Women's Initiative

Nancy M. Barnes

Firm-wide Chair, New Lawyer Committee

"Unlike many professional women, I have been fortunate throughout my career to have worked for organizations and supervisors who have always given me opportunities commensurate with my abilities without regard to gender. Since coming to Thompson Hine nearly seven years ago, I have had a wide array of experiences in my litigation practice. At no time have I ever believed that I was held back or treated differently because of my gender. Moreover, upon joining the firm , I found myself literally surrounded by women in leadership positions - on the Executive Committee, as Practice Group Leaders or in other management functions. It was clear to me from the very beginning of my career here that Thompson Hine "walked the walk" when it came to promoting women. While still an associate, I decided that I needed to have a more flexible work arrangement after the birth of my third son. My practice group leader and the firm management were fully supportive, and I made partner that very year. Last year, I was appointed to a significant management role in the firm as Chair of the firm's New Lawyer Committee. In this role, I spend a lot of time recruiting law students to join Thompson Hine - I can tell them without any hesitation that Thompson Hine is a place where women can and do succeed!"

Nancy is a litigator with experience handling a broad range of business litigation and employment-related issues. She represents clients in a wide variety of contract disputes, business torts, insurance coverage disputes and the enforcement of non-competition and confidentiality agreements. Nancy also frequently consults with companies and individuals in the drafting and negotiation of employment agreements and severance packages.

Karyn A. Booth

Practice Group Leader, Transportation

"Having joined Thompson Hine after practicing at another law firm, I have been gratified at how welcoming the firm is to lateral hires and how easy it was to assimilate into Thompson Hine's congenial culture. The firm's dedication to hiring top talent and providing the highest quality legal services made Thompson Hine the right firm for me. It really is a great place to practice law."

Karyn is a partner in the Transportation practice group. Karyn represents multinational corporations, trade associations and transportation intermediaries in domestic and international transportation matters. She advises and represents such clients in commercial transactions, regulatory proceedings and litigation involving the carriage of goods by vessel, rail, motor and air carriers.

Katherine D. Brandt

Partner-in-Charge, New York
Practice Group Leader, Commercial and Public Finance

"My career at Thompson Hine has been full of opportunities and never has the issue of gender prevented me from taking advantage of those opportunities. Whether it was making partner or being asked to assume the leadership of my practice group, I knew it was because I was thought to be a talented lawyer and leader and not because I was the token woman."

Kathie is the partner-in-charge of the New York office and is the group leader of the Commercial and Public Finance group. She focuses her practice on the development and documentation of complex commercial loan transactions, private debt, equity and mezzanine placements, asset securitizations, mergers and acquisitions, creditors' rights and sales and other dispositions of assets. Kathie maintains practices in both the firm's Cleveland and New York City offices and is admitted to the bar in the states of Ohio and New York.

Michelle W. Cohen

Hiring Partner, Washington, D.C.

"I joined Thompson Hine laterally during Summer 2005. Within the next year, I was appointed to the New Lawyer Committee, our Firm's recruiting committee, and I became the DC office's Hiring Partner in 2007. I also expressed an interest in our Women's Initiative, Spotlight on Women, which lead to my co-chairing our DC office's Women's Initiative. The bottom line is that opportunities abound at Thompson Hine; the Firm is a dynamic place where opportunities exist at every turn. I have found my colleagues to be supportive and encouraging of my internal firm leadership roles as well as my service in community and bar organizations. As I explained to someone recently, what is different here is that "instead of Nos, I get Yes," instead of "maybe, I get go ahead," "instead of 'there's someone ahead of you,' I get "why not, go ahead.' That's the type of environment that encourages energy, creativity, and dedication."

Michelle is a partner in the Telecommunications practice group. She is also a member of the firm's Emerging Technologies Practice. She focuses her practice on advising clients on a broad range of communications, consumer protection and privacy-related matters, including telemarketing, broadcast and cable television, the Internet, domestic and international wireline telephony, wireless services, and emerging technologies. In addition, Michelle represents clients in federal and state regulatory proceedings, and in federal, state, and administrative litigation. She also has experience negotiating complex telecommunications contracts.

Megan D. Dortenzo

Practice Group Leader, Intellectual Property

"My decision to join Thompson Hine was based largely on the firm's proven record of continued growth and strategic planning. I was impressed most by the firm's upper management and its practical implementation of their vision for expanding the firm's legal presence and capabilities. In particular, I found, and continue to find, Thompson Hine to be a very forward thinking firm that is willing to take certain risks when necessary to achieve desired growth. The firm management supports its decisions and its partners to provide every opportunity of success. For example, the firm made me the Intellectual Property practice group leader after my being with the firm for only three years, and has supported an aggressive level of growth across multiple offices in our intellectual property group. In addition, I know the firm has continually placed women in high level management and decision-making positions, and has supported their individual efforts to improve the success of their decisions in those roles. Thompson Hine is truly a firm where any lawyer, including a woman lawyer, can pursue, and succeed, in any position he or she desires such that a lawyer is only limited by his or her own actions."

