Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP, a national law firm with six offices and more than 125 attorneys, is pleased to announce that Craig Owen White has been appointed by the firm’s Board of Directors as the new Partner-in-Charge of the Cleveland Office. A new leadership team has also been appointed to lead the firm’s Business Practice Area (BPA). Rocco I. Debitetto will serve as BPA’s Administrative Chair, Leslie S. Johnson as Vice Chair, and Robert A. Cooper and Lawrence E. Oscar will serve as Development Co-Chairs of this key practice area.
Stanley R. Gorom III, who assumed the role of CEO and Firmwide Managing Partner in May 2019, stated, “with my new firmwide role, our Board of Directors and I wanted to transition some of my other responsibilities to other leaders. This transition will provide fresh ideas and diverse perspectives as we continue our tremendous growth.” Gorom had previously served as both the firm’s Cleveland Office’s Partner-in-Charge and the Administrative Chair of the Business Practice Area.
“These new leaders will help us chart our course in Cleveland and across the country as we head toward our 100th anniversary in 2020,” Gorom said. “Craig, Rocco, Leslie, Rob and Larry all bring great insight and experience that will ensure our continued success.”
Craig Owen White – New Partner-in-Charge in Cleveland
As Partner-in-Charge of Hahn Loeser’s Cleveland Office, White will play a leading role in the growth and direction of the firm in Northeast Ohio. Currently the firm’s Cleveland Office is home to more than 65 attorneys.
White has been with Hahn Loeser since joining the firm in 1990. He was elected to the firm’s partnership in 1991 and served on the firm’s Board of Directors from 1997 – 2007. As a senior partner in the firm’s Business Practice Area, White guides established and growth-oriented companies through mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, enterprise governance, and financing and licensing issues in the United States and abroad. White serves as a director of Great Lakes Cheese, Co., Inc., one of the largest privately-owned food companies in the United States. In addition, White was recently appointed for a second term by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa (TACA) and was appointed chair of the TACA earlier this year.
White received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1983; was named as a Thomas J. Watson Jr. Foundation Fellow for Economic study in Kenya and Ghana from 1979-1980; and received his B.A. from Williams College in 1979.
“Craig’s leadership skills, warmth and business acumen make him an ideal fit for this role,” Gorom stated. “I look forward to working closely with him in this key market.”
Hahn Loeser’s New Business Practice Area Leadership Team
Debitetto will serve as Administrative Chair of the firm’s Business Practice Area. In this role, Debitetto is responsible for the management and oversight of the practices and attorneys in the Area as well as setting the strategic direction of this Group.
Debitetto counsels businesses and individuals in connection with a variety of matters pertinent to all phases of business operations and has been involved in a variety of commercial transactions, including asset sales and acquisitions, business start-ups, financial restructurings and bankruptcies, significant contract negotiations, and commercial and asset-based financings. He received his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2001 and his B.A. from the University of Dayton in 1998.
Johnson, who is also Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s Columbus Office, takes on the newly-created position of Vice Chair of the BPA Group. In this role, she will work with other leaders in managing the Area. Johnson advises individuals and businesses of all types and sizes on a wide range of real estate, corporate and business law matters, including entity formation, corporate governance and compliance, real estate, contracts, and mergers and acquisitions. Johnson received her J.D. from Capital University Law School in 1997 and her B.A. from The Ohio State University in 1993.
Cooper and Oscar have been appointed as the Development Co-Chairs for the BPA Group. In these roles, they will be responsible for aiding the business development efforts of the attorneys within the Group.
Cooper, Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s Fort Myers Office and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors, is well known and well respected for his community association law practice. In addition, his extensive experience in real estate, construction and business law make him a valuable asset to his clients. Cooper formerly served as general counsel for a real estate development company. He received his J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, magna cum laude, in 1997 and his B.A. from the University of Hartford, Connecticut, cum laude, in 1992.
Oscar, a former CEO and Managing Partner of the firm, serves as a key advisor to executive management at numerous large companies and provides counsel for a wide range of situations and issues, including overall strategy, mergers and acquisitions, product distribution, political developments and pricing strategies, among others. He is also rated as one of the top Bankruptcy/Restructuring lawyers in Ohio by Chambers USA. He received his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1981 and his B.S. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1978.
About the Firm’s BPA Practice:
In order to best serve its clients by providing a coordinated approach to a wide range of legal issues that businesses, non-profits, and high-net-worth individuals face, the following practice areas fall under the Business Practice Area at Hahn Loeser:
- Corporate and Securities
- Estate Planning and Probate
- Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights
- Health Care
- International Business
- Middle Market Business
- Non-Profit Institutions
- Real Estate
- Taxation and Employee Benefits
- Telecommunications
- Venture Capital
- Florida Community Association Law
- Immigration
Hahn Loeser’s BPA attorneys provide our clients with real-world experience, practical business advice, and the benefit of the diverse experience of the nearly 60 attorneys firmwide who make up this key practice area.
