Alan H. Abes

Partner

Alan currently serves as President of the Cincinnati Bar Association for 2025-2026. He litigates regularly in state and federal trial courts around the country and is experienced arguing in state supreme court and intermediate state and federal circuit courts of appeal. He handles complex breach of contract, class action, and commercial claims across many industries. He represents debt buyers under the FDCPA and related state law. He has long helped insurance carriers handle or litigate challenging coverage claims. Alan is also solicitor for the Village of Fairfax, Ohio and regular or special counsel for several Ohio joint fire districts and political subdivisions, advising them across the spectrum of their operations as public servants. He uses his significant litigation experience to assess claims early, mediating or resolving them informally to mitigate risk and control cost when that is the best course and helping clients prevent or limit claims before they arise. Alan is Vice Chair of the Firm’s Office of General Counsel and served for several years as co-chair of the Commercial Litigation practice group. He also serves the community and the legal profession in several volunteer capacities that hold personal meaning.

Credentials

Education

Northwestern University School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1993)

The Ohio State University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1990)

  • Honors in the Liberal Arts and distinction in Political Science

Bar admissions

  • Ohio

Court admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Affiliations and memberships

  • Leadership Cincinnati, Class 39
  • Cincinnati Bar Association
    • Board of Trustees, President
  • Supreme Court of Ohio, Board of Commissioners on Character and Fitness
  • Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, board member
  • Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services, board President
  • Ohio State Bar Association/American Bar Association

Distinctions

  • Best Lawyers®
    • “Lawyer of the Year” in Cincinnati for Insurance Law (2021), Litigation – Insurance (2022), Mass Tort/Class Action (2024)
    • Commercial Litigation; Insurance Law; Litigation – Insurance (2021-2024)
  • Ohio Super Lawyers®
  • Volunteer Lawyer of the Year (2010)
  • AM Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys
  • Ohio State Bar Foundation, fellow
  • Cincinnati Academy of Leadership for Lawyers, fellow and past chair

Career Highlights
  • Counseled Leading ULT Freezer Company through Merger

    We counseled our client, Stirling Ultracold, an innovative developer and manufacturer of ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers for life science and biopharma research, through its merger with BioLife Solutions, Inc., a developer focused on bioproduction devices used in cell and gene therapies. The all-stock mergers was in excess of $230 million.

    Stirling’s CEO saw the potential for increased demand for the company’s freezers during the COVID-19 pandemic as the freezers were a direct competitor to dry ice used in storing the COVID-19 vaccine. Merging with BioLife enabled Stirling to execute an aggressive strategic plan marketing and selling its freezers. Dinsmore served as the company’s general counsel since 2019, and our team of attorneys brought experience in mergers and acquisitions, labor, insurance, and life sciences, all of which was necessary to fully understand and address the company’s specialized needs. We counseled our client through the merger while simultaneously defusing challenges. Our team’s collective experience enabled Stirling’s executives to address the company’s short-term needs while also achieving its long-term goal.

    “The entire team at Dinsmore was, by far, the best engagement I have had in the 15-plus strategic transactions I have done throughout my career,” said previous Stirling Ultracold CEO Dusty Tenney, now COO and president at BioLife. “Their responsiveness, engagement, availability and deal leadership were extraordinary from LOI to closing.”

News
  • January 1, 2026

    Dinsmore Elevates 16 Attorneys to Partnership, Elects Seven to Board of Directors, Names New Department Chairs

  • December 17, 2025

    30 Dinsmore Attorneys Named 2026 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

  • August 21, 2025

    260 Dinsmore Attorneys Listed as 2026 Best Lawyers®, Ones to Watch

  • August 15, 2024

    250+ Dinsmore Attorneys Named 2025 Best Lawyers ®, Ones to Watch

  • December 29, 2023

    Ohio Super Lawyers Recognizes 30 Dinsmore Attorneys on 2024 List

  • August 17, 2023

    200+ Dinsmore Attorneys Named 2024 Best Lawyers®, “Ones to Watch”

  • December 29, 2022

    Ohio Super Lawyers Honors 36 Dinsmore Attorneys

  • August 18, 2022

    2023 Best Lawyers® List Recognizes 190 Dinsmore & Shohl Attorneys

  • February 8, 2022

    Dinsmore Partner Alan Abes Named 2022 BTI Client Service All-Star

  • August 19, 2021

    23 Dinsmore Attorneys Named ‘Lawyer of the Year’ by Best Lawyers®