The Ohio Women’s Bar Association willhonor Deborah Platt Majoras with theprestigious Founders’ Award, honoringher achievements and professional excel-lence in the legal profession.

Majoras is the chief legal officer and sec-retary for the Procter & Gamble Com-pany, which she joined in 2008. In thatposition, she oversees a legal departmentthat includes more than 500 lawyers andother legal professionals around theglobe and is responsible for the broadscope of legal functions for all of P&G.

Majoras also serves on the Board of Direc-tors of Valero Energy Corporation, whereshe is a member of the Nominating/Gover-nance and Public Policy Committee.

From 2004-2008, she served as chairmanof the Federal Trade Commission, whereshe focused on ensuring data security andprotection from emerging digital frauds;served as co-chair of the President’sIdentity Theft Task Force; and worked toimplement sound antitrust policy regard-

ing intellectual property, the merger re-view process, and cooperation among an-titrust agencies globally. Prior to theFTC, she was the principal deputy assis-tant attorney general at the Department ofJustice Antitrust Division, where sheserved from 2001-2003. After clerking infederal court in D.C., in 1991, she joinedinternational law firm Jones Day, whereshe ultimately became a partner in thefirm’s antitrust practice.

In 2011, the Directors Roundtable honoredMajoras as distinguished general counsel,and she received the Aiming High Awardfrom Legal Momentum. She was the re-cipient of the International Association ofPrivacy Professionals’ 2007 Privacy Lead-ership Award and RSA’s 2007 Award forExcellence in the Field of Public Policy. In2006, SC Magazine named her one of theTop Five Influential IT Security Thinkers,and Washingtonian Magazine listed heramong the “100 Most Powerful Women inWashington.” Today, she serves as co-chair of the U.S. Chamber of CommerceInternational Competition Policy WorkingGroup and as an advisor to the Interna-tional Competition Network. She serves assecretary/treasurer for the Association ofGeneral Counsel and on the Board of Di-rectors of the Leadership Council onLegal Diversity. She also serves on theboards of the Cincinnati Legal Aid Soci-ety, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber,and Westminster College, from which shehas a B.A. (summa cum laude). Sheearned her J.D. (Order of the Coif) fromthe University of Virginia in 1989.

The Founders' Award is OWBA's highestrecognition for professional excellence.

Established in 1998, the first recipient ofthe award was one of the OWBAfounders, Justice Alice Robie Resnick.The Founders' Award is presented to anoutstanding woman attorney who hasachieved excellence in the legal profes-sion, has rendered services to improvethe administration of justice, and hashelped pave the way for women in thelegal profession. In addition, the awardacknowledges the recipient's willingnessto give back to the legal community, aswell as the general public.

The Founders’ Gala is March 7, 2013, atthe 21c Museum and Hotel, in Cincin-nati. For more information, visitwww.OWBA.org. n

Majoras is a supporter of the OWBA,volunteering her time as a speaker. Shewas a featured speaker at the OWBFLeadership Institute “Effecive Leader-ship” session. She was also a speaker atthe “Secrets of Rainmaking for WomenAttorneys: Tips on Making it to the Cor-ner Office.”

The Ohio Women’s Bar Association Founders’Award to go to Deborah Platt Majoras

OHIO WOMEN’S BAR ASSOCIATIONNETWORK NEWSLETTER

Volume XXIII Issue No. 1 Winter 2013 Our purpose is to promote the leadership, advancement and interests of women attorneys throughprofessional education, networking and the exchange of ideas between our members, local bar associations, business and the community.

Inside this issuePresident’s Message ............................2

OWBA’s Coffee & Conversations ......................................3

OWBF Leadership Institute..................4

OWBA Golf Classic ............................ 5

OWBA Akron Wine Tasting ................7

OWBA In-House Attorney Event ......10

Leading with Style-Columbus ............13

Deborah Platt Majoras

Recently, Ohio admit-ted new attorneys intoour profession. Al-most 18 years ago, Iremember being inthe same seat, veryuncertain about myfuture prospects. I satfor two bar exams inan attempt to increasemy job chances.

While most of my classmates at Pitt LawSchool finished up with Day 2 (and thefinal day) of their Pennsylvania Bar Exam,I headed with two classmates to New Jer-sey to sit for a third day for the New JerseyBar Exam.

I worked two jobs after graduating fromlaw school while I was waiting for my barexam results. During the day, I handled wiretransfers at Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh. Iwould transfer huge sums of money interna-tionally for lucrative bank customers. My 8-5 job would end, and then I would race byfoot across town to work my evening jobstarting at 5:30 p.m. I worked at Macy’s atnight and collected on past due accounts.My shift would end at 9 p.m. and again Iwould rush to take the bus back to myapartment for an hour long, stop-and-goride home. I could not afford my own caryet. Macy’s was also my weekend job, as Iworked seven days a week.

