Tucker Ellis LLP is pleased to announce that it has elected nine exceptional attorneys to the firm’s partnership effective January 1, 2016.

“We are really proud of this remarkable group of lawyers and what they’ve accomplished and are fortunate to be able to welcome such a group into our Partnership,” said Managing Partner Joe Morford. “The high quality experiences they consistently provide our clients and communities and law firm make them perfect new additions to our exceptional Partnership.”

Susan Audey practices in the area of general litigation. An Ohio State Bar Association Certified Appellate Specialist, Ms. Audey serves on the Appellate Law Specialty Board. She also serves as counsel to the Civil Rules Committee of the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure and teaches writing as an adjunct instructor at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Ms. Audey received her law degree with honors from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She received both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees with honors from Cleveland State University.

Stephen Bittence advises businesses, developers, and lenders in the ownership, financing (private and public financings), operation, management, and development of multi-family residential, office, retail, single-family residential, and mixed-use projects. Mr. Bittence received his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law; a Master of Urban Planning, Design and Development from the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University; and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The Ohio State University.

Sarah Bunce is a trial attorney in the areas of products liability defense and complex commercial litigation matters. She has served as trial counsel in both state and federal court, including in multi-district litigation on behalf of a medical device manufacturer. Ms. Bunce received her law degree magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School. She received her undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Wisconsin.

Robert Cutbirth practices in the areas of insurance coverage, employment, and business litigation. He serves as outside general counsel to public agency risk pools and other clients, providing guidance and counsel regarding contracts, internal corporate policies, privacy/data protection, regulatory compliance, risk management, and education law issues. Mr. Cutbirth received his law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. He received his undergraduate degree cum laude from Southern Oregon University.

Monica Williams Monroe practices primarily in product liability and toxic tort defense. In her capacity as both local and national counsel, she represents corporate and insurance interests, including those of property owners, service contractors, product suppliers, and equipment manufacturers. She defends clients in litigation areas involving premises liability and handles matters involving general contract analysis, business disputes, real estate litigation, and bankruptcy proceedings. Ms. Monroe received her law degree cum laude from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Clark Atlanta University.

Anthony Petruzzi practices in the area of white collar criminal defense and corporate investigations, as well as business litigation. He defends individuals and entities under investigation for or charged with bank fraud, criminal RICO, FCPA, false claims, bribery, public corruption, money laundering, SEC violations, healthcare fraud, tax fraud, federal and state gambling offenses, and mortgage fraud. He conducts internal investigations for private and public companies related to whistleblower complaints, employee wrongdoing, and accusations of corporate misconduct. Mr. Petruzzi received his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Ohio University.

Jennifer Steinmetz practices in the areas of medical and pharmaceutical liability, devoting the majority of her professional time to the defense of drug and device manufacturers. She handles matters at the state and federal level, including mass consolidated proceedings and multi-district litigation, and has significant experience litigating products liability and mass/toxic torts matters for a variety of manufacturers and distributors. Ms. Steinmetz received both her law degree and a Master of Laws in Health Law from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She received double undergraduate degrees cum laude from Miami University.

Victoria Vance, chair of the Tucker Ellis Healthcare Group, represents healthcare providers, drug and device manufacturers, insurers, reinsurers, and underwriters in claims, risk, litigation, investigatory, and compliance issues. Ms. Vance’s practice includes monitoring, management, and defense of claims; responding to investigations and audits; and counseling on regulatory compliance. A trained mediator, she assists parties in evaluating and resolving complex civil, commercial, and personal injury disputes. Ms. Vance received her law degree cum laude from Cornell Law School and her undergraduate degree summa cum laude from John Carroll University.

Joshua Wes defends pharmaceutical and medical device companies in product liability litigation, including orthopedic implant, pelvic mesh, transdermal drug delivery, and COX-2 inhibitor medication actions. He serves as national and local counsel at the state and federal trial court levels in multi-district litigation, coordinated proceedings, and class actions. He also handles commercial litigation matters, including unfair competition claims, antitrust actions, and breach of fiduciary duty actions. Mr. Wes received his law degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. He received his master’s degree with honors and his bachelor’s degree cum laude from Biola University.