John M. Alton

Named a top attorney in his field, Ben joined the firm Fishel Downey Albrecht & Riepenhoff LLP in 1999. He became a partner in 2008. Always willing to “go the extra mile,” this avid cyclist and runner has been known to join clients in a bike ride or marathon. This philosophy has earned him the respect of clients, peers and even opposing counsel. Strong Support for Municipalities Ben advises cities, townships, counties and public officials throughout Ohio on all labor and emplo...

Andrew J. Art is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Andrew J., who practices law in Columbus, Ohio, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Andrew J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kevin E. Griffith practices primarily in the areas of business competition litigation and employment litigation. He has extensive litigation experience in cases involving corporate raiding and interference with contract claims, and enforcing and defending employment contracts, trade secrets and covenants-not-to-compete. He has defended hundreds of employment discrimination and wrongful termination cases, including several seminal cases before the Ohio Supreme Court. In addition, Kevin counsel...

Philip Stovall is a partner in Hahn Loeser’s Business Practice Area and focuses on debtor/creditor issues, commercial and bankruptcy litigation, insolvency, workouts, and tax controversies. Phil represents debtors, creditors, and other parties in interest in commercial bankruptcy cases and in complex litigation in state and federal courts. He also advises clients with respect to out-of-court insolvency matters, including out-of-court restructurings and workouts, and in matters involving...

Geoffrey Kunkler joined Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP in 2014 and has been a Partner since 2018. His practice is centered around estate planning for individuals and business owners, as well as asset protection planning for retirees. He focuses primarily on the areas of estate planning, elder protection, estate administration, charitable and philanthropic planning and special needs planning. He also has extensive experience in conducting educational seminars on legal topics related to his e...

Michael King joined Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP in 2022 after serving as a Franklin County Municipal Court Judge. His practice focuses primarily on business litigation and municipal law. Throughout his career, Michael has served the Central Ohio community through several positions in the private and public sectors. In his roles as a judicial law clerk, trial attorney, municipal law director and prosecutor, Micheal has appeared in federal, state and local courts throughout Ohio. His exper...

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

Dave Thomas is a partner in Taft’s Compliance, Investigations, and White Collar Defense practice. He advises and represents companies, executives, public officials, health care providers, and other professionals who are the subject of state and federal investigations and prosecutions involving the United States Department of Justice and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, as well as county prosecutors throughout the state. He has defended clients in complex matters involving feder...

James V. Maniace is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Energy Law, Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law. James V., who practices law in Columbus, Ohio, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James V. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Thomas J. Riley focuses his practice on business and corporate law as well as wealth transfer planning. He counsels small to midsize closely held manufacturing and distribution enterprises and professional practices on matters including tax planning, contract negotiations, and mergers and acquisitions. T.J. has experience handling multi-employee union plans, master and prototype plans for sponsoring organizations, and Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). He also advises owners on successio...