony Coyne is President and Managing Partner of Mansour Gavin, where his legal practice centers on business law , municipal law, zoning and planning, eminent domain, real propert y, and litigation . Well-versed in urban affairs, Coyne has authored several papers and held significant positions, including Executive Assistant to the Director of Transition for Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White. Additionally, he served as a Judicial Extern for Judge Alice M. Batchelder, who is now senior status ...

Lawrence E. Oscar, former CEO and managing partner of Hahn Loeser & Parks and currently the firm’s Ohio Regional Coordinating Partner, and Business Enterprises Practice Area Co-Chair, serves as a key advisor to executive management at NYSE and Fortune 1000 companies. He provides counsel for a wide range of situations and issues, including overall strategy, dispute resolution, employee relations, mergers and acquisitions, political developments and pricing strategies, among others. R...

Ryan Nowlin is a Fellow and a Certified Arbitrator with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a nationally recognized group of leading practitioners of family law, and he is board certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a specialist in the practice of Family Relations law. Ryan represents individuals in every phase of divorce and custody proceedings and appears in Domestic Relations and Juvenile courts throughout Northeast Ohio. He was drawn to family law as an opportunity to he...

Joan M. Gross is Senior Counsel to the firm’s Estate Planning, Wealth Transfer and Preservation Section, working out of the Cleveland office. For over 40 years, Joan has assisted clients in transferring their wealth, in a tax efficient manner, to the individuals and charities they wish to benefit. Joan is an OSBA Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. She is also listed in the 2005-20 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and the 2008-20 editions of...