Women Lawyers of Franklin County - WLFC 2014.pdf · 2014-09-24 · The 2013 WLFC annual holiday party wa s a huge success! Franklin County women lawyers came together to enjoy an

Women Lawyers of Franklin County“We Are Our Own Best Resource!”

www.wlfc.ws

Eleana Drakatos, PresidentCaitlin Chamberlin, President-Elect

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WINTER NEWSLETTER 2014Eleana DrakatosPresident(614) [email protected]

Caitlin E. ChamberlinPresident-Elect(614) [email protected]

Megan Goeser GonzalezSecretary(614) [email protected]

Ashley [email protected]

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Kerry GreenTrustee at Large

Sandra McIntoshTrustee at Large;CBA Board of Governors Liaison

Lisa WaferCommunity Service

Rachel SaboNetworking

Katrina M. ThompsonMembership

Kelli StilesPolitical Campaign

Lori KeatingLaw School Liaison

Stephanie HannaBylaws

Diane GoderreNewsletter

Allison HaedtSocial Media

Dianna M. AnelliFamily Activities

Monica L.WallerImmediate Past President/Scholarship

Katherine (“Kitty”) IvanLegislative Action

President’s MessageDear Members:

This probably has been one of the cruelest winters Columbus has ever seen.Thank you for fighting the snow and the cold weather to attend our events.Our President-Elect has done a fantastic job in organizing our lunches andselecting some of the most interesting topics for discussion.

We are very excited for the second year in a row to work in conjunction withthe CBA to offer a CLE during our April lunch. On April 24, 2014, WLFC willbe presenting female trial attorneys Jami Oliver and Kelly Grigsby, along withbiomechanical engineer Sandra Metzler of S-E-A, on the topic of how toselect an expert witness. This luncheon is anticipated to offer valuableinformation for legal practitioners and will allow you to earn 1.0 CLE credit.We thank the CBA for helping us organize this event and S-E-A forsponsoring the lunch.

We kicked off the year by participating at the annual Rock N’ Bowl eventbenefiting Nationwide Children’s Hospital. This spring we will also have moreopportunities to give back to the community through WLFC. During our Aprilluncheon we will be collecting diapers, baby wipes and pull-ups for the YWCAFamily Center. On May 31, 2014 at 6:15 a.m., a group of WLFC volunteerswill visit the YWCA Family Center to cook and serve breakfast to the residentsof the Center.

WLFC is sponsoring six WLFC members to attend the WELD (Women forEconomic and Leadership Development) event titled “Making the Cut: TheSponsorship Ticket” that will take place on April 16, 2014, at 7:30 a.m. at theFawcett Center. I encourage all of you to attend this very important event.You will have the opportunity to network with the participants and thespeakers. We will be given the opportunity to say a few words about ourorganization at this event. Please show your support by attending.

Mark your calendars for our annual meeting on May 22, 2014, where ourannual silent auction will take place to raise money for our scholarship fundand our new President and Board will be sworn in.

I encourage you take advantage of your WLFC membership by joining us atthese events. Do not forget, “we are our own best resource.”

With kind regards I remain,

Very truly yours,

Eleana Drakatos



Upcoming Events

―AprilLuncheon―Thursday,April24,2013,12:30p.m.‐1:30p.m.@CBA.

ExpertWitnessTestimony– PreparingandStrategicPlanningforTrialExpertwitnesstestimonycanmakeorbreakacase.Whetheryouarepreparingforyourfirsttrialoryouareaseasonedlitigator,preparingapersuasiveexpertwitnessisan

importantadvantageattrial.ExpertwitnessSandraMetzler(SEA,Ltd.)andlocalattorneysJamiOliver(OliverLawOffice)andKellyGrigsby(Williams,Moliterno &ScullyCo.,LPA)willdiscusshowtoprepareanexpertandhowtostrategizeandanalyzeyourcasetomosteffectivelypresentyourexpert’stestimony.CLEcreditavailable,pendingapproval.*

PleaseRSVPtoRachelSabo,[email protected],937‐834‐0069.

AttheAprilluncheon,inourcontinuedsupportoftheYWCAFamilyCenter,WLFC willbeacceptingdonationsofdiapers(size4,5,and6),pull‐ups,andbabywipestobedeliveredto

theresidentfamilies.

