J. Tanner Watkins
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Dinsmore Announces 8 New Partners

January 5, 2017News Releases

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP is pleased to announce eight attorneys have been named partner. Ryan P. Aiello, Brittany E. Kirk, Drew B. Millar, Mary K. Newman, John M. Spires, J. Tanner Watkins, Matthew J. Wiles and Anthony M. Zelli were elected to partnership effective January 1, 2017.

“Our newest partners share a passion for the practice of law and a commitment to serving our clients that we value at Dinsmore. I am pleased to welcome these talented attorneys to the partnership and I look forward to watching them continue to develop their practices,” said George H. Vincent, Dinsmore Managing Partner and Chairman.

Ryan P. Aiello – Columbus, OH

            A member of the Corporate Department and Commercial Finance Group, Ryan is 
            a transactional attorney whose practice focuses primarily on real estate financing, 
            acquisitions and dispositions, and development. Ryan has handled matters 
            relating to a wide variety of real estate, including vacant land, shopping centers, 
            hotels, gas stations, office buildings, marinas, industrial properties, warehouses, 
            mixed-use projects, residential developments and condominium projects.

            
            In terms of financing, Ryan has vast experience representing banks, mezzanine 
            lenders and other private lenders on all aspects of lending transactions. Over the 
            last seven years, he has closed over $400 million in loan transactions for a 
            variety of clients. In addition to his financing practice, Ryan frequently represents 
            buyers and sellers on the purchase and sale of real estate and also represents 
            real estate developers on all aspects of development. He has closed over $200 
            million in purchase and sale transactions and was responsible for coordinating title 
            and survey matters in connection with the $1 billion sale of one of the 
            largest private homebuilders in the U.S.

            Ryan earned his J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.


Brittany E. Kirk – Chicago, IL 

            A member of the Litigation Department, Brittany concentrates her practice on 
            financial services litigation. She represents lenders and servicers in actions 
            arising under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 
            Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Truth in Lending Act and Real Estate Settlement 
            Procedures Act, along with state law consumer fraud and fiduciary duty claims. 
            Brittany also leverages her experience representing bankruptcy trustees to 
            defend these clients against alleged violations of the automatic stay and discharge 
            injunction and to provide advice regarding credit reporting where a bankruptcy is 
            involved.

            Outside of the financial realm, Brittany has extensive experience litigating closely 
            held corporation shareholder disputes and claims involving non-compete 
            agreements and other restrictive covenants. Brittany has also represented clients 
            in general commercial and contract litigation, product liability matters and 
            personal injury claims. 

            Brittany earned her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law.

Drew B. Millar – Lexington, KY 

            A member of the Labor and Employment Department, Drew's practice focuses on 
            the representation of both public and private employers in issues related to the 
            workplace. He has significant experience in handling wage and hour matters. 
            Drew has represented a wide variety of clients in cases brought by the U.S. 
            Department of Labor, as well as a number of state labor boards.

            Outside of wage and hour disputes, Drew also has extensive experience with 
            defending cases and administrative complaints involving Title VII, the Americans 
            with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and other state and 
            federal employment statutes and regulations. He has also represented several 
            clients in proceedings under the National Labor Relations Act including assisting 
            with collective bargaining, dealing with strikes and defending against unfair labor 
            practice charges.

            Drew earned his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Mary K. Newman – Cincinnati, OH 

            A member of the Corporate Department, Mary represents both public and private 
            clients in a wide variety of corporate transactions. Her practice focuses on 
            mergers, acquisitions and dispositions of all sizes. Mary enjoys getting to know 
            the business goals of her clients, enabling her to provide practical advice from a 
            commercial perspective that helps her clients close deals quickly and efficiently.

            Mary has extensive transactional experience with companies of all sizes, from 
            start-up entities to family businesses to Fortune 100 companies. Mary’s practice 
            includes corporate formation, ongoing governance advice, capital raising, 
            securities transactions, public company disclosure issues and commercial 
            contracts. 

            She earned her JD from Harvard Law School.

John M. Spires – Lexington, KY 

            A member of the Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group, John has experience 
            representing both creditors and debtors in complex bankruptcy cases and 
            workouts outside of the bankruptcy system, and he has litigated a number of 
            contested matters arising in bankruptcy cases. He has also successfully defended 
            clients on claims ranging from demands for the return of alleged preferential and 
            fraudulent transfers to claims for breach of the automatic stay.

            In addition to his bankruptcy practice, John also has extensive experience in the 
            commercial litigation context. He has specifically represented clients in cases 
            involving claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, violation of the 
            Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and other business-related issues. John has 
            practiced before Kentucky's federal and state trial courts, the Kentucky Court of 
            Appeals, the Kentucky Supreme Court and United States Bankruptcy Courts in 
            multiple states.

            John earned his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law.


J. Tanner Watkins – Louisville, KY 

            A member of the Litigation Department, Tanner focuses his practice on business 
            and fiduciary litigation, banking litigation, personal injury litigation, and product 
            liability litigation. He has spent much of his career representing a wide range of 
            companies, from small local businesses to well-known brands in the logistics, 
            agricultural manufacturing, pharmaceutical, banking, trust, insurance and 
            investment banking industries. Tanner has represented a number of clients, 
            including banks, in Fair Credit Reporting Act and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act 
            cases. He also has experience in natural resources litigation, including 
            defending nationwide energy companies.

            Tanner handles trials, injunction hearings, and appeals in state and federal courts. 
            Understanding that every client has unique circumstances, Tanner places a 
            premium on thoroughly analyzing each matter before crafting a strategy that 
            meets his client’s objectives, whether it’s negotiating a settlement or building a 
            defense for trial, which enables him to quickly tailor his approach to fit each 
            client’s needs.

            Tanner earned his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Matthew J. Wiles- Columbus, OH/ San Diego, CA 

            A member of the Litigation Department, Matt has extensive experience 
            advocating on behalf of clients in federal and state courts and before 
            administrative bodies. He also serves as outside general counsel to clients, 
            partnering with them to establish business and strategic direction and assisting 
            them with employment, contractual, and day-to-day corporate matters.

            Matt’s litigation experience includes successful bench and jury trials and covers 
            cases in multiple areas of the law, including business, construction, transportation 
            and employment disputes. He has also provided strategic guidance to start-up 
            companies and clients in initial growth phases. Matt is licensed to practice in both 
            Ohio and in California and has been named an Ohio Rising Star by Super Lawyers 
            Magazine, a recognition achieved by only 2.5 percent of the attorneys in the state.

            Matt earned his J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law.

Anthony M. Zelli – Louisville, KY 

            A member of the Litigation Department, Tony represents clients in Kentucky and 
            Indiana state and federal courts in a wide array of matters, including cases 
            involving complex business and commercial matters, products liability, personal 
            injury, copyright and trademark, insurance coverage, administrative and criminal 
            matters.

            Tony has significant experience representing clients in multiple stages of litigation, 
            including discovery, motion practice and alternative dispute resolution. He has 
            tried numerous cases to verdict. Tony has also obtained restraining orders and 
            permanent injunctions on behalf of multiple clients in restrictive covenant, trade 
            secret and breach of fiduciary duty litigation. In addition, he provides counsel on 
            general corporate matters to clients in a variety of industries, including hospitality 
            and alcoholic beverages, telecommunications, banking and public utilities. Tony 
            also has significant experience representing individuals and business before state 
            and local administrative agencies, particularly with respect to alcoholic beverage 
            licenses.

            Tony earned his J.D. from Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville.