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Brouse McDowell promotes associates, names new co-chairs
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: February 4, 2020
Five attorneys at the business law firm Brouse McDowell kicked off 2020 with new titles and responsibilities.
On Jan. 1, Brouse McDowell associates Christopher Teodosio, Alex Quay and Teresa Santin were officially promoted to partner and partners Stacy Berliner and P. Wesley Lambert became the new co-chairs of the Litigation Practice Group.
“Chris, Alex and Teresa are all fine lawyers,” said former Managing Partner Marc Merklin. “They have demonstrated an excellent ability to serve our clients. We are proud to elevate them to partnership.
“Stacy and Wes are both high quality litigators, who are well respected by other members of the Litigation Practice Group,” said Merklin. “I am confident they will be able to work together to get all members of the practice group to row the boat in the same direction and take everyone to the next level of performance.”
Berliner and Lambert said they are excited about the opportunity afforded them and plan to work together to build on the practice group’s existing success and expand the services provided to clients.
“I believe we have one of the premier litigation groups in the region,” said Lambert. “My goal is to keep us on the same path, while building out our expertise in emerging areas of law.”
Born in Chillicothe, Ohio, Lambert grew up in the Cincinnati area.
A partner in the Litigation and Insurance Recovery practice groups, Lambert said he first became interested in the law while attending The Ohio State University and working as a constituent aide in the Ohio Senate during 1999 and 2000.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Ohio State in business administration with a concentration in finance, he immediately began attending Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Lambert, who currently resides in Hudson, Ohio with his wife Sarah and their children Bennett and Henry started his career as an associate at a Cleveland, Ohio firm where he primarily handled business and class action litigation.
He joined the Akron office of Brouse McDowell in December 2014 and focuses his practice on business and insurance litigation and general business counseling.
“I really enjoy litigation and Brouse McDowell has proven to be an excellent place for me to further develop my expertise,” Lambert said. “I now look forward to building on the momentum of the previous chairs of the litigation practice group.”
Berliner is a partner in the firm’s Cleveland office. She became a part of Brouse McDowell after it combined with the certified women-owned northeast Ohio-based law firm Thacker Robinson Zinz, where she was a shareholder.
The transaction took effect on July 31, 2018, with Brouse McDowell acquiring 12 of the lawyers from the Thacker firm and offices in Toledo and Naples, Florida.
“I really appreciate Brouse’s client-first culture,” said Berliner, who focuses on complex business litigation matters, with much of her time spent representing policyholders in insurance recovery disputes. “At Brouse we are business partners with our clients, becoming knowledgeable about their goals and tailoring our services to address their needs in a proactive manner.”
A native of Lorain, Ohio, Berliner received her bachelor’s degree in political science from The College of Wooster.
“In college, I took a class with the renowned Judge Samuel Bell, who piqued my interest in the legal profession and encouraged me to pursue my law degree.”
In 2003, she obtained her juris doctorate from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Shortly after, she began her career as a litigation associate at Calfee, Halter & Griswold, leaving in 2010 to join the predecessor firm to Thacker Robinson Zinz.
As co-chair of Brouse’s Litigation Practice Group Berliner said she hopes to grow the services provided by the firm’s newest offices in Toledo and Naples.
“Brouse’s litigators take clients’ problems off their shoulders,” said Berliner who lives in Rocky River with her husband and three children. “Not only are we efficient and client-focused, but we offer innovative solutions to clients’ needs.”
Merklin said the firm’s newly elevated partners each bring unique skill sets to the firm that will enhance client services.
The son of 9th District Court of Appeals Judge Thomas Teodosio and Summit County Juvenile Court Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio, Christopher Teodosio began his career at Brouse McDowell as a law clerk while attending The University of Akron School of Law.
He joined the firm as an associate in 2012 after completing UA’s JD/MBA program and passing the bar.
He currently lives in Munroe Falls with his wife Katherine and daughters Charlotte and Ava.
