Mark Your Calendar!

May 24, 2022
Exponent Sponsored Webinar
"A Holistic Approach to Construction Disputes"

June 9-10, 2022
Regional Women in the Law Summit
The Westin Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH

July 29, 2022
Personal Injury Defense Seminar
Quest Conference Center
Columbus, OH
Save the Date!






September 6, 2022
OACTA Foundation Golf Outing
Save the Date!

November 10-11, 2022
OACTA Annual Meeting
The Ritz Carlton
Cleveland, OH
Save the Date!
WIL Committee Update: Regional Women in the Law Summit
Your OACTA WIL Committee is excited to invite you to attend the 2022 Regional Women in the Law Summit. Delayed by COVID, we can’t wait for this in-person event, presented as a collaboration of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana, Kentucky Defense Counsel and OACTA.  It will be held at the Westin in downtown Cincinnati from 1:00 PM on Thursday, June 9th through Noon on Friday, June 10th. You can attend 7.5 hours of CLE on topics ranging from Tactics for Negotiations to Dealing with Implicit Bias in the Legal Profession. Of course, there will be time for networking and Dine Arounds to connect with long-time friends and meet new colleagues in the legal profession. Mark your calendar now and plan to attend. All genders are welcome!

We hope you’ll join us there! 

Natalie Wais, Nicole Mitchell & Gretchen Mote
WIL Committee 
Welcome New OACTA Members Since December!
Chad Smith, Bricker & Eckler LLP
Leslie Wolfe, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
Andrew Domozick, Reminger Co., LPA
Patrick Cannell, Weston Hurd LLP
Michael Loughry, Freeman Mathis & Gary LLP
Kelli Amador, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
Shannon Donahue, Branch Insurance
Mrinali Sethi, Reminger Co., LPA
Mac Malone, Reminger Co. LPA
Jenna Heaphy, Dinsmore and Shohl LLP
Abdul Aziz Meslat, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
David Williamson, Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin
Devin Bembnister, Gallagher Sharp LLP
Elizabeth Chinault, Subashi, Wildermuth & Justice
Jennifer Kirby, AmeriTrust
Angela Lavin, Wegman Hessler
Benjamin Adkins, Collins, Roche, Utley & Garner, LLC
Jack Cooper, Milligan Pusateri LPA
Timothy Reid, MansourGavinLPA
2022 Hilary S. Taylor Law Student Inclusion & Equity Scholarship Announcement
The Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys (OACTA) Law Student Inclusion & Equity, Scholarship program is open to the following incoming second and third year law students who are enrolled in an Ohio law school or are a permanent Ohio resident: Minority law students; LGBTQ (Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, Questioning) law students, regardless of race or ethnicity; Female law students, regardless of race or ethnicity; or, Law students from economically impoverished families/backgrounds, regardless of race or ethnicity. The criteria include academic achievements; service to the community and to the cause of inclusion and equity; and experience or interest in a civil
defense practice.

Up to three (3) scholarships in the amount of $2,500 each will be awarded to successful applicants. Applicants are required to submit an application, law school transcript and a cover letter addressing the following: academic, personal and professional accomplishments, and why they should be selected as a recipient of the scholarship. Applicants must also submit at least one letter of recommendation but may submit a total of three. Applications must be submitted online with a cover
letter. Transcripts and letter of recommendation may be mailed to the OACTA office.

The completed application and all other requested material must be received by May 13, 2022. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Scholarship recipients will be announced in June and recognized at the OACTA Annual Meeting in November. Funding is provided by the OACTA Foundation.

OACTA believes that a diverse membership makes a stronger organization. OACTA encourages inclusion and equity in all aspects of its activities and is committed to nurturing a culture that supports and promotes it.

For more information or to complete an application, visit www.oacta.org.
OACTA Insurance Coverage Seminar | Friday, May 6, 2022
Register today for the annual OACTA Insurance Coverage Seminar! We are excited to be back together this year in-person at Grange Insurance! As always, we have a fantastic line-up of speakers, hot topics, and opportunities for networking!

This one-day seminar offers up to 5.5 CLE credits and is open to Attorneys and Non-attorney Insurance Claims Professionals. New this year: The Insurance Coverage Seminar is approved by the Texas Department of Insurance for 5.0 hours general credit.

Continuing Legal Education
This course is approved by the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Continuing Legal Education for 5.5 total CLE hours instruction. It has been approved by the Kentucky Bar Association for 5.5 total CLE credits and approved for 5.5 specialty CLE hours toward OSBA Insurance Coverage Law Certification. 
This course is approved by the Texas Department of Insurance for 5.0 hours general credit.
Thank you to our Sponsors!
OACTA Coffee Chat
Coffee Chats are back! OACTA members reconnected for a Coffee Chat on February 4, 2022. The topic of discussion was the current status of Ohio's Courts in light of the Covid-19 surge.

The next coffee chat will be held on Friday, June 3 at 8:30 AM when we will launch an OACTA mentoring program!

Save the date! Sign up is coming soon!
Upcoming OACTA Lunch & Learn Webinar
A Holistic Approach to Construction Disputes
Tuesday, May 24, 2022 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM
This webinar is sponsored by Exponent and FREE to OACTA members.

