Tucker Ellis LLP is pleased to announce that it has elected 10 attorneys to the firm’s partnership effective January 1, 2022.

“We realize how fortunate we are to have such incredible talent among our ranks, and these 10 attorneys are simply outstanding – not just professionally, but personally, as well,” said Tucker Ellis Managing Partner Joe Morford. “Under extraordinary and challenging circumstances, these remarkable lawyers have continued to accomplish stellar results for our clients, and we can’t wait to see them flourish in their new roles as our partners.”

Michael Craig helps clients protect and generate revenue from their intellectual property. He prepares and prosecutes patent applications for clients in the areas of computer arts, electrical arts, mechanical arts, medical devices, and life sciences. Mr. Craig is experienced in patent portfolio management and strategy, IP opinion and pre-litigation work for patent and trademark cases, and IP monetization strategy, as well as joint development agreements, licensing agreements, and other commercial IP contract work. He has extensive experience in industries including computer software, hardware, and architecture; telecommunications; online systems and data as a service; semiconductor and signal processing; circuitry; cybersecurity; mechanical and electro-mechanical systems; and Internet of Things (IoT). Mr. Craig received his law degree cum laude from The University of Akron School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Hiram College.

Nicole Gage represents multinational companies in mass tort lawsuits, defending a variety of entities, including product manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors of electrical controls, aviation engines, valves, pumps, automotive components, and HVAC equipment. She also serves as national counsel managing local counsel in jurisdictions across the country. In addition to managing a large docket of cases throughout California, Ms. Gage successfully defends cases from early discovery investigations through trial. She is experienced in jury selection, cross-examining witnesses, and negotiating favorable settlements in high-risk cases. Ms. Gage received her law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law and her undergraduate degree from the University of San Francisco.

Christopher Gardino focuses his practice on complex product liability, mass tort, construction, data privacy, and commercial litigation matters. He has extensive experience representing corporate clients in all aspects of litigation, including taking and defending depositions, drafting and arguing dispositive motions, developing corporate and expert witnesses, and negotiating favorable settlements. He has experience serving as both local and national coordinating counsel, overseeing product liability and premises cases in high-risk venues. Mr. Gardino received his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin.

Marc Greenberg focuses on white collar criminal defense, cybercrime, environmental and workplace safety emergency response, maritime and energy issues, and business litigation. A former federal prosecutor for the Central District of California, he has significant experience handling white collar criminal cases involving public corruption, tax fraud, money laundering, bribery, antitrust, theft of trade secrets, off-label marketing, importation violations, securities fraud, and cybercrime. During his tenure with the United States Department of Justice, Mr. Greenberg supervised and prosecuted long-term investigations of international money-laundering, extortion, securities, and fraud-related offenses. In private practice, he assists corporate and individual clients in addressing criminal and civil matters in connection with state and federal investigations, including alleged violations of antitrust laws, insider trading, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and the UK Bribery Act. Mr. Greenberg is a member of the Maritime Law Association. He received his law degree from Capital University Law School and his undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University.

Monee Takla Hanna focuses her practice on the defense of pharmaceutical and medical device clients in complex litigation across the country. She has defended companies in state and federal courts involving a wide variety of medical products, including silicone gel and saline breast implants, pelvic mesh, surgical staplers, transdermal drug-delivery systems, and numerous prescription medications. Ms. Hanna also has experience in business litigation matters, including class actions, unfair competition claims, and antitrust actions. She received her law degree from Harvard Law School and her undergraduate degree magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Steven E. Lauridsen represents companies in patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and domain name litigation at both the trial and appellate levels, in Section 337 investigations before the U.S. International Trade Commission, and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Mr. Lauridsen advises clients in technologies and industries including software, cosmetics, lasers, lighting, medical devices, music festivals, and apparel. His litigation skills are bolstered by diverse patent and trademark prosecution and counseling experience, ranging from developing a startup company’s patent portfolio and intellectual property strategy to assisting in the management and expansion of multinational companies’ domestic and international trademark portfolios. Mr. Lauridsen received his law degree from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law. He received his undergraduate degree cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania.

Nicole Braden Lewis defends companies nationally and locally in asbestos litigation. As national coordinating counsel, she manages local counsel around the country in directing a unified defense. As local counsel in Ohio, Ms. Lewis represents product manufacturers and premises owners in their individual cases. Her practice includes defending medical and dental providers against malpractice claims and counseling manufacturers in product safety. Ms. Lewis also co-chairs the Tucker Ellis Women’s Initiative. She received her law degree magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and her undergraduate degree summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Denison University.

Ronie Schmelz is an advertising and regulatory counselor and class action defense lawyer with a particular emphasis on defending clients in the consumer products industry, including those that manufacture cosmetic, skin and hair care, dietary supplement, and household goods. Ms. Schmelz advises clients on litigation-avoidance strategies, the implementation of recall procedures, and responding to FDA Warning Letters, Notices of Action, and MedWatch Adverse Event Reports. She counsels companies on compliance with the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, California Proposition 65, the marketing of CBD and hemp products under the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the Farm Bill), and other federal and state consumer protection, advertising, and unfair business practices laws. She also represents reinsurance and cedents in reinsurance disputes, including litigation. Ms. Schmelz received her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Anthony Vacanti counsels property owners, tenants, developers, and investors in matters involving land use, zoning, eminent domain, real property tax, and real estate transactions. He secures development approval and rights in administrative and court proceedings, including approvals before boards of zoning appeals, planning commissions, city councils, boards of township trustees, county and state commissions, and the court system. Additionally, Mr. Vacanti provides clients with real property tax savings in proceedings before local boards of revision, boards of tax appeals, and courts and proactively protects clients in negotiating real estate transactions, including the leasing, acquisition, and sale of real estate. Using his extensive administrative appeal experience, he assists SBA Paycheck Protection Program loan recipients in pursuing appeals of loan forgiveness denial determinations. Mr. Vacanti received his law degree magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from American University.

Charissa Walker is a trial attorney who defends pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers as well as consumer product manufacturers in product liability and other negligence-based claims. She defends actions in both state and federal courts throughout the United States, including taking and defending fact and expert witness depositions, arguing oral motions, negotiating favorable settlements, jury selection, and examining witnesses at trial. As a member of Tucker Ellis’s national coordination counsel and local counsel teams for several medical device and consumer product manufacturers, Ms. Walker serves as the liaison between Tucker Ellis and co-defense counsel at other firms throughout the country to coordinate defense strategy. Ms. Walker received her law degree summa cum laude from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Kent State University.