I remember sitting in my apartment oftenworried about how I was going to pay nextmonth’s rent. I was debating about whetherI should move back to my hometown inupstate New York, and I know my parentswere probably growing quite anxious withmy situation. I always tried to hide my fearwhen I spoke with them. No one was re-ally interested in interviewing you for areal legal job unless and until you passedthe bar. When I ripped open that envelopefrom the Pennsylvania Supreme Court inlate November, I was so happy to get thegood news.

Unfortunately, many firms were not hiringover the holiday season, but interviewspicked up a bit in January. Attorney FredMercer gave me a chance and hired me as aplaintiff’s personal injury lawyer in hissmall office, and I was proud even though Imade far less as a new attorney than our of-fice secretary. I worked until at least 8 p.m.every week night and showed up to the of-fice every Saturday so Fred and I could re-view case updates from the week. I was stillrelying on the city bus system, and I justdreaded snowstorms since that meant Icould be waiting at least two hours for a busto appear. That job gave me client contactand put me in court almost every day of theweek, which I now know was priceless.

I was offered an opportunity to go in-houseonly a few years out of school after I de-cided to speak with a recruiter. Being abusiness lawyer was my dream. The posi-tion was in Wheeling, West Virginia, whichmeant a 90-minute commute each way on agood traffic day from my Pittsburgh apart-ment. Luckily, I was able to afford a usedcar by then. I took the job, even though theywould only initially hire me as a temporaryattorney on a three-month probationary pe-riod. I would not have benefits, and I wouldnot be guaranteed a permanent position. Itrusted my gut, accepted the challenge andtransformed into a corporate lawyer.

My struggles did not end then, nor do I ex-pect them to completely dissipate during theremainder of my career. I am where I amtoday not in spite of what I went through,but because of what I went through. Iworked hard and always did more thanwhat was expected of me. I believed in my-self and, when I started to doubt, I relied onthe love of my family to get me through.The same stands true today. n

Michelle Proia Roe is GeneralCounsel–Americas and Secretary of Mettler-Toledo, LLC, a company which has mostgraciously allowed her to serve as OWBAPresident this 2012/2013 fiscal year.

2

OWBA board membersPresident

Michelle Proia Roe

President-ElectMag. Judge Stephanie K. Bowman

Vice PresidentLaura Sanom

SecretaryJennifer J. Jacquemain

TreasurerClaudia Herrington

Immediate Past PresidentJennifer Breech Rhoads

Executive DirectorElizabeth Krile

TrusteesGrace Royalty

Jennifer EllemanLeah SellersLori Silcott

Judge Patricia A. DelaneyEmily Wilcheck

Judge Mary DeGenaroAmanda Martinsek

Magistrate Sharono DennisAnn ZalloccoC. Lynne Day

Kristyn HueningLaurie Avery

Lisa KathumbiCarrie A. StartsPeggy Koesel

Magistrate Maria McBride

Past PresidentsPamela Nagle Hultin (92-93)Mary Lynn Readey (93-94)Barbara J. Smith (94-95)

Linde Hurst Webb (95-96)Laura A. Hauser (96-97)

Kirsti Talikka Garlock (97-98)Maria A. Kortan-Sampson (98-99)

Jami S. Oliver (99-00)Helen MacMurray (00-01)

Debra J. Horn (01-02)Suzanne M. Nigro (02-03)

Michelle J. Sheehan (03-04)Halle M. Hebert (04-05)

Monique B. Lampke (05-06)Pamela D Houston (06-07)Susan E. Petersen (07-08)Michele A. Shuster (08-09)

Lisa R. House (09-10)Valoria C. Hoover (10-11)

Jennifer Breech Rhoads (11-12)

Michelle Proia Roe

President’s Message

By Jane Brener

Central Ohio’s new women attorneysstarted their day off right at the OhioWomen’s Bar Association’s “Coffee &Conversations Meet & Greet” on Dec. 4,2012. With coffee and pastries, newwomen attorneys mingled and got to knoweach other as well as local practitionerswhile engaging in an informal discussionabout job hunting tips, interview advice,and networking. Panelists Michelle ProiaRoe, general counsel–Americas and secre-tary of Mettler-Toledo, LLC and OWBApresident; Desiree Blankenship, chief legalcounsel of the Ohio Department of Com-merce; and Sherri Lazear, partner at BakerHostetler LLP instilled the new attorneyswith advice and wisdom on the impor-tance of networking, do’s and don’ts of re-sume and cover-letter writing, thank youletters, professional references, LinkedIn,what will make or break an interview, andthe importance of keeping an open mindduring the job hunt. The new attorneysasked many great questions such as howto explain employment gaps in a resumeand what not to ask during an interview,which were also answered by local practi-tioners Nita Hanson, associate at Dins-more & Shohl LLP, and Valoria Hoover,partner at Kohrman Jackson & KrantzPLL. Thanks to the panelists and localpractitioners, the new attorneys walkedaway with not only great new contacts, butalso the tips and tools necessary to takethe job market by storm.

Look in the next issue of OWBA’s Net-work News about the new attorney recep-tion in Cincinnati. n

Jane Brener is an attorney in Columbusand was recently admitted to the Ohiobar. She graduated from The Ohio StateUniversity Moritz College of Law and iscurrently working as a contract attorneyat Carpenter, Lipps, and Leland LLP.

3

News

OWBA’s Coffee & Conversations Meet & Greetfor Central Ohio's New Women Attorneys

Ohio’s newest women attorneys with Michelle Proia Roe (far right); Sherri Lazear and DesireeBlankenship.

AffinityC o n s u l t i n g G ro u p

P r e s e n t a t i o n M a t t e r s .

(advertisement)

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News

by Dina Tantra

Day Two of the 2012Ohio Women’s BarFoundation LeadershipInstitute proved to bean insightful journeyinto the inner workingsof a leader, with a focus

on emotional intelligence, business skillsdevelopment, career planning and personalbranding. The jam-packed day began withan exploration of the components of aleader’s emotional quotient, which is com-prised of the emotional, personal, socialand survival dimensions of intelligence.Jeff King and Beth Flynn from The OhioState University Leadership Center walkedthe group through the leader profile andthen distributed personalized assessmentstailored for each participant based on peerand managerial feedback. After a period ofself-reflection and introspection, lunch af-forded the opportunity to engage in smallgroup discussions with a mix of amazingwomen from both the law firm and corpo-rate sectors who would then serve as pan-elists for the afternoon sessions.Contrary to a typical post-lunch presenta-tion, the first panel was a highly chargedand enthusiastic foray into the “business oflaw.” With the assistance of Dina Tantra(general counsel of Beacon Hill FundServices, Inc.), Elizabeth Kessler (partner-in-charge of the Columbus Office of JonesDay) and Mary Garceau (general counselof Thirty-One Gifts LLC) shared anec-dotes about how they each rose to the topof their game by developing such skills aspartnering with business executives, pro-viding critical feedback to direct reportsand being willing to take risks with yourcareer. Pam Ray (regional growth managerfor Thompson Hine LLP) provided insightand guidance as to the step-by-step processone can take to hone invaluable businessskills through the use of a business devel-

opment plan. The second panel, led byLaura Sanom (Partner of Faruki, Ireland &Cox) shifted gears by outlining how to de-sign a customized career road map throughan interactive discussion with MonicaSansalone (Partner of Gallagher Sharp)and Mary Lynn Readey (associate vicepresident of facilities operations and devel-opment at The Ohio State University).During this panel, these women recountedtales of their personal career journeys andthe difficult decisions they made along theway. Through deeper discussion, the grouplearned more about defining what eachperson brings to the table and how to posi-tion oneself for success.To cap off a stellar day, Kim Proxmire (se-nior strategist of Greenfield/Belser) demon-strated how to develop a personal brandand how to effectively execute one’s brandboth personally and professionally. Thetake-away from the day is that each of us isthe CEO of our own career and the possi-bilities are endless, but we need to tap intoour emotional quotient, business skills andultimately pave our own way to success. nDina Tantra is currently managing direc-tor and general counsel for Beacon HillFund Services, a provider of compliance,finance and regulatory outsourcing serv-ices to the financial services industry.Tantra is also the president and serves onthe board of Advisers Investment Trust, aregistered investment company with morethan $250 million in assets under manage-ment. Prior to joining Beacon Hill, Tantraspent several years at Nationwide Insur-ance, where she held various senior lead-ership positions in the legal, complianceand governance areas.

Ohio Women’s Bar Foundation LeadershipInstitute – Day Two

Facilitators Beth Flynn and Jeff King of the OhioState University Leadership Center review theresults of the EQ Assessments.

L-R: Lynn Readey, Laura Sanom and MonicaSansalone discussed with the class membersways to position yourself for success.

Class members listen to speakers from the Ef-fective Coaching, Branding and Career Strate-gies session.

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News

by Patricia Gajda

The OWBA Annual Golf Classic was heldon Sept. 24, at Acacia Country Club.Sixty-one golfers teed off at 10:30 a.m. foran 18 hole scramble. The weather wasbeautiful for golf, the golfing was goodand the company was wonderful. We werepleased with the turn-out for this funevent, and hope to build on it in the com-ing years. Golfers of all genders, ages andskill levels participated to make this onegreat day. The golf was followed by acocktail hour that included networking,raffles and prizes. All were welcome andwe had some non-golfers who joined in onthe late afternoon festivities. The receptionwas great and the participants had the op-portunity to meet and talk to fellow

golfers, OWBA members and event spon-sors. The event was co-chaired by PatGajda and Suzana Koch of Brouse Mc-Dowell, with the assistance of a golf com-mittee consisting of Michelle Proia Roe,Karen Fout, Laura Hauser, Debra Horn,Mary Lovett, Susan Petersen, Jan Rieth,Chris Santoni and Sharon Whitacre. Thecommittee would like to thank ElizabethKrile, executive director of the OWBA,without her hard work this event wouldnot have been so successful.