―AnnualMeetingandSilentAuction―Thursday,May22,2014,11:30a.m.‐1:30p.m.@CBA.

JointheWomenLawyersofFranklinCountyforourAnnualMeetingandSilentAuction.ProceedsbenefitWLFC’s ScholarshipFund.Scholarshipswillbeawardedtotwolaw

students.PleaseRSVPtoCaitlinChamberlin,[email protected],227‐2029.

Ifyouareinterestedindonatinganyitemstothesilentauction,pleasecontactMonicaWaller,[email protected]!

―WLFC FamilyNight―Monday,June16,2014,7:00p.m.@Clippers’Stadium.

TheWomenLawyersofFranklinCounty,alongwithourfamilies,willbeattendinganotherColumbusClippersgameforthisyear’sFamilyNight.

Staytunedformoreinformation,comingsoon!

Women Lawyers of Franklin County, Inc.“We Are Our Own Best Resource!”


JOIN WLFC AS WE VOLUNTEER AT YWCA FAMILY

CENTERMark your calendars for

Saturday, May 31, 2014 at 6:15 a.m.! Members of WLFCwill be preparing breakfast for the Columbus YWCA Family Center, and we hope you can

join us! The YWCA Family Center provides emergency

shelter and critical services to stabilize homeless families in

central Ohio.

For more information, please contact WLFC Community

Service Chair, Lisa Wafer at 614-444-3036 or

[email protected]. More information will be coming

soon.

WLFC Supports April WELD Event

Women for Economic and LeadershipDevelopment (“WELD”) is offering anApril 16 event titled “Making the Cut:The Sponsorship Ticket,” which willaddress the importance of having notjust mentors, but sponsors who willadvocate on your behalf to help getyou to the next level in your career.The featured speaker is Ted Harris,Senior Vice President of Ashland, andPresident of Ashland PerformanceMaterials and Ashland Global SupplyChain.

When: Wed. April 16, 20147:30am - 9:30am

Where: The Fawcett Center2400 Olentangy River Rd.Columbus, Ohio 43210.

To purchase tickets, or for moreinformation about this and otherWELD events, go towww.weldoh.org/event/2014-april-16th-monthly-program/.



Help Support WLFC’sScholarship Fund

Each year, WLFC awards one or more scholarships to outstanding female law

students. WLFC could not do this without the generous

support of its members and local law firms. Please

consider making a donation to the Scholarship Fund this

year. Checks should be made payable to the Columbus Bar

Foundation (please note “WLFC Scholarship Fund” on

your check) and sent to Ashley Oliker, WLFC

Treasurer, One Columbus, Suite 2300, 10 West Broad

Street, Columbus, OH 43215. Alternatively, WLFC would appreciate any donations to the silent auction that will be

held at WLFC’s Annual Meeting. If you are interested

in donating, please contact Monica Waller,

[email protected].

Thank you in advance for your continued support!

WLFC Participates in Annual Rock-N-

BowlAs in past years, WLFCparticipated in the February 1,2014 Rock 'n Bowl, sponsoringnot just one but two teams.Rock 'n Bowl is sponsored bythe Columbus Bar Foundationand benefits NationwideChildren's Hospital. WLFC’steams raised almost $1000.00to support this worthwhilecause! Special thanks toWLFC community servicechairperson Lisa Wafer fororganizing WLFC’s teams.



At Holiday Party, WLFC Members Support Children’s Hunger Alliance

The 2013 WLFC annual holiday party was a huge success! Franklin County women lawyers came together to enjoy an evening of drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and good company at the newly-renovated Columbus Bar Association. The highlight of the evening was a raffle, which featured a variety of donated items such as barre classes, holiday sweets, restaurant gift cards, and a two-hour photo booth rental from The Aperture Booth. Raffle purchases helped raise over $1,200 to support WLFC's chosen charity, the Children's Hunger Alliance, a statewide non-profit agency working toward long-term solutions to fighting childhood hunger.

WLFC would like to thank all of the local women business owners and locally-based regional and national businesses supportive of WLFC’s mission and charity, who supported this year’s event. The event was a success due to their generous donations.

[INSERT PICTURE]

Michele Gregory, Senior Vice President, Development, Children’s Hunger Alliance



Worldly Women Lawyers Provided Insights at January Luncheon

WLFC’s January Luncheon, “WomenLawyers Around the World,” addressedthe challenges and opportunities thatwomen lawyers around the globe face.Our distinguished panelists representeda wide variety of both legal and culturalbackgrounds and included Lisa Han(Squire Sanders, China), OrsolyaHamar-Hilt (Supreme Court of Ohio,Hungary), Christina Hultsch (PorterWright Morris & Arthur, Germany), VinitaBahri-Mehra (Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter,India), Jackie Jernejcic (IBM, China),and Linda Murane (Judicial Bailiff forJudge Anne Taylor, U.S. Air Force).

Thank you again to all of our panelists!

WLFC November Luncheon Recap

The Women Lawyers of Franklin County

took some time to focus on work-life balance at

our November luncheon featuring local attorneys

and practitioners of a wellness-minded life, Simi

Botic and Stephanie Hanna. Simi and

Stephanie offered tips to improve our relationships, careers, and health, and

gave us practical information for creating delicious, healthy treats. (They even shared their

yummy recipes for Green Smoothies, Kale Salad

and Chicken Soup!)

Thank you to Simi and Stephanie for a great presentation!



Non-Traditional Family Law Explored at February Luncheon

Columbus Attorneys Carol Ann Fey, Tommy Taneff, Susan Eisenman, and Robin Baird provided their insights and experiences

about developing areas of non-traditional family law, including in-depth discussion about surrogacy law, reproductive rights,

international adoptions, LGBT law, and unmarried family law.

Thank you to our presenters for a thoughtful and stimulating presentation!

Presenters (from left to right): Robin Baird, Susan Eisenman, Tommy Taneff,and Carol Ann Fey

A Special Thanks to Caitlin Chamberlin, WLFC President-Elect, for planning all of the outstanding WLFC luncheon events this season!



WLFC LEGISLATIVE CORNERKatherine “Kitty” Ivan, Legislative Action Committee Chair, 2013-2014.

The Bylaws for the Women Lawyers of Franklin County allows the WLFCPresident to add a Legislative Action Committee Chair to the Board of Trustees.Although this was not a position that was filled in recent history, PresidentDrakatos decided to fill this Chair after the issue of taxes on legal fees came tolight in the 2012-2013 legislative news. As we know, the legal fee tax languageof the tax budget was removed before the bill passed. After the LegislativeAction Committee Chair position was filled, the board decided to provide a non-partisan update regarding Ohio Legislative news affecting women and legalpractitioners to the WLFC general membership. The full report is included on theWLFC website. However, below are some recent Ohio legislative newshighlights.

Senate Bill 297 http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=130_SB_297Heartbeat Bill: The bill prohibits abortions where a fetal heartbeat has been detected including the same language as the Heartbeat Bill, HB 248. It makes violations of this a felony of the fifth degree. The bill provides an exception if the abortion is to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to prevent a “serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.” If a physician performs an abortion under these circumstances, they must declare, in writing, that the medical procedure was necessary and must specify the pregnant woman’s medical condition and indicate the medical rationale for the procedure. In addition, the bill requires women to sign a form acknowledging that she has received information from the doctor performing the abortion of the statistical probability that the fetus will be carried to term and that the fetus has a heartbeat.The bill creates the joint legislative committee on adoption promotion and support. This committee is designed to review or study anything that “it considers relevant to the adoption process in the state.” The committee is to be made up for 3 members of the House and 3 members of the Senate.Status: Introduced in the Senate March 13, 2014



WLFC LEGISLATIVE CORNER (continued)

Senate Bill 261 http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=130_SB_261Legislative Analysis: http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/analyses130/s0261-ps-130.pdfDomestic Violence Violation of Protection Order: This bill would increase the penalty for violating a protection order and require law enforcement to enter certain protection orders into the National Crime Information Center Protection Order File.Status: Passed by Senate March 12, 2014

House Bill 309 http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=130_HB_309Legislative Analysis: http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/analyses130/h0309-ph-130.pdfDomestic Violence Fees: The bill ensures that no fee, deposit or money is charged for the modification, enforcement, dismissal, or withdrawal of a domestic violence, anti-stalking, sexually oriented offense, or other type of protection order or consent agreement.Status: The bill passed the House on February 12, 2014.

House Bill 129 http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=130_HB_129Stalking: The bill expands the definition of stalking, expanding the definition toinclude words that are directed at or identify a “corporation, association or otherorganization that employs the other person or to which the person belongs.” Thebill also modifies the penalties for stalking and allows for organizations in whichtwo or more individuals are victims to file for a temporary protection order.Status: Introduced in the House April 16, 2013, received hearings in the House.

Other News of Interest . . . The Supreme Court of Ohio recently proposed an amendment to the Ohio Civil rules that would require plaintiffs to file an application with the court seeking an order of dismissal when dismissal without prejudice is sought less than ten days before trial. The original proposal would have banned voluntary dismissals within ten days of trial. The Supreme Court of Ohio changed the proposal to give discretion to the court hearing the case. The Court has until May 1, 2014 to revise or withdraw the proposed amendment. The amendment would take effect on July 1, 2014.



Photos From Recent WLFC Events

Simi Botic and Stephanie Hanna, at November 2013 Wellness Luncheon



Photos From Recent WLFC Events

January 2014 “Women Around The World” Luncheon



Photos From WLFC Holiday Party

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More Photos From WLFC Holiday Party

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More Photos From WLFC Holiday Party

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OUR MEMBERS ROCK THE BAR!

Here are Recent Accomplishments by WLFC Members!

Eleni (“Eleana”) A. Drakatos joined her husband, Dennis V. Yacobozzi’s, law practice on January 1, 2014 to form Yacobozzi | Drakatos LLC. Their practice focuses on plaintiff’s personal injury and medical malpractice claims.

Diane M. Goderre was named the Chair of Thompson Hine’s Columbus office Women’s Initiative. In that position, she and the Columbus office of Thompson Hine recently organized holiday giving for 17 women and children housed at Amethyst facilities. Amethyst is a residential substance abuse treatment facility for homeless women and their children.

Sandra R. McIntosh was named the Chair of Freund, Freeze & Arnold’s Education Law Practice Group.

Laura M. Nesbitt recently started her own law practice, which she is enjoying immensely. Laura’s practice is focused on Consumer Bankruptcy representation (Ch 7 and Ch 13) and related financial solution services such as debt settlement, foreclosure defense litigation, mortgage loan modification assistance, budgeting and counseling. You can reach Laura at her new firm, The Nesbitt Law Firm, at 614-800-0262 or [email protected], or visit her website at www.laurahelps.com. Last year Laura was encouraged to join WLFC by a member who knew that Laura wanted to open her own firm. Through WLFC, Laura has met other entrepreneurial attorneys, gotten encouragement and tips, and expanded her network. She looks forward to her second year of membership with WLFC and the continued networking and learning opportunities it brings. Congrats Laura!

Ashley Oliker joined Frost Brown Todd as a senior litigation associate.



HAVE YOU ROCKED THE BAR?Received any Recognition Lately? WLFC wants to know!

Super Lawyers/Rising Stars?Personal Honors/Achievements?New Practices/Partnerships?Bar Admissions/Certifications?Appointments/Elections/Leadership Positions?Acts of Service (or Opportunities)?

Don’t be too modest. WLFC women deserve recognition and inspiration. Send notice of WLFC members’ accomplishments at bar or in the community to [email protected]. Don’t forget to put “WLFC Rock the Bar” in the subject line.

Seeking Authors, Writers, Editorialists!

Are you an WLFC member who wants to voice your opinion on an issue relevant to women and the law? Email your article to [email protected]. Please put “WLFC Voices” in the subject line.

Established in 1942, WLFC has grown from a few members to over 200 today. Throughout this time, WLFC has continued to strive to address the professional needs and concerns of women lawyers in the Greater Columbus area.



WLFC is on Facebook and LinkedIn!

Check out WLFC on Facebook and LinkedIn to learn about upcoming events and issues of importance to

our members. Be sure to “Like” WLFC when you visit!

Documents

Women Lawyers of Franklin County - WLFC 2014.pdf · 2014-09-24 · The 2013 WLFC annual holiday party wa s a huge success! Franklin County women lawyers came together to enjoy an