Bricker & Eckler announces seven new partners for 2019

The law firm of Bricker & Eckler LLP recently elected seven new partners (effective January 1, 2019): Melissa Bondy, Jennifer Flint, Ali Haque and Sue Roudebush of the Columbus office; Josh Nolan and Catherine Swartz of the Cleveland office; and Beverly Meyer of the Dayton office.

Melissa Martinez Bondy is an education attorney, serving in both K-12 and higher education settings. Her practice emphasizes disability law/special education; Title IX compliance; development of educational policy; administration of student discipline; and public and student record concerns. Melissa is a frequent speaker on issues related to disability and staff compliance for both school districts and higher education institutions. She has significant experience defending educational entities against claims of discrimination before the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. Also of note, Melissa has the distinction of being the first female Hispanic elected to the firm’s partnership.

Jennifer A. Flint’s practice encompasses eminent domain, zoning and annexation litigation, energy and utilities litigation, and general appellate law. She represents boards of education, political subdivisions and private utilities in eminent domain proceedings and advises local governments on a wide range of land use issues. Jennifer also counsels school districts on OHSAA compliance and matters related to enrollment, attendance, custody, tuition, and public and student records laws. In 2009, she became an OSBA-certified Appellate Law Specialist.

Ali I. Haque is an experienced litigator practicing complex commercial litigation, class action defense, and insurance and financial services litigation. He regularly serves as first-chair trial and appellate counsel for cases throughout the country in both federal and state court. In one of his more notable cases, he served as first-chair trial and appellate counsel in a commercial contract dispute, where he successfully obtained summary judgment and then argued the case before an Ohio court of appeals, which affirmed the dismissal. Other notable cases include obtaining a directed verdict in favor of a national insurance carrier for a breach of trust claim and defending a bank in a $6 billion adversarial bankruptcy proceeding. Ali is a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow and President of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Central Ohio (APABA-CO).

Beverly A. Meyer is an employment and labor relations lawyer who counsels employers in both the public and private sectors. She is also an education attorney who represents school districts and colleges throughout the state. Beverly’s practice encompasses all areas of labor and employment law, including collective bargaining, employee discipline, harassment investigations, wage and hour claims, and leave and benefits issues. Beverly regularly litigates in federal and state courts and appears before administrative agencies, civil service commissions and labor boards. She is a frequent lecturer on matters affecting her areas of practice and has developed and presented employment-related trainings and programs for clients and professional groups on local, state and national levels.

Joshua D. Nolan is a higher education attorney with a background in both litigation and college administration. He defends colleges and universities in sensitive litigation and administrative actions. He counsels institutions on risk management, privacy law compliance, campus conduct, First Amendment issues, student mental health intervention and other areas of compliance. Josh also performs training and internal investigations regarding Title IX, sexual harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct claims for both educational institutions and corporations. Additionally, he manages Title IX, FERPA and Clery Act compliance. Josh is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys.

Sue A. Roudebush practices in the firm’s employment department with an emphasis on workers' compensation defense law. She represents both self-insured and state-funded employers during all stages of workers’ compensation matters, including claims investigation and management, administrative hearings, litigation, appeals on mandamus before the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Ohio, Violation of Specific Safety Requirements (VSSR) and settlement. Additionally, she serves as counsel to several Ohio employer organizations, advising on proposed law and policy changes and assisting their members with workers’ compensation claims. Her programs are presented at various safety council meetings, at continuing education seminars, and for internal client education and training events.

Catherine M. Swartz serves as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel and trustee's counsel in general obligation and revenue bond financings. Her clients include Ohio school districts, cities, counties and villages. She also provides counsel to political subdivisions on issues related to finance, tax levies, continuing disclosure filings, public records, investment policies, sales and use tax, and ethics matters.