The competition for the golf prizes wasfriendly, and we even had a prize for themost honest team. The raffle was livelyand a lot of fun with great packages. Thespirits table raffle was a huge success. Wethank all of the golfers for coming out

that day, for all of you who purchased raf-fle tickets, and we are very grateful to allof our sponsors for their donations. Thiswonderful fundraising event would nothave been such a success without ourEagle sponsors of Brouse McDowell andUlmer Berne; our Hole sponsors ofCalfee Halter & Griswold, Rennillo CourtReporting, Schneider, Smeltz, Rannney &LaFond P.L.L., Special Counsel, andSquire Sanders; and our Birdie sponsorInglewood Associates, LLC. If you are in-terested in helping for next year’s event,please contact the OWBA office atadmin@owba.org. For those of you whoparticipated this year, the committee islooking for feedback so please drop us aline with comments. We look forward toseeing you on the course next year. n

OWBA Golf Classic a swinging success

Clockwise from top left:

Brouse McDowell Team (L-R): Mike O’Donnell , MarySwann , Patricia Gajda andJoe Dattilo

Reminger Team: JudgeBrendan Sheehan, ChrisSantoni and Judge DavidMatia

Golfers (L-R): Michelle ProiaRoe, Suzana Koch, SherriDahl and Bridget Franklin

Women in the News

Magistrate SharonDennis honored.OWBA District 9Trustee and OWBFLeadership Institutegraduate MagistrateSharon Dennis hasbeen named the com-munity service recip-

ient of the Achieving Dreams Celebration.Project GRAD Akron hosted its SixthAchieving Dreams Celebration on Nov. 1,2012. The event was held at St. George’sFellowship Center in Akron. At the event,the organization awarded selected alumniof Buchtel High School with the followingawards: Young Alumni, Community Serv-ice, Distinguished Service to Humanity,Lifetime Achievement, and Buchtel Me-morial Award. The purpose of the awardsis to recognize graduates of Buchtel HighSchool, whose achievements, strength ofcharacter, and citizenship serve as a modelto inspire and challenge today’s youth.

Dina Tantra is Man-aging Director andGeneral Counsel forBeacon Hill FundServices, a providerof compliance, fi-nance and regulatoryoutsourcing services

to the financial services industry over thepast five years. Beacon Hill is wholly-owned by Diamond Hill InvestmentGroup (DHIL), a publicly traded assetmanagement company based in Colum-bus, Ohio. In 2011, Dina led an initiativeat Beacon Hill to create Advisers Invest-ment Trust, a proprietary mutual fundcomplex which would enable BeaconHill’s investment adviser clients a plat-form to offer their advisory services tothe U.S. market. After recent manage-ment changes at Beacon Hill in 2012,Dina was elected as President and ap-pointed to the Board of Trustees of Ad-visers Investment Trust, which has grownto nearly $250M in assets under her man-

agement within the past year. “We are ex-cited about the rapid growth of AdvisersInvestment Trust as Beacon Hill believesthis will be its flagship offering over thenext five years. We are targeting invest-ment advisers around the global who pro-vide advisory services to institutions andhigh net worth investors and are nowseeking to expand their target market tothe U.S.” explained Dina. Dina will wearmultiple hats going forward. As GeneralCounsel, she remains responsible for alllegal and governance functions of Bea-con Hill. With her new responsibilities,she steps into an executive role drivingstrategic direction and day-to-day busi-ness decisions of Advisers InvestmentTrust. Dina is an active OWBA member.She recently planned a session of theOWBF Leadership Institute.

Are you a woman in the news or do youknow a woman lawyer who deservesrecognition? If so, email us atadmin@owba.org. n

6

January 3, 1949Margaret Chase Smith(R-Maine) starts hertenure in the Senate,where she stays in of-fice until 1973. She isthe first woman toserve in both the House

and the Senate as she previously served inthe House from 1940-1949.

January 5, 1925Nellie Tayloe Ross isinaugurated as the firstwoman governor inU.S. history (governorof Wyoming).

January 11, 1935Amelia Earhart makes the first solo flightfrom Hawaii to North America.

January 12, 1932Hattie Wyatt Caraway (D-Arkansas) is thefirst woman elected to the U.S. Senate.

January 29, 1926Violette Neatly Ander-son is the first blackwoman to practice lawbefore the U.S.Supreme Court.

February 12, 1869The Utah territorypasses a law allow-ing women to vote.

February 27, 1922The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the19th Amendment to the Constitution,which guarantees women the right tovote.

March 4, 1917Jeannette Rankin (R-Montana) took herseat as the first female member of Con-gress.

March 11, 1993Janet Reno is con-firmed as the firstwoman U.S. AttorneyGeneral.

March 22, 1972Congress passed theEqual Rights Amend-ment and sent it to thestates for ratification.The amendment diedin 1982 when it failed

to achieve ratification by a minimum of38 states. n

Women in History (January, February and March)

7

News

By Magistrate Sharon Dennis

The OWBA had another successful eventon Oct. 17, 2012, in Akron. Members andfriends gathered together at Grape andGranary Winery in Akron. Guests weretreated to a tour of the winery and en-joyed a sampling of a several wines. A fa-vorite amongst the guests was a jalapenowine unique to Grape and Granary.

The event provided attorneys an opportu-nity to socialize and network with eachother as well as OWBA PresidentMichelle Proia Roe and trustee membersMagistrate Sharon Dennis and AttorneyJennifer Jacquemain. We were especiallythankful to have Summit County CommonPleas Domestic Relations Judge CarolDezso and Magistrates Rebecca Heim-baugh and Crystal Burnett join us andshare insight about their role on the bench.

The reception was a great opportunity tomingle with several lawyers from di-verse backgrounds within the Akronarea. Several lawyers from a variety ofoccupations attended, including the legaldivision of First Energy Corporation, theCity of Akron Legal Department andarea law firms.

Magistrate Sharon Dennis and AttorneyJennifer Jacquemain chaired the event.

Thank you to our generous sponsor Old-ham and Kramer Law firm. n

Sharon Dennis is a magistrate at SummitCounty Domestic Relations Court. Shepresides over and determines various is-sues pertaining to family law, which in-clude, but are not limited to divorce,property settlement, division of assets anddebts, custody, child support, alimony andpaternity. Magistrate Dennis is theOWBA District 9 Trustee and a graduateof the OWBF Leadership Institute.

OWBA Akron Wine Tasting: “Grape” Fun

Clockwise from top left: The OWBA hosts a wine tasting event at Grape and Granary; Attendeessample delicious meatballs to go with their wine selections; Women at the Grape and Granarysample a fall collection of wines; Attending the evening event: (L-R): Jennifer Jacquemain, MichelleProia Roe, Magistrate Crystal Burnett, Cara Galeano, and Magistrate Sharon Dennis

Learn more about the Ohio Women’s Bar

Associationwww.owba.org

8

News

(as of December 11, 2012)

Deborah Akers-Parry, Wolf andAkers LPA

Randal Sue Bloch, Wagner &Bloch

Hon. Stephanie Bowman, U.S.District Court, Southern Dis-trict of Ohio

Angela Courtwright, IceMiller LLP

Hon. Mary DeGenaro, 7thDistrict Court of Appeals

Hon. Nancy Fuerst, CuyahogaCounty Common Pleas Court

Amanda Gatti, Reminger Co.,LPA

Melissa Graham-Hurd,Melissa A. Graham-Hurd, At-torney at Law

Laura Hauser, Thompson HineLLP

Valoria Hoover, KohrmanJackson & Krantz PLL

Jennifer Jacquemain, OldhamKramer

Maria Kortan-Sampson,Goodrich Corporation

Martha Krebs, Martha HKrebs Attorney at Law

Cynthia Lammert, RemingerCo., LPA

Helen MacMurray, Mac Mur-ray Petersen & Shuster

Catherine Martineau, MacMil-lan Sobanski & Todd, LLC

Amanda Martinsek, ThackerMartinsek LPA

Jean McQuillan, Case WesternReserve University School ofLaw

Susannah Muskovitz,Muskovitz & Lemmerbrock,LLC

Suzanne Nigro, Suzanne M.Nigro, Attoney at Law

Edele Passalacqua, Edele Pas-salacqua, Attorney at Law, LLC

Susan Petersen, Petersen &Petersen, Inc.

Denise Platfoot Lacey, Uni-versity of Dayton School ofLaw

Michelle Proia Roe, Mettler-Toledo, LLC

Julie Rabin, Rabin & RabinCo LPA

Kathleen Ransier, Vorys,Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

Mary "Lynn" Readey, OhioState University

Jennifer Rhoads, Ohio Petro-leum Marketers & C-StoreAssn

Alice Rickel, Alice Rickel &Assoc.

Carol Rolf, Rolf GoffmanMartin Lang Co., LPA

Grace Royalty, U.S. DistrictCourt, Southern District ofOhio

Laura Sanom, Faruki Ireland &Cox P.L.L.

Christine Santoni, RemingerCo., LPA

Jennifer Sardina Carlozzi,Davis & Young Co., LPA

Michele Shuster, Mac MurrayPetersen & Shuster

Rosemary Taft-Milby, Welt-man Weinberg & Reis Co.,LPA

Patricia Walker, Walker &Jocke

Linde Webb, Lydy & Moan,Ltd.

Margaret Wong, Margaret W.Wong & Assoc. Co., LPA n

Thank You Sustaining Members!

Calendar of EventsOWBA Full Board MeetingFebruary 5Conference Call

OWBF Leadership Institute: Public Speaking SessionFebruary 8Columbus

OWBF Board MeetingFebruary 14Conference Call

OWBA Founders’ GalaMarch 7Cincinnati

OWBF Board MeetingMarch 14Conference Call

OWBF Leadership Institute: Effective Leadership SessionMarch 15Columbus, Ohio

OWBA Board MeetingApril 2Columbus

Toledo Networking EventApril 11Toledo

OWBA Annual MeetingMay 2Columbus n

9

News

(as of December 11, 2012)

Kelly Albin, Kropf WagnerLaw Firm, LLP

Erin Alderson

Erica Baran

Abby Benston

Amanda Bleiler

Alycia Broz, Vorys, Sater,Seymour and Pease LLP

Julia Cade

Caitlin Case

Ashley Clever

Kylie Conley

Meghan Connolly, The Dick-son Firm, LLC

Aimee Craft, NKU Chase Col-lege of Law

Lindsey D'Andrea, Baker &Hostetler LLP

Jennifer Dollard

Katherine Finan

Lauren Foster, Ohio Depart-ment of Job and Family Serv-ices

Emily Gallagher

Katja Garvey, Agee, Clymer,Mitchell & Laret

Jan Hensel, Dinsmore &Shohl LLP

Rachel Hensley

Meghan Hill, Squire Sanders(US) LLP

Juan Holloman

Rebecca House

Amy Ruth Ita, Barnes &Thornburg LLP

Katherine Kettlehake

Simar Khera

Tenechia Lockhart

Kelly McBride

Sarah McLaughlin

Charles Medley

Holly Nagle, Capital Univer-sity Law School

Amanda Narog

Felicia Otisi Ornoji

Rachel Pappenfus

Julianne Payne

Catherine Peters, GallagherSharp

Kathleen Portman, BakerHostetler

Morgan Quigley

Erin Sanford, Mashburn Law Office

Marina Schemmel

Mary Smith, Battelle Memo-rial Institute

Lisa Splawinski

Alicia Stefanski, Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP

Sasha Swoveland, Cleveland-Marshall

Rebecca Taylor

Elizabeth Thoman

Perry Thompson

Erin Welch

Danyel Wiley

Nicole Zell, John P. Lavelle & Associates n

Welcome New Members!

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Justice Alice RobieResnick (1998)

Pamela N. Hultin(1999)

Magistrate Judge Patricia A.Hemann (2000)

Barbara J. Smith(2001)

Louise P. Dempsey(2002)

Magistrate Judge Vernelis K.Armstrong (2003)

Sandra J. Anderson (2004)

Mickey Rabin(2005)

Joyce D. Edelman(2006)

Holly Taft Sydlow& Kerin LynKaminski (2007)

Judge Mary JaneTrapp (2009)

Chief Justice Mareen O'Connor(2011)

The OWBA would like torecognize the Founders’Award Past Recipients

By Jennifer Fuller

One of Central Ohio’s top companiesserved as the venue for the inauguralevent of the In-House Counsel Subcom-mittee. Limited Brands, Inc., graciouslyhosted nearly 30 corporate counsel fromaround the region at its headquarters inNew Albany on the evening of Nov. 15,2012. Upon entering the building, the big-screen televisions, showcasing the Victo-ria’s Secret fashion show, and the sleekwhite and wood interior immediately setan exciting tone for the evening.

Women from organizations across theCentral Ohio region attended, includingin-house counsel from Express, Nation-wide Insurance, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Met-tler-Toledo, Ohio State UniversityMedical Center, State Auto Insurance,AEP, Nationwide Children’s Hospital,NetJets, Bob Evans, Alliance Data, Bea-con Hill Financial Services, Cardinal

Health, Exel, Inc. and the Supreme Courtof Ohio.

OWBA President Michelle Proia Roe,who has led the creation of the In-HouseCounsel Subcommittee, welcomed all ofthe attendees to the event, and sharedher vision for the group to become anetworking and support system for allin-house counsel. Miranda Stephani,corporate counsel at Limited Brands,Inc., introduced the keynote speaker,Mary Mitchell, who serves as chief ad-ministrative officer for Limited Brands,Inc. international division. Mitchellspoke briefly about her mother’s life-long quest for learning, despite numer-ous challenges, which has inspired herthroughout her career and motivates herto develop those on her team.

The attendees were then given a tour ofthe building that included the newly reno-vated international area as well as exam-

ples of store build outs prepared for theholiday season. Miranda Stephani servedas tour guide and offered interesting in-sight on the various Limited brands.

Appetizers, desserts and mocktails wereserved, and every attendee received aswag bag filled with products from Bath& Body Works and Victoria’s Secret.

