On January 1, 2022, ten attorneys formerly of Lane Alton joined Weston Hurd LLP. These attorneys, in addition to Robert Stoffers and Lorree Dendis who joined the firm in the fall, elevate Weston Hurd to more than 50 attorneys statewide with 17 in Columbus.
According to Weston Hurd’s firmwide Managing Partner Dan Richards, “The expansion of the Columbus office caps a year of change and smart growth for the firm that included moving Weston Hurd’s offices in Cleveland and Columbus to new, more efficient space. The addition of these deeply experienced attorneys to our Columbus office enhances its already well-established presence in civil litigation and insurance defense matters, and adds further depth in medical malpractice, corporate, business, real estate, estate planning, and probate law. This complements and creates a lot of synergies with our various practice groups in Cleveland.”
Weston Hurd is pleased to welcome:
Thomas I. Blackburn joins Weston Hurd from Lane Alton as Of Counsel. Tom both advises clients and represents clients before state and federal agencies as well as in state and federal courts on matters ranging from complex liability; insurance coverage issues; business matters; shareholder, partnership or limited liability member matters; non-competition and confidentiality matters; and construction, construction defect and construction contract matters. Tom’s court admissions include Ohio, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the United States Tax Court. Tom received his B.S. and his J.D. with honors from The Ohio State University.
Thomas I. Blackburn – 614.280.1136 – tblackburn@westonhurd.com
Lorree L. Dendis joined Weston Hurd in December 2021 as an Associate. Lorree has more than 20 years of experience in litigation and defense matters. She represents her clients in cases involving construction, employment, and complex bodily injury. Lorree’s court admissions include Ohio, the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of Ohio, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Lorree received her B.A. summa cum laude from Hobart & William Smith Colleges and her J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
Lorree L. Dendis – 614.280.1145 – ldendis@westonhurd.com
Joseph A. Gerling joins Weston Hurd from Lane Alton as a Partner. Joe began his professional career as an engineer and uses his technical background to represent clients in products liability claims involving fires and explosions, asbestos and toxic substance exposures, and complex construction lawsuits. Joe’s court admissions include Ohio, the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of Ohio, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Joe received his B.S. cum laude in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. cum laude from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
Joseph A. Gerling – 614.280.1123 – jgerling@westonhurd.com
Edward G. Hubbard joins Weston Hurd from Lane Alton as a Partner. Ed focuses his practice on representing lawyers and law firms in legal malpractice claims, advises landlords and businesses in lease negotiations and disputes, and defends national retailers in premises liability claims. He also counsels manufacturers, retailers, and recreational vehicle manufacturers in claims made by consumers. Ed’s court admissions include Ohio, the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of Ohio, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Ed received his B.A. from Miami University and his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Edward G. Hubbard – 614.280.1125 – ehubbard@westonhurd.com
Jeffrey W. Hutson joins Weston Hurd from Lane Alton as Of Counsel. Jeff brings years of experience in handling disputes to his role as a mediator and arbitrator. In addition, Jeff handles transactional work for design professionals. Jeff is admitted to practice in Ohio, and before the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of Ohio, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth and Ninth Circuits. Jeff received his A.B. and his LL.B. from the University of Michigan. After graduating from law school, Jeff served for four years as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Navy.
Jeffrey W. Hutson – 614.280.1137 – jhutson@westonhurd.com
Rick E. Marsh joins Weston Hurd from Lane Alton as Of Counsel. Rick focuses his practice on the defense of negligence claims against attorneys and law firms. Rick’s court admissions include Ohio, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, and the United States Supreme Court. Rick received both his B.A. cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa and his J.D. from The Ohio State University.
Rick E. Marsh – 614.280.1138 – rmarsh@westonhurd.com
Gregory D. Rankin joins Weston Hurd from Lane Alton as a Partner. A seasoned trial attorney, Greg represents his clients in legal matters involving serious injury and death claims, including more than 25 medical malpractice trials. Greg’s court admissions include Ohio, the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of Ohio, and the United States Supreme Court. Greg received his B.A. magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Albion College and his J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
Gregory D. Rankin – 614.280.1126 – grankin@westonhurd.com
James P. Seguin joins Weston Hurd from Lane Alton as a Partner. Jim represents businesses in all facets of operations including formation, succession planning, real estate, shareholder disputes, general contracts, and litigation. Jim also assists families and individuals with estate planning and probate matters. Jim’s court admissions include Ohio and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. He received his B.B.A. cum laude from the University of Toledo and his J.D. from The Ohio State University College of Law.
James P. Seguin – 614.280.1127 – jseguin@westonhurd.com
Claudia L. Spriggs joins Weston Hurd from Lane Alton as a Partner. Claudia has extensive courtroom experience in Ohio and California where she has tried dozens of jury trials as well as hundreds of arbitrations and mediations. Claudia’s court admissions include Ohio and California, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. After receiving her B.A. from the University of California, Riverside, Claudia obtained her J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law.
Claudia L. Spriggs – 614.280.1131 – cspriggs@westonhurd.com
Robert H. Stoffers joined Weston Hurd in November 2021 as a Partner. Bob represents his clients in matters involving general liability, auto and trucking, products liability, construction defects, intellectual property, premises liability, professional malpractice, and errors and omissions. Bob’s court admissions include Ohio, the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of Ohio, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Robert received his B.A. from Otterbein University and his J.D. from the University of Toledo College of Law.
Robert H. Stoffers – 614.280.1155 – rstoffers@westonhurd.com
