Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP

At the core of the firm’s values is giving back to the communities where we live and work. That’s why we were honored to host a special retirement celebration for David Weaver, the longtime Executive Director of the OHIOANA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. This nonprofit organization, where partner Brad Hughes has proudly served for several years on the Board of Trustees, has been a beacon of Ohio’s literary history since 1929. With over 80,000 books by Ohio writers or about Ohio, the OLA plays a crucial role in our state’s cultural landscape. Although David will be missed, the OLA is thrilled to bring Kimberlee Kiehl, Ph.D. on board as the new Executive Director. Dr. Kiehl brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from her previous roles with the Ohio High School Athletic Association and COSI, among others. For some context on this video: David proposed a Chinese New Year theme for his retirement to honor his wife and her heritage. Please join us in commemorating David’s remarkable tenure and welcoming Dr. Kiehl to this incredible organization! Congratulations to both of you!

Last week, Adam Wilczewski and Rachel Delgado, members of the firm’s Washington, DC Government Affairs team, attended a diplomatic reception at the U.S. Department of State hosted by The Washington Foreign Law Society . Two members of the State Department, Richard C. Visek, Acting Legal Advisor, and Ambassador Beth Van Schaak, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, spoke at the event about the war in Ukraine and rebuilding the country’s criminal law legal system.

Porter Wright is proud to announce that attorney Amanda Keller has been named President-Elect of the Hillsborough County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division! This three-year commitment will see Amanda serving as President-Elect from 2024-2025, President from 2025-2026, and Immediate Past President from 2026-2027. The HCBA boasts one of the largest and strongest young lawyers divisions in Florida. The YLD’s mission is to support the initiatives and goals of the HCBA, promote professionalism and ethical conduct, provide guidance and support to new lawyers, offer educational opportunities, organize programs and events of interest to young lawyers, and encourage community involvement. Congratulations, Amanda! #ProudToday #InspiredEveryDay

Last week, we hosted a hands-on seminar titled "How to Respond to a Ransomware Attack," in which attendees participated in a mock ransomware attack. During the "attack," participants interacted with legal, risk, communications, and security professionals to determine the best financial, operational, and emotional outcome for their company. Thank you so much to everyone that was able to join us for this exercise, and a special thank you to our esteemed panelists Chad Mowery and Neil Simon, MPA from Porter Wright, J.T. Schlembach, CYRM from Hylant Administrative Services, Inc., and Shawn Newman and Kevin Baker from Fortress Security Risk Management.

CONGRATULATIONS | Porter Wright is proud to announce that partner Javier Pacheco has been elected to the board of directors of the Collier County Bar Association. He will serve a 2-year term on the board and will continue to support the Collier county bar and the legal community. Congratulations, Javier! #ProudToday

Earlier this week, we had the pleasure of hosting a spring open house at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh alongside our amazing team. We are incredibly grateful to all our friends and clients who attended and met our new feathered friends, Sunshine the penguin and Pumpkin the owl. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

CONGRATULATIONS | Porter Wright is proud to announce that senior associate Amanda Keller was recently awarded the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award from the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers! Congratulations, Amanda! Pictured here is Amanda and her HAWL Young Lawyers Division co-chair, Christian Katchuk. #ProudToday #InspiredEveryDay

Last week, partner Greg Daugherty attended The ESOP Association's National Conference 2024 in Washington, D.C., and gave the ESOP "Regulatory Update" presentation with Chelsea Ashbrook McCarthy. On ESOP Advocacy Day, Greg was part of the Ohio delegation that met with the staffs of Senators Sherrod Brown and JD Vance and Representatives Joyce Beatty, Marcy Kaptur, and Jim Jordan to discuss policies that could make employee ownership more attainable.

Today the firm had our official kick-off meeting for Pelotonia 2024! For the 15th year in a row, and since its inception in 2009, Porter Wright has been an avid supporter of Pelotonia here in central Ohio. For those unfamiliar, Pelotonia is a yearly fundraising bike ride with one goal: ending cancer. To date, they've raised nearly $300 million for cancer research at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-James Cancer Hospital & Solove Research Institute. To learn more about this incredible organization, we encourage you to check them out at www.pelotonia.org/. Special thanks to Joe Apgar and Carolyn Appelhans from Pelotonia for joining us today, and of course a huge thank you to our lovely team captains, C. Darcy Copeland Jalandoni and Luke Fedlam! #Pelotonia2024 #EndCancer #CancerSucks

WELCOME | Porter Wright is pleased to announce that Adanna M. Smith has joined the firm’s Columbus office as a member of the Litigation Department. Adanna brings a robust background in federal court litigation and extensive experience in complex civil and criminal case management. Welcome, Adanna!