June 2011 Alumni Briefs

J. Michael King '79 has filed petitions to run for Municipal Court judge in Licking County, Ohio. The judicial election will be held November 8, 2011. Mike works at Jones, Norpell, Miller & Howarth in Newark, and serves as a part-time assistant prosecuting attorney for Pataskala, Ohio, in Municipal Court. He previously served as an acting judge in Municipal Court.

Michael J. McDermott '84 in May was appointed the part-time village attorney of Mamaroneck, New York. Michael is also a town justice in Somers, New York. He and his wife, Fausta, maintain a law practice in Somers and New York City.

Philip Zulli '86 is running for district attorney in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. He operates his own law firm in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania. Phil is featured in an article about Pennsylvania elections on PennLive.com.

Patrick Piccininni '91 has been appointed chief legal counsel for the Ohio Department of Transportation. Patrick has been an assistant prosecutor in Franklin County, Ohio, for eight years and has served as attorney to the Franklin County Board of Elections. He previously worked as an assistant attorney general in two Republican administrations.

Morris A. Anyah '96 participated in a conference, Counsel Immunity before National and International Jurisdictions, sponsored by the International Criminal Bar section of the Paris Bar on June 1 in Paris. Morris discussed whether lawyers who practice before international criminal courts can be prosecuted for "speeches" or statements made in or out of court, especially when controversy results from such statements. Morris practices in Chicago and The Hauge, where he is currently defending the former President of Liberia Charles Taylor at a war crimes trial before the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

Beth A. (Staudenmaier) Buchanan '97 was recently appointed a United States bankruptcy judge for the Southern District of Ohio. Buchanan was selected by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to fill the vacancy in Cincinnati created by the retirement of the Honorable J. Vincent Aug, Jr. Beth was a partner with the law firm Frost Brown Todd, where she worked out of the firm's Cincinnati and West Chester offices. She was also a member of the firm's Bankruptcy and Restructuring Practice Group.

Andrew Dalton '97 won a seat on the city council of Garden Ridge, Texas, during a general election on May 14. He is senior counsel for Valero Energy Corporation.

Christopher Reeder '97 has joined Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, L.L.P., where he will work out of the firm's Los Angeles office. In May, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi acquired Reeder's firm, Reeder Lu, LLP. Reeder founded Reeder Lu in 2009. He previously worked at after Kaye Scholer, LLP; Lord, Bissell & Brook, LLP; and Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP. Before attending Dayton Law, Christopher spent five years in the U.S. Navy, serving in Operation Desert Storm, where he earned five medals.

Rick L. Weil '97 recently became AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating available for legal ability and general ethics. Rick is a partner with the law firm Reminger Co. LPA. Rick joined Reminger¿s Cincinnati office after serving as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He concentrates his legal practice in the areas of legal malpractice and medical malpractice. He was also recognized as an Ohio Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine in 2010 and 2011.

Dale Riedel '04, a major in the U.S. Air Force, will begin serving as a prosecutor for the Military Commissions at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in July. Previously Dale worked on the detainee cases at Gitmo, but not with the commissions. Dale and his wife, Jennifer, will move back to the Washington, D.C., area this summer, and he will work at Gitmo when the trials take place.

Hannah (Arel) '05 and Robert Barnhorn '05 recently celebrated the birth of their first child. They welcomed Robert William Barnhorn II on February 11, 2011. He entered the world at seven pounds, six ounces and 22 inches long. Both Hannah and Rob are legal researchers with LexisNexis in Miamisburg, Ohio.

Chris Seelbach '05 is featured in a post on the blog, Wine Me Dine Me (in Cincinnati), about the Seelbach Cocktail, which is named after a Louisville hotel Chris' grandfather owned. Chris, the CFO and vice president of the national marketing consulting firm The Seidewitz Group, is running for a seat on the Cincinnati City Council.