About

Lynnette is a trial lawyer and law director with extensive experience defending and advising Ohio’s municipalities and school districts. She has dedicated her career to representing the interests of public entities, employers, trusts/trustees, businesses, non-profits, and individuals in state and federal courts throughout Ohio. Lynnette also appears before state and federal administrative agencies such as EEOC/OCRC, the Ohio Liquor Commission, and the State Employee Relations Board, and advises clients in a general counsel role.Over the course of Lynnette’s career, she has tried over 50 civil and criminal cases. Her appellate practice includes a case successfully briefed before the United States Supreme Court where she expanded the law for police response to an officer in crisis. She has argued four cases before the Ohio Supreme Court and has been invited to write friend of the court briefs (amicus curae) on several high profile issues important to her clients. Lynnette has been invited to speak to national audiences on civil rights, police policy and procedure, and constitutional law; and here in Ohio on municipal law, school law, employment law, police policy and procedure, public entity bonds, trial tactics, ethics and leadership.In 2018, Lynnette was named one of America’s Top 100 Civil Defense Litigators for her work in the fields of civil rights litigation and government relations law. Membership is limited to the Top 100 professionals from each state in each category of practice who best exhibit excellence and the highest ethical standards in their respective professions. With these high standards, less than 1% of professionals in the United States will be selected for membership as one of America’s Top 100™ in their profession. Her peers named her to Ohio Super Lawyers (2019, 2018, 2012, 2011) and Rising Stars (2010, 2009, 2007, 2006, 2005), an honor given to just 2.5% of Ohio attorneys. In 2006, Litigation of America, a trial lawyer honorary society representing less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers by invitation only, selected Lynnette as a Charter Fellow.Truly listening to each client to understand the facts, identify goals, and develop the plan to work with the client to achieve the goals is what Lynnette enjoys most about practicing law. Lynnette values relationships and what she learns from having the privilege of meeting people from all backgrounds through her work.Lynnette enjoys serving the legal profession and her community. Nationally, she served the Defense Research Institute as a member of the Governmental Liability Section. In Ohio Lynnette sat on the Board of Directors for the Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys, chaired its Employee Committee, and was honored as its Outstanding Member of the Year (2011). Lynnette chaired the Federal Civil Practice Committee for the Dayton Bar Association for many years. She raised money to send inner city children to YMCA summer camps during her years of service on the Downtown Dayton YMCA Board of Directors and was honored by the YMCA of Greater Dayton as Volunteer of the Year (2004) in recognition of her service.

Practices Areas

Employment and labor

Civil Rights

Education Law

Language

English

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