Law Firm Overview

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP provides business and legal counsel to clients throughout the United States and around the world. Since its founding in 1909, our firm has grown into one of the largest law firms in the country, with more than 350 attorneys who are located in six offices in Ohio, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Our firm is proud to represent thousands of active clients, who range from start-up businesses to Fortune 500 corporations, from non-profit organizations to governmental entities, and from individuals needing estate planning advice to defendants embroiled in sprawling, multi-state class action litigation. We offer each of those clients -- large and small -- an unflagging commitment to excellent legal representation and outstanding client service.

Our lawyers have experience and substantive expertise that is broad and deep. Our practices span the spectrum of legal services, and include all forms of litigation, labor and employment law, corporate law, commercial law, and tax law. The ranks of our lawyers include Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers, dozens of former federal and state law clerks, and individuals selected by their peers to head state and national organizations focused on antitrust, bankruptcy, and trial practice, among other areas.

We work with our clients to structure and finance corporate transactions, to negotiate real estate acquisitions and franchising arrangements, to develop and implement labor and employment law policies and practices, to comply with health care regulatory requirements, and to identify and avoid potential environmental problems. Our lawyers focus on recognizing emerging legal issues and developing approaches that allow our clients to conduct their businesses and activities in ways that minimize the risk of future liability.

When our clients become involved in disputes, they turn to our trial lawyers and entrust them with litigation of the most complex and challenging legal issues found in courtrooms today. Our lawyers have tried matters in federal and state courts across the country and have argued cases before the United States Supreme Court. Whether the cases involve toxic tort issues, claims of employment discrimination, allegations of criminal activity, asserted violations of the securities laws, or large-scale computer data breaches, our trial lawyers provide our clients with creative and efficient representation that has achieved superior results.

Our lawyers come from the finest law schools in the country, and we offer them a culture that is committed to diversity, collegiality, teamwork, professional development, community involvement, and pro bono activities. Our firm has been a leader in recruiting and encouraging diverse talents. Our ongoing dedication to pro bono work is reflected by the fact that our firm is one of the few large law firms to have received the prestigious Pro Bono Publico award from the American Bar Association.

Areas of Practice

• Antitrust & Trade Regulation
• Banking & Finance Law
• Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights
• Business & Commercial Law
• Business Organizations
• Contracts
• Corporate and Business Organizations
• Elder Law
• Election Campaign & Political Law
• Eminent Domain
• Employment Law -- Employer
• Energy Law
• Energy and Utilities
• Entertainment, Sports & Leisure Law
• Environmental
• Estate Planning
• Financial Institutions
• Franchising
• Government Contracts
• Government Relations
• Health & Health Care Law
• Insurance
• Intellectual Property Law
• Intellectual Property, Media, and Entertainment
• International Law
• Internet - Cyberspace
• Labor and Employment
• Litigation
• Litigation & Appeals
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Patents
• Products Liability Law
• Real Estate and Commercial
• Science & Technology Law
• Securities Law
• State, Local & Municipal Law
• Tax Increment Financing
• Taxation Law
• Technology, Advertising, and Communications
• Trademarks
• Trusts
• Trusts, Estates, and Wealth Transfer

Published Works

• Ohio Securities Laws, Ohio Corporate Law, Volume 2, 1990
• Matthew Bender, Transportation of Direct Sale Natural Gas, 5th Annual Proceeding of Eastern Mineral Law Foundation, 1985
• Price Controls for Natural Gas and Crude Oil, Ohio Legal Center Institute, 1980
• Matthew Bender, John K. Keller, Crude Oil Price Regulation, Pro-ceedings of Eastern Mineral Law Foundation, 1980
• Basic Revision in the Ohio Oil & Gas Law, Ohio Bar, Volume LII, No. 46, December 1, 1980
• Title IV of the Helms-Burton Act: A Questionable Secondary Boycott, 28 Law & Pol'y Int'l Bus. 575, 1997
• Business Organization Law Update, General Practice Update, Ohio CLE Institute, 1999
• Making Economic Development Incentives More Efficient, The Urban Lawyer, Spring, 1998
• The Need For a Bright-Line Rule, 72 Geo. L.J.1817, 1984
• The Intersession Pocket Veto and the Executive-Legislative Balance of Powers, 73 Geo. L.J. 1185, 1985

Representative Clients

• Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc.
• Borden, Inc.
• Bureau of National Affairs
• Eaton Corporation
• John Hopkins Health System
• Medlantic Health Care Group
• Ohio Insurance Institute
• Ohio League of Financial Institutions
• Pitney Bowes, Inc.
• Red Roof Inns, Inc.
• Stanley Steemer International, Inc.
• Techneglas Incorporated
• Children's Hospital
• The Limited, Inc.
• Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel
• Worthington Foods

Representative Cases

• State ex rel. Petroleum Underground Store Tank Release Comp. Bd. v. Withrow, 62 Ohio St. 3d 111 (1991)
• Goodyear Atomic Corp. v. State, ex rel. Esto Miller, No. 86-1172, 486 U.S. 174 (1988)
• Professional Lawn Care Ass'n of America v. Milford, No. 90-832, 501 U.S. 1246 (1990)
• Wisconsin Public Intervenor v. Mortier, No. 89-1905, 501 U.S. 597 (1991)
• McGraw-Hill Cos. v. Bankers Trust Co., No. 95-A-276, 116 S. Ct. 6 (1995)
• State, ex rel. Fairfield Leader v. Ricketts, No. 89-550, 56 Ohio St. 3d 97 (1990)
• Wean, Inc. v. Industrial Comm'n, No. 89-1006, 52 Ohio St. 3d 266 (1990)
• Union Rural Elec. v. Public Util. Comm'n, 52 Ohio St. 3d 78 (1990)
• Zoppo v. Homestead Ins. Co., No. 93-1616, 71 Ohio St. 3d 552 (1994)
• tate, ex rel. Ohio AFL-CIO v. Voinovich, No. 93-2057, 69 Ohio St. 3d 225 (1994)

West Practice Categories

Antitrust & Trade Regulation, Banking & Finance Law, Business & Commercial Law, Contracts, Franchising, Business Organizations, Election Campaign & Political Law, Employment Law -- Employer, Energy Law, Entertainment, Sports & Leisure Law, Estate Planning, Elder Law, Trusts, Government Contracts, Health & Health Care Law, Intellectual Property Law, Trademarks, International Law, Internet - Cyberspace, Litigation & Appeals, Mergers & Acquisitions, Products Liability Law, Eminent Domain, Science & Technology Law, Patents, Securities Law, State, Local & Municipal Law, Tax Increment Financing, Taxation Law