Frantz Ward LLP

Firm Details:
Managing Partner: Christopher G. Keim
Number of partners: 47
Number of other lawyers: 20

Firm Overview:
Frantz Ward is a full-service law firm committed to providing clients with practical, responsive, and cost-effective legal solutions.

Main Areas of Practice:
Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights:
The firm’s bankruptcy and creditors’ rights group advises financial institutions, suppliers, and other corporate creditors on all aspects of bankruptcy, workout and troubled debt restructures with extensive experience representing clients on pre and post-bankruptcy creditor remedy enforcement in complex commercial lending and business transactions.

Class Actions:
The class actions practice defends clients throughout Ohio and other jurisdictions in lawsuits on a variety of issues, including alleged violations of consumer protection statutes, claims of deceptive trade practices, lender liability, product liability and breach of warranty, ERISA violations, insurance issues and employment discrimination disparate impact claims.

Commercial Lending:
The commercial lending practice represents banks, thrifts, and other lending institutions throughout all phases of the negotiating, structuring, closing, and enforcing of a variety of lending transactions, and counsels clients on issues pertaining to lending matters and their ramifications.

Competition Law:
The competition law practice advises and represents clients on competition issues and litigation affecting their businesses, including antitrust, franchise, intellectual property, business tort and consumer protection laws. The group also counsels companies in the development and implementation of compliance programs.

Construction:
The construction group is recognized for its knowledge and experience in all aspects of construction law, including project conceptualization and planning, contract preparation, project financing, project management, construction contracts, construction litigation, construction claims prosecution and analysis, and alternative dispute resolution proceedings, including arbitration and mediation.

Corporate/Business Law:
The corporate/business law practice includes representation of clients in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and strategic alliances. Attorneys also provide key assistance to clients in corporate governance and commercial contract preparation and negotiation. The firm also regularly represents both borrowers and lenders alike in commercial loan structuring and documentation.

Employee Benefits:
The employee benefits practice advises clients on the design, implementation, administration, and termination of the full spectrum of plans and compensation arrangements, including tax-qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, executive incentive plans, deferred compensation