Elisabeth C. Arko

Elisa Arko focuses her practice on complex litigation and appellate matters, including hospitality and product liability defense.

Elisa develops legal strategies to meet our clients’ goals at every phase of the litigation, including consultation, dispositive motion practice, trial, and appeals. She uses this expertise to help trial teams with dispositive motions, jury instructions, and post-verdict motions with an eye toward ensuring key issues are preserved for appeal.

Elisa defends clients and has served as appellate counsel in multiple trials in state and federal court. She has argued many appeals and helped brief many more in state and federal appellate courts throughout the country. Elisa has leveraged these skills to co-author numerous amicus curiae briefs on behalf of statewide and national organizations.

Education: Cleveland State University College of Law (J.D., summa cum laude, 2016); Cleveland State Law Review, Editor-in-Chief (2015-2016); Ashland University (B.A., 2011); Ashbrook Scholar

State Admissions: Ohio, 2016

Federal Admissions: United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan; United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio; United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio

Service Areas: Appellate & Legal Issues; Class Action Litigation; Hospitality; Mass Tort & Product Liability; Life Sciences Litigation; Medical Malpractice Litigation; Health & Life Sciences

Served as lead appellate counsel in three cases alleging RICO, negligence, and TVPRA claims against a hotel brand and operator that were successfully resolved prior to verdict
Served as lead appellate counsel in a wrongful death case on behalf of a plaintiff under Michigan law
Served as co-appellate counsel on behalf of a corporate client in a toxic tort case that went to verdict in the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas
Obtained summary judgment in two cases of first impression alleging violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act
Obtained a motion to dismiss in two cases of first impression alleging violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act
Argued appeals in the Eighth District Court of Appeals, the Tenth District Court of Appeals, the Seventh District Court of Appeals, the Ninth District Court of Appeals, and the Michigan Court of Appeals
Handled and participated in appellate briefing in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and in state appellate courts in Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, and Georgia
Obtained a motion to dismiss a class action complaint seeking to challenge the constitutionality of Ohio R.C. 4503.10
Represents a state pension system in class action litigation involving the interpretation of the Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution and state statutory requirements
Drafted motions for summary judgment and to exclude expert witnesses in nationwide multi-defendant toxic tort and product liability litigation
Drafted motions to dismiss in various jurisdictions based on elements of novel statutory interpretation

speaking engagements

“Reptile Theory in Appellate Courts,” Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys Annual Meeting, Columbus, Ohio (November 2024)
“Supreme Court Term in Review,” Tucker Ellis 2024 In-House Counsel Summit, Cleveland, Ohio (October 2024)
“2022–2023 Supreme Court Term in Review,” Tucker Ellis In-House Counsel Summit (October 2023)
“Supreme Court Year in Review,” Tucker Ellis In-House Counsel Summit (October 2022)
“Back to the Courtroom: What We Can Expect from Courts Moving Forward,” Moderator, 2022 OACTA Annual Meeting, Cleveland, Ohio (November 2022)
“The Supreme Court Year in Review,” Tucker Ellis In-House Counsel Summit Webinar (October 2021)
“Restatement of the Law, Liability Insurance (2019): How Will It Impact Ohio Law?”, OACTA Insurance Coverage Virtual Seminar (April 2021)
“How Blockchain Could Transform the Real Estate Industry,” BOMA 2019 International Conference & Expo, Salt Lake City, Utah (June 2019)
“Blockchain: Changing the Game and Going Beyond Cryptocurrency,” 2018 In-House Counsel Summit, Tucker Ellis LLP, Cleveland, Ohio (October 2018)

publications

“5 Ways to Champion Women Lawyers,” Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal (April 2023)
“Preservation of Error in Ohio: Waiver Beware,” OACTA Quarterly Review (Spring 2022)
“Supreme Court Case Tests Outer Time Limits for Bringing Malpractice Suits – AMCNO Files Amicus Brief,” Northern Ohio Physician (Summer 2020)
“Stop, Drop, and Think: A Futurist’s Plea for Caution in the Age of AI,” LegalTech News, New York Law Journal (March 2019)
“How Blockchain Can Help Secure Connected Devices,” Law360 (January 2019)
“That Which We Call ‘Any Exposure’ by Any Other Name Would Smell as Rotten: The Transmogrification of the ‘Any Exposure’ Opinion,” DRI’s For The Defense (November 2018)
“True Blue: Avoid ‘Fake News’ on Product Packaging,” Manufacturing Today (October 2018)
“An Often-Overlooked Defense to Product Liability Claims,” DRI’s For The Defense (April 2017)

media

“Legal Tech’s Predictions for 2019 in Cybersecurity and Privacy,” Legaltech News (December 2018)

Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys (2024)
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America (2023–2025)
Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars® (2025)

Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
- 3Rs Program
Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys
- Board of Trustees (2024–present)
- Annual Meeting Chair (2022)
- Appellate Advocacy Committee, Co-Chair
- Amicus Committee, Co-Chair