Limited Brands, Inc. and the GnoesisGroup sponsored this event. The subcom-mittee is planning additional events. Ifyou are an in-house attorney, whether inthe corporate or public sector, please letthe OWBA know so that you may be in-cluded in future events. n

Jennifer Fuller is in-house at The ScottsMiracle-Gro Company and she spearheadsthe In-House Council Subcommitte in theColumbus area. She is a recent graduate ofthe OWBF Leadership Institute.

10

News

Attendees enjoy the “mocktails” at the reception (L-R): Rebecca Brown, Christina Shaw Grasseschi,Shakeba DeBose, and Melissa Centers

OWBA In-House Attorney inauguralevent at Limited Brands

Evelyn Smith and Mary Beth Schmidt listen toMary Mitchell’s remarks about leadership

11

News

GuidelinesIt is the position of the Ohio Women’s BarAssociation that the advancement ofwork-life balance in our profession bene-fits both lawyers and legal employers. Asthe ABA Commission on Women in theProfession has noted, what many lawyerswant is not necessarily to be “part time”but to have “balanced lives” combinedwith suitable career development. Thus, inan effort to promote and recognize Ohiofirms and employers who promote work-life balance, the OWBA accepts nomina-tions and awards the “Family Friendly”Award to a firm/employer each year.

The OWBA has established guidelines fornominations and selection for the “FamilyFriendly” Award. These guidelines are setforth below and appear in no particularorder. These are not mandatory require-ments, but are factors that the OWBAfeels are important in establishing, pro-moting and supporting work-life balancein the legal profession:

• Efforts to recruit, hire and retain fe-male lawyers.

• Women at partnership and manage-ment levels.

• Promotes and supports telecommuting.Appropriate work may be completedfrom home. The firm/employer pro-vides technological support to facili-tate telecommuting when appropriate.

• Promotes and supports job flexibilityby offering a variety of alternative andcreative work arrangements that sup-port work-life balance. Examples in-clude part time, reduced schedules,flex-time, job sharing, and telecommut-ing. Flex-time options may include al-lowing employees to work condensedor flexible schedules, such as four-dayworkweeks, a reduced lunch hour with

a shortened work day, and the ability tostart and leave early or start and leavelater than standard hours.

• Supports balanced hours. Examplesinclude allowing attorneys to work in-dividually tailored, reduced schedulesthat are designed to meet the firm oremployer’s business needs whilemaintaining the attorney’s ability tohave work-life balance.

• Follows proportionality. Attorneysworking flexible schedules should bepaid in proportion to the work they aredoing, should continue to be assignedmeaningful, interesting and challeng-ing work, and should be promotedbased on the same criteria as other at-torneys.

• Has written criteria for employee eli-gibility for flexible work arrangementsand written criteria for the effect a re-duced or flexible schedule has on ad-vancement or partnership track.

• Has a system for tracking data to showthe impact, if any, flexibility has onclients or customers as well as em-ployee productivity.

• Respects the employee’s schedule,off hours, and family leaves. For ex-ample, some effort is made to avoidscheduling mandatory meetings dur-ing these times.

• Receptive to and/or has a system inplace for working with employees be-fore a leave to map out options for re-turn, while recognizing that decisionsare often not made until once leavebegins or ends.

• Has a parental leave policy, whichmay include the following considera-tions: Three months maternity leave;paternity leave; option for additional

unpaid leave; a “phase back” return towork following parental leave (i.e., anemployee has the option to return forhalf days or part time for a designatedperiod of time following leave); equalbenefits for adoptive parents.

• Recognizing and supporting otherleaves for family needs, such asparental care, and having in place anelder care leave policy.

• Is supportive of breast pumping fornew mothers, which may include pro-viding a private location dedicated toneeds of nursing mothers.

• Is receptive to taking into accountfamily situations when staffing em-ployees on matters.

• Offers financial assistance to employ-ees with adoption expenses.

• Can demonstrate a pattern of promot-ing women on part-time/flexibleschedules to partner and/or other lead-ership positions.

• Has family friendly social activities.

• Has reasonable billable hour require-ments.

• Has written policies and proceduresthat address these work-life balanceissues and such policies and procedureare applied in a flexible and fair man-ner.

• Management demonstrates support ofthese policies and procedures.

• Has a designated representative re-sponsible to act as a liaison with em-ployees and ensure fairimplementation of the firm or em-ployer’s policies.

Call for Nominations: Nominations for OWBA’sEleventh Annual Family Friendly Award

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News

The Ohio Women’s Bar Foundation(OWBF) will be granting a scholarship inthe amount of $1,000 to one law studentfor the 2012-13 school year. The deadlinefor submission is March 1, 2013, and thescholarship will be presented to the win-ner at Ohio Women’s Bar Association An-nual Meeting, May 2, 2013, in Columbus.

The OWBF is the OWBA's charitablearm. Formed in 2008, the Ohio Women’sBar Foundation mission is to acceleratethe advancement of women lawyers asleaders in the profession and to facilitatetheir service to the community. It seeks toachieve its mission by collaborating withthe OWBA and strategically securing theresources necessary to provide and fundextraordinary educational opportunitiesthat enable Ohio’s women lawyers to ad-

vance in the profession and serve theircommunities. The OWBF is a 501(c)(3).

The OWBA was formed in 1991 to builda community of lawyers who are inter-ested in the issues that uniquely affectwomen. The OWBA is celebrating its20th year. The mission of the OWBA is topromote the leadership, advancement andinterests of women attorneys through pro-fessional education, networking and theexchange of ideas between our members,local bar associations, business and thecommunity. This includes:

• Fostering communications and net-working among women attorneys.

• Promoting and advancing professionalopportunities for women attorneys.

• Promoting the appointment and selec-

tion of women to various federal, stateand local positions of influence.

• Promoting women as leaders.

• Promoting and providing continuinglegal education targeting areas of par-ticular interest to women attorneys.

• Monitoring and supporting govern-ment legislation, policies, and practicesaffecting women.

• Serving as a statewide resource repre-senting perspectives of women in thelegal profession.

For an application, contact the OWBA office at (866) 932-6922,admin@owba.org, or go online towww.owba.org/lawstudentapplication.n

OWBF Law Student Scholarship: Call for Applications

Past Family Friendly Award Recipients

Reminger & Reminger Co., L.P.A. (2003)

Bricker & Eckler LLP (2004)

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor William D.Mason and Geauga County ProsecutorDavid P. Joyce (2005)

Ohio Auditor of State Betty D. Mont-gomery and Eastman & Smith, Ltd.(2006)

Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P. (2007)

Cooper & Walinski, LLP (2008)

Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP and Jav-itch, Block & Rathbone LLP (2009)

McGinty, Hilow & Spellacy Co., LPA andOhio Attorney General Richard Cordray’sOffice (2010)

Perez & Morris LLC (2011)

Benesch Friedlander Coplan & AronoffLLP (2012)

Any employer nominated previously may

be nominated again. Please send writtennominations including a two- to three-page statement on how the nominatedfirm meets the guidelines to:

OWBA’s Family Friendly AwardOhio Women’s Bar Association

PO Box 16562Columbus, OH 43216-6562Phone: (866) 932-OWBA (6922)Email: admin@owba.org

Deadline: February 15, 2013 n

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The Ohio Women’s Bar Association heldits fourth Leading with Style event inColumbus on Oct. 25, 2012, at Dock580 (Smith Bros. Warehouse, 580 N.Fourth St. Columbus) from 5:30-8 p.m.This year’s event treated 125 of atten-dees to a glamorous night of food, fash-ion and networking.

The evening kicked off as attendeeswalked the red carpet and posed for pa-parazzi-style photos. During cocktailhour, attendees networked over cham-pagne and butler passed hors d’oeuvres.Chanel was also on hand pampering at-tendees with complimentary makeuptouchups. While under the big white out-door tent, attendees could take their turnin the photo booth.

But, the real highlight of the event wasthe “Dress for Your Shape” fashion show,which was collaboration with Elisashleyand CAbi. The show featured a numberof professional looks with models ofvarying shapes and sizes and was hosted

News

Leading with Style: A Fashionable Evening

Leading with Style guests: Diana Hawkins; Delilah Nunez (Chair); Branden Givand (Emcee) andMeredith Wright

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Guests enjoyed a fashion show presented by Elisashley and CAbi.

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Guest enjoyed delicious food.

Chanel gave free makeovers. Guests were able to participate in a silent auction that benefited the Ohio Women’sBar Foundation.

News

by founder of S.W.A.G.G. Revolution Apparel and reg-ular on Fox 28’s Man Panel, Branden Givand.

This year’s LWS also provided attendees with severalopportunities to give back. Committee volunteers col-lected gently used professional clothing for the Dressfor Success charity. Attendees could also purchase akey for a chance to unlock a glass box containing apiece of jewelry valued at $250, which benefited theOhio Women’s Bar Foundation (OWBF). Lastly, asilent auction was held with proceeds going back to theOWBA.

This year’s sponsors included Thompson Hine LLP,Mac Murray Petersen & Shuster, Andy Califf BailBonds, Brenda Williams, Brenda Kerns, Robert Bracco& Associates, and Benesch Friedlander Coplan &Aronoff LLP. In-kind donations were provided by Cari-oti Jewelers, the Diamond Cellar, Due Amici, the CakeChick, Hair Artists, CAbi, Elisashley, Le Chocolique,and Sleeq Salon.

A huge thank you to the Leading with Style committee,which included Delilah Nuñez, Elizabeth Krile, Eliza-beth Orr, Lauren Foster, Britani Galloway, ClaudiaHerrington, Kitty Ivan, Mary Nienaber, Meganne Pic-cione, Amanda Wilhelm and Georgia Verlaney. n

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