CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thompson Hine LLP has elected nine new partners, effective January 1, 2018. The new partners, located across six of the firm’s offices, represent a broad range of practice areas including Business Litigation, Commercial & Public Finance, Construction, Corporate Transactions & Securities, Environmental and Real Estate.
“These future leaders of our firm exhibit outstanding skill in their practice areas and embrace the innovative ideas that drive our commitment to providing enhanced value to clients. Each of them is dedicated to helping clients achieve their business goals by efficiently and transparently delivering exceptional legal services. We are proud to welcome these attorneys to our partnership,” said Deborah Z. Read, Thompson Hine’s managing partner.
The new partners are:
Yesenia D. Batista is a member of the Commercial & Public Finance practice group in New York who focuses on corporate trust related agreements and structured finance transactions. She represents major financial institutions serving in indenture trustee and various other capacities such as collateral agent, escrow agent, exchange agent, paying agent, reinsurance trustee and administrative agent. She routinely works on secured debt transactions and reviews and negotiates account control agreements, pledge agreements, intercreditor agreements and other types of security documents. Batista received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and her B.A. from the University of Virginia.
Paige S. Connelly is a member of the Corporate Transactions & Securities practice group and its Early Stage & Emerging Companies subgroup in Cincinnati. She focuses her practice on venture investment financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, business formation, contract preparation and review, and general corporate governance matters. She assists emerging companies with preferred equity investment transactions, convertible note transactions, commercial contracts, M&A deals and other business needs. She has experience in various aspects of acquisitions and sales, including negotiation and preparation of transaction documents, due diligence and disclosure. Connelly received her J.D., cum laude, from The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law and her B.A. from Duke University.
Andrew J. Davalla is a member of the Corporate Transactions & Securities practice group and its Investment Management subgroup in Columbus. With more than 15 years of in-house industry experience, most recently as senior vice president and counsel for a global investment management firm, he has a keen understanding and appreciation of issues from the investment manager’s perspective. He advises on the full range of securities and compliance issues related to SEC filings, fund development and structuring, investment management agreements, third-party service agreements, corporate governance, and due diligence for mergers and asset purchases. Having served in the role of privacy officer, he also has experience with data privacy and information security issues. Davalla received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. from Fordham University.
Joel D. Eagle is a member of the Environmental practice group in Cleveland. He advises public and private entities in the industrial, commercial and manufacturing sectors on all aspects of environmental law including compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, environmental due diligence and contract negotiation in connection with the sale and purchase of businesses and industrial properties, litigation and enforcement defense, zoning and land use, and federal, state and local environmental permitting and licensing. Eagle received his J.D., with honors, from Chicago-Kent College of Law and his B.A., with honors, from University of Iowa.
Cathryn E. Greenwald is a member of the Real Estate practice group in Cleveland. She focuses her practice on construction and permanent financing, development, public-private partnerships, acquisition and sale of real estate, ground, retail, industrial and office leasing. She handles all aspects of commercial real estate transactions. Greenwald received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 2009, her M.A. from Cleveland State University and her B.S., magna cum laude, from Miami University.
Erin Luke is a member of the Construction practice group in Cleveland. She advises owners, developers, contractors and design firms on large-scale domestic and international projects including hotel and resort developments, convention centers and facilities, sports stadia and entertainment complexes, casino and gaming developments, energy and infrastructure projects, P3 and public construction, and hospital and school developments. In 2017, she received New Leader Awards from the National Association of Women in Construction’s North Central Region and its Cleveland chapter. She also was named one of “Five to Watch in Law” by Crain’s Cleveland Business and included on the Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. In 2016, she received a YWCA Greater Cleveland Women of Professional Excellence Award. Luke received her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law and her B.A., summa cum laude, from Westminster College in Missouri.
Emily J. Mathieu is a member of the Business Litigation practice group in New York. She represents clients in commercial disputes, litigation and arbitration in a wide range of industries, including financial services, biotech and life sciences, and creative services and the arts,. Her experience encompasses many areas of law, including complex breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, investor matters and securities fraud, intellectual property and artistic rights, regulatory investigations and subpoenas, employment disputes, probate and estate litigation, and FINRA-arbitrated customer and broker-dealer disputes. She was included on the 2017 New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. Mathieu received her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her B.A., summa cum laude, in cursu honorum, from Fordham University.
Jessica E. Salisbury-Copper is a member of the Business Litigation practice group in Dayton. Jessica’s practice has a particular emphasis on defense of consumer financial service providers. Her practice also includes a variety of complex commercial litigation matters including business torts, contract disputes and alternative dispute resolution. She has been included on the Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2014 to 2017. Salisbury-Copper received her J.D., with high distinction, from Ohio Northern University College of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Morehead State University.
J.A. Schneider is a member of the Business Litigation practice group in Atlanta. He advises and represents a wide range of clients, from large multinational companies to privately held businesses to, in a broad range of litigation and enforcement of covenants not to compete, nonsolicitation agreements, trade secret protection and other post-employment obligations. He also assists clients with drafting and reviewing general commercial, employment and separation agreements. He was included on the 2014 Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. Schneider received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgia State University College of Law and his B.A. from McGill University.
About Thompson Hine LLP. Thompson Hine LLP, a full-service business law firm with approximately 400 lawyers in 7 offices, was ranked number 1 in the category “Most innovative North American law firms: New working models” by The Financial Times. For 5 straight years, Thompson Hine has distinguished itself in all areas of Service Delivery Innovation in the BTI Brand Elite, where it has been recognized as one of the top 4 firms for “Value for the Dollar” and “Commitment to Help” and among the top 5 firms “making changes to improve the client experience.” The firm’s commitment to innovation is embodied in Thompson Hine SmartPaTH® – a smarter way to work – predictable, efficient and aligned with client goals. For more information, please visit ThompsonHine.com and ThompsonHine.com/SmartPaTH.