“I am lucky to work at a firm that has a collaborative culture, exceptional attorneys and challenging cases, ” said Teodosio, who is a member of the Insurance Recovery Practice Group. “Brouse has been a great fit for me.
“It is an amazing place to work,” Teodosio said. “My goals as partner are to continue to provide excellent legal services to our clients and grow my practice.
“Growing up, I watched my parents and my grandfather, Al Teodosio, use their legal skills to improve people’s lives, which is the main reason I always wanted to be an attorney.”
Teodosio remains intricately involved with the Andrea Rose Teodosio Memorial Foundation, where he has served as president since it began in 2011. The nonprofit organization was created to pay tribute to the memory of his late sister who lost her life during a skiing accident in West Virginia.
He continues to sit on the board of trustees of Community Legal Aid and is a member of the Blossom Committee of the Cleveland Orchestra, as he has done for the past two years. In addition, he previously served on the board of directors of Torchbearers and the Summit County ADM (Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services) Board.
“Giving back to the community is a part of who I am and how I was raised,” said Teodosio. “I take great pride in it and plan to continue to be involved.”
Quay started at Brouse McDowell in January 2017.
A member of the Litigation and Real Estate practice groups, Quay represents clients in business and commercial litigation, real estate transactions, land use and zoning matters and handles a wide variety of cases involving oil, gas and mineral rights.
Born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Quay received his bachelor’s degree in political science and geography from Miami University in Ohio.
After obtaining his juris doctorate from The University of Akron School of Law in 2009, he worked as an associate at Brennan Manna Diamond.
“When the Utica shale play began to take hold in Ohio in 2010, I moved to Babst Calland, a Pittsburgh-based firm that focused on servicing the oil and gas industry in Ohio.”
He later joined West Virginia-based Jackson Kelly.
“My practice at Brouse allows me to continue to utilize my oil and gas background, while also representing clients of all sizes in a variety of other matters as well.”
A resident of West Akron, Quay serves on the board of trustees and executive committee of the Akron Symphony Orchestra. He also sits on the board of the Akron Law Alumni Association and is the current chair of the Akron Bar Association’s Real Property and Environmental Law Section.
“Brouse provides a collegial environment in which everyone works together and through our collective expertise and experience, we provide exceptional service to our firm’s clients,” said Quay.
Located in the firm’s Cleveland office, Santin also came over to Brouse McDowell when it combined with Thacker Robinson Zinz in 2018.
“Brouse has been a good fit for me,” said Santin, a member of the firm’s Real Estate & Construction and Litigation practice groups. “I like the fast-paced nature of litigation and the constant communication with the various parties involved.”
Raised in Akron, Santin double majored in English and Italian at DePaul University in Chicago, obtaining her juris doctorate from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 2012.
Prior to joining Thacker Robinson Zinz in 2016, she was a litigation associate at Weston Hurd in Cleveland.
She currently serves on the board of directors at Joseph’s Home, a medical respite care center that offers temporary housing to homeless men with medical conditions and seeks to stop the cycle of homelessness by taking a holistic approach to their healing.
Santin, who lives in Shaker Heights with her husband and two young children, is also a member of the choir at the Church of St. Dominic in Shaker Heights.
“As partner, I plan to focus on taking more of a leadership role in my cases and at the firm, and developing my own book of business,” Santin said.
Merklin, who was succeeded as managing partner by Daniel Glessner said Brouse McDowell is continuing to expand its attorney force.
Probate and estate planning partner Lori Kilpeck recently joined the Cleveland office and partner Heather Lee Allred was added to the Health Care Practice Group in Toledo.
“During my eight years as managing partner of the firm we added offices in Canfield, Toledo and Naples, Florida,” said Merklin. “We have continued to work on our focus as a regional law firm rather than just an Akron-based local law firm. We have also continued to develop a national practice in insurance recovery and litigation management.”