Megan is a registered patent attorney and a partner in and Practice Group Leader of the firm's Intellectual Property practice group. She focuses her practice on a full range of intellectual property matters involving patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and unfair competition law. Megan regularly counsels clients on intellectual property matters, preparation and prosecution of domestic and international patent applications and domestic trademark applications, patent and trademark validity and infringement opinions, registration of copyright material, license and non-disclosure agreements, and assisting in related federal litigation. Prior to joining Thompson Hine, Megan served as an adjunct professor for patent law at West Virginia University, School of Law.

Deborah Z. Read

Member, Executive Committee

"Thompson Hine has been a great fit for me. I came here years ago after practicing with another firm in Washington, D.C., and was quickly integrated into the firm. I was afforded the opportunity to hold a number of leadership positions and I now sit on the firm’s Executive Committee. Unlike many firms, Thompson Hine encourages a team approach to servicing clients, resulting in better service for the client and an interactive, collegial and intellectually challenging environment for its lawyers. Thompson Hine is also a firm that commits to the communities in which it does business. The firm has supported many years of my civic involvement in Greater Cleveland. It’s been the right place for me."

Deborah is one of eight members of the firmwide Executive Committee. She previously served as Chair of the 65-lawyer Tax, Benefits and Planning Department. Deborah practices Tax law and Healthcare law. She functions as outside general counsel to two large exempt organizations. She focuses her tax practice on tax and corporate planning for nonprofit organizations and foundations and health care organizations.

JoAnn M. Strasser

Hiring Partner, Cincinnati

"When I joined the firm as a Senior Associate, I was concerned that my status as a lateral hire would interfere with my progress toward partnership. My concern could not have been further from the truth. The attorneys in my office were all supportive, but the female partners took active steps to make my success possible. These women identified leadership opportunities within the firm and business opportunities outside of the firm on which I could capitalize. They taught me by example the art of networking, pushing me out of my comfort zone to build on skills, grow my practice, and develop important internal relationships. I aspire to be the role model and mentor that my partners were to me."

JoAnn is a partner in the firm's Corporate Transactions and Securities practice group and focuses her practice on securities law. JoAnn has an extensive background in the mutual fund industry, handling the organization of new funds, ongoing regulatory compliance and tax-free reorganizations and counseling independent directors.

Linda A. Striefsky

Secretary to the Partnership and General Counsel

"I accepted an offer to join Thompson Hine when I was a third year law student and have been here since 1977. How the landscape has changed for women at the Firm! I was one of just six female associates then, out of 72 lawyers; there were no female partners. I found mentors in the Real Estate Practice Group who were incredibly generous with their time and talents, both in substantive skills and opportunities for training in practice development. My admission to the partnership occurred when I was on maternity leave after the birth of my first child. Through my career, I have found Thompson Hine to be very supportive of my family needs in raising three sons with my partner in marriage and at Thompson Hine, Jim Carlson. The Firm today is awash with women in leadership positions and offers unremitting support for the Womens' Initiative- that says it all, in terms of the progress made! I am confident more progress still is to come!"

Linda is a partner in the firm's Real Estate practice group. She focuses her practice on acquisitions and sales; real estate financing, including real estate investment trusts and multi-state financing transactions; corporate facilities management, including out-sourcing contracts; leasing, easement and related agreements; real estate taxes, including tax complaints, exemptions and abatement.

Elizabeth B. Wright

Practice Group Leader, Product Liability Litigation

"I came to Thompson Hine because of the people and the opportunities it offered all associates, and I have never been disappointed. Each attorney has full opportunity to have a successful career, and your opportunities at Thompson Hine are very much what you make of them."

Elizabeth is a partner in the firm's Product Liability Litigation and Business Litigation practice groups. Elizabeth has extensive experience in automotive and aviation product liability litigation. Elizabeth is responsible for the national representation of a major automotive manufacturer in specialty litigation and the statewide representation of various automotive manufacturers. The statewide representation includes a high volume of product liability, premises, intentional tort, company car, and insurance cases, and the management of a team of partners and associates in the Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Dayton offices. Elizabeth also represents manufacturers of aircraft components, airframes, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and other commercial and consumer products, including lawn equipment, chain saws, tire changing machines and specialty plastics and other chemical compounds.