A multitude of issues can lead to disputes in major construction projects, requiring a team of legal professionals and technical, delay, and quantum experts to work together in understanding the merits of disputes, developing resolution strategies and recommending solutions. The challenge is to bring together a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and coordinate their efforts seamlessly and cost-effectively to advise as the dispute evolves and the resolution efforts proceed.

  • Our experts will share their experience, insights, and lessons learned, on how engineers, project managers, and delay/quantum experts can effectively collaborate and support construction dispute resolution for various types of construction projects, such as commercial, industrial, and infrastructure, in international arbitration, litigation, and mediation. They will discuss domain knowledge boundaries between distinct experts involved in construction disputes to support legal professionals to ensure the client’s issues are addressed in a coordinated and efficient manner. They will also present case studies that span the project lifecycle to demonstrate the variety of issues leading to construction disputes.
OACTA's 2022 Strategic Plan
The OACTA Board of Directors is committed to the mission of OACTA: The Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys promotes fairness, excellence, and integrity in the civil justice system by providing resources and education to attorneys and others dedicated to the defense of civil actions. The OACTA Strategic Plan, developed by the OACTA Board of Directors, is reviewed annually and monitored on an ongoing basis, to ensure progress toward identified goals and objectives. The OACTA Board of Directors is committed to providing quality services and value to the membership. CLICK HERE to review the plan.
OACTA Leadership Opportunities Available
OACTA is seeking a Vice Chair for the Product Liability and Toxic Tort Committee and for the Governmental Liability Committee. If you are interested, please reach out to OACTA Vice President, David Orlandini at [email protected].
Articles Needed for the Upcoming OACTA Quarterly Review
The next issues of the OACTA Quarterly Review series will feature articles from the Appellate Advocacy and Litigation & Trial Skills committees. The committee chairs are seeking assistance with articles. If you would like to contribute an article, please email the article to the OACTA.
Spring 2022 Insurance Coverage Update
Message from the Insurance Coverage Committee Chair, Michael M. Neltner

The following cases represent the more relevant insurance coverage cases decided by the Sixth Circuit, Ohio Federal District Courts, and Ohio Supreme and state appellate courts applying Ohio law in late 2020 through 2021. Many thanks to the following Members of our outstanding Insurance Coverage Committee who volunteered to summarize these cases and make this edition possible: Kurt D. Anderson of Collins, Roche, Utley & Garner, LLC; Dawn R. Bonnett of Grange Insurance; Adam E. Carr of Carr Law Office, LLC; David C. Comstock, Jr. of Bonezzi, Switzer, Polito & Hupp Co., LPA; Christine M. Duraney of The Cincinnati Insurance Company; Michael D. Farley of the Ohio Insurance Institute; Eric K. Grinnell of Carr Law Office, LLC; Stu Harris of Nationwide Ins. Co.; Greg Kendall of Porter Rennie Woodard Kendall, LLP; David Orlandini of Collins Roche Utley & Garner, LLC; Kent D. Riesen of Anspach Law; Gerald Southard of The Cincinnati Insurance Company; Brian D. Sullivan of Reminger Co., L.P.A.; and Trent Thacker of Curry Roby, LLC. These summaries are provided simply for the reading pleasure of the audience and the content herein is not necessarily a reflection of the views or opinions of OACTA or any of the other writers.


OACTA Can Help You...
Stay informed...
OACTA has a webpage with links to many resources - NEWS AND INFORMATION REGARDING COVID-19. If you have resources to share, please send them to [email protected].
 
Stay connected...
Join OACTA on FacebookTwitterLinkedIn and OACTA’s LinkedIn Private Group Page where you can share information and resources among your colleagues.

Earn CLE credits...
OACTA’s Online CLE Library allows OACTA members the opportunity to earn continuing legal education credit from the comfort and safety of your home. Visit the Online CLE Library today to view our on-demand programs and the OACTA Website for a listing of our Live Webinars!
Member News
Weston Hurd LLP is pleased to welcome Adelia Mohan who joins the firm's Columbus office as an Associate Attorney. Adelia represents her clients in all facets of insurance related actions, including first and third party claims, personal injury, and commercial litigation.
 
Adelia received her B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and obtained her J.D. from Capital University Law School. Her court admissions include Ohio and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
 
Within the legal community, Adelia is a member of the Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys and serves as Chair of OACTA's Communications Committee and Vice Chair of the Inclusion and Equity Committee. She is also a member of the Columbus Bar Association, the Ohio Fair Courts Alliance, and the Women Lawyers of Franklin County where Adelia is the Social Media Chair. In 2021, Adelia received OACTA’s Outstanding Young Lawyer Award and was recently named a 2022 Ohio Rising Star by Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business.
Reminger Co., LPA is pleased to announce that Shana DeMooy has joined the Columbus office as an associate attorney.

Shana focuses her legal practice primarily on probate estate and trust disputes, matters of undue influence and financial exploitation, and guardianships. She graduated magna cum laude from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where she served as the Production Editor of the Journal of Criminal Law and Vice President of the Truancy Mediation Project.

Please join us in welcoming OACTA member, Shana, to Reminger!
OACTA requests that authors who republish articles that were originally published in an OACTA publication, reflect that the article first appeared in the OACTA publication.