Linda is certified as a specialist in Labor and Employment Law by the Ohio State Bar Association. She established and manages the firm’s employment law practice. She co-founded the Cincinnati Management Lawyers Association and has been practicing in Cincinnati for more than thirty-five years.
On a day-to-day basis, Linda counsels employers on best practices to avoid litigation, prepares documents that govern employment relationships from beginning to end, provides training and policy implementation assistance in areas including wage and hour laws, discrimination, and harassment, and defends employers in litigation. She also represents public officials and entities in civil rights and other government liability matters.
Clients who depend upon Linda’s employment law expertise for training, policy implementation, and litigation defense include small- and medium-sized business, companies operating on a national or international scale, judges throughout Ohio, and entire counties. Linda’s priority is to achieve the result a client needs to get back to business, and to do it in a way that is respectful of the client’s time and goals. Meeting those goals in litigation often takes the form of filing a summary judgment motion and defending judgments at the appellate level, to ensure that the client can avoid the expense and uncertainty of a jury trial. Success for Linda’s clients can also mean implementing better workplace practices and training that prevent high employee turnover and litigation.
Professional Details
Case Decisions
Presentations & Articles
Awards and Recognition
- Top 50 Women Ohio Super Lawyers
- Top 25 Women Cincinnati Super Lawyers
- Top 50 Cincinnati Super Lawyers
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating (5.0 out of 5.0)
Affiliations
- Cincinnati Management Lawyers Association (co-founder)
- Lawyers Connecting Beyond the Law: Enhancing the Cohesion, Character, and Inclusiveness of our Local Legal Profession
- 2022 Steering Committee: Understanding Critical Race Theory
- 2023 Steering Committee: Enhancing the Cohesion, Character, and Inclusiveness of our Local Legal Profession
- 2024 Steering Committee: Creating Inclusive Communities Through Belonging
- Undivided at Crossroads Church: faith-based movement to build relationships that further racial solicarity and promote justice
- Defense Research Institute, Labor & Employment Law Section
- Cincinnati Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Committee (former chair)
Education
- J.D., University of Cincinnati College of Law
- B.S., Secondary Education, Miami University
Specialized Training and Experience
- Certified Labor and Employment Law Specialist, Ohio State Bar Association
- Significant training on law enforcement litigation:
- “Section 1983 Litigation—Defending Individuals and Entities,” County Risk Sharing Authority, 2015
- “Handling the Police Liability Claim,” National Business Institute, 2014
- “Section 1983 Litigation and Emerging Trends,” County Risk Sharing Authority, 2011
- “Defending Law Enforcement Litigation,” Public Agency Training Council, 2009
Admissions
- Ohio
- Kentucky
- Pennsylvania
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth 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 Kentucky
- Defense verdict on behalf of employer in workers’ compensation retaliation case
- Defense verdict on behalf of employer in FMLA and pregnancy discrimination case
- Defense verdict on behalf of employer in union retaliation and whistleblower case
- Summary judgment for county and sheriff’s deputies in excessive force case
- Summary judgment for employer in sexual harassment/wrongful discharge case
- Summary judgment for judge/employer in gender discrimination/retaliation case
- Summary judgment for county auditor in age and gender discrimination case
- Multiple Sixth Circuit cases wins for private and public-sector employers and judges
Representative Decisions
- DeNoma v. Hamilton Cty. Court of Common Pleas, 626 Fed. App’x 101 (6th Cir. 2015)
- Bright v. Gallia Cty., 753 F.3d 639 (6th Cir. 2014)
- Horen v. Cook, 546 Fed. App’x 531 (6th Cir. 2013)
- Leech v. DeWeese, 689 F.3d 538 (6th Cir. 2012)
- Asbury v. Teodosio, 412 Fed. App’x 786 (6th Cir. 2011)
- Pemberton v. DHL Worldwide Express, 145 Fed. App’x 171 (6th Cir. 2005)
- Birch v. Cuyahoga Cty. Probate Court, 392 F.3d 151 (6th Cir. 2004)
- McGill v. DHL Airways, Inc., 12 Fed. App’x 247 (6th Cir. 2001)
- Hammon v. DHL Airways, Inc., 165 F.3d 441 (6th Cir. 1999)
- Roell v. Hamilton Cty. Bd. of Cty. Comm’rs, No. 1:14-CV-637, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 108399 (S.D. Ohio Aug. 16, 2016)
- Wilson v. Dynasplint Sys., No. 3:14-CV-310, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 170520 (S.D. Ohio Dec. 21, 2015)
Linda regularly presents to employers, courts, employers’ associations, and other attorneys on employment law topics, including wage and hour laws and litigation, sexual harassment, and discrimination. Her recent presentations include:
- Language Tolerance After Supreme Court Decision in Obergefell, Montgomery County Domestic Relations and Probate Court (Nov. 4, 2016)
- Public Records, Ohio Associates of Magistrates (Sept. 29, 2016)
- Public Policy Wrongful Discharge in Ohio, Cincinnati Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Symposium (Sept. 16, 2016)
- Wage and Hour Training for Private Sector Employers (Aug. 25, 2016)
- Annual New Judges Training for Ohio Judicial College (since 2003)
- Employment Laws, Montgomery County Probate Court (Oct. 6, 2014)
- Preventing Workplace Violence, Ohio Society of CPAs (Apr. 24, 2008)
- Conducting an Employment Law Audit, Appellate Judges Seminar (Feb. 22, 2007)