FI&C is pleased to announce that Ron Raether and Jeff Sharkey will become Partners at the firm effective January 1, 2005.

Ron Raether is a cum laude graduate of The Ohio State University and a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Dayton School of Law, where he was a member of the University of Dayton Law Review. Ron clerked with two Judges of the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court before beginning his career at FI&C. An accomplished litigator, Ron handles many technology-related disputes and the defense of class action lawsuits, as part of his repertoire.

Jeff Sharkey earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton and earned his law degree summa cum laude from The Ohio State University. Jeff served in an externship with Judge Walter Rice of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, and later clerked for the Honorable Thomas Meskill of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Also a seasoned trial attorney, Jeff handles a wide range of contract, antitrust and property disputes that put his economics background to good use; he also has handled a range of utilities-related disputes before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Congratulations to Ron and Jeff!

FI&C has completed its Fall 2004 recruiting effort. In addition to Rob Gurry, Rebecca Owen and Adam Sadlowski (FI&C's 2004 summer clerks who have accepted 2005 associate offers from the firm (see November 2004 website newsletter for further detail)), FI&C welcomes Katie Miltner as a Fall 2005 associate. Currently in her third year at Indiana University Law School, Katie is an honors graduate of Hanover College.

Joining FI&C as 2005 summer law clerks will be current second year law students Mark Sedor (Miami University, University of Notre Dame Law School), Elizabeth Gross (Davidson College, Washington University Law School), and Mahmud Karim (University of North Texas, University of Dayton School of Law).

Michele Murphy has been accepted for Class IX of the Cincinnati Academy of Leadership for Lawyers (CALL). CALL is an interactive leadership program co-sponsored by the Cincinnati Bar Association and the University of Cincinnati College of Law. The goal of CALL is to build a core of practicing attorneys in the region who will lead the community ethically, professionally, and with high regard for community service. Michele is one of only thirty area lawyers accepted to participate in CALL Class IX. As a member of Class IX, Michele will work with the other class members to complete a service project. Past program speakers have included Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court, past Presidents of the American Bar Association, legal scholars, and business and community leaders. The first of the five sessions is January 12, 2005. The program ends May 19, 2005.

In December, Charlie Faruki spoke at four CLE programs for attorneys. First was a program co-sponsored by the Ohio Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers and by the Ohio State Bar Association (Charlie is a Fellow of the College). Broadcast statewide from Columbus, the program focused on trial ethics.

Second was a Dayton Bar Association program, Intellectual Property for the Corporate and General Practitioner, in which Charlie dealt with litigation issues in patent, trademark, copyright and trade secrets cases. Third was an OSBA-sponsored program in Columbus; as part of the OSBA's New Lawyer Training program designed to satisfy the requirements of the Supreme Court of Ohio, Charlie spoke on the subject of trial practice and preparation of cases for trial.

Finally, Charlie gave his annual update for the Dayton Bar Association on Federal Practice and Procedure, in which he reviewed caselaw developments in 2004, covering such areas as federal jurisdiction, removal, e-discovery, Daubert hearings, summary judgments, etc.

FI&C paralegal Christina Clemons attended a multi-day seminar this month in Minneapolis hosted by Kroll Ontrack and completed Kroll's "E-Discovery Certification Course."

FI&C associates Chad Burton, Erin Stefanec, Erin Bair, Holt Hedrick and K. Lynn Preston were all recently sworn in as new members of the bar of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. One of the few U.S. District Courts that requires passage of a written examination before admission to its bar, the Southern District of Ohio administers a comprehensive test covering the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Evidence and the Southern District of Ohio Civil Rules (the local rules of the District Court). Both Charlie Faruki and Bob Bartlett of FI&C are long-time court-appointed members of the Southern District of Ohio Committee of Bar Examiners, and Charlie is the Chair of that Committee for the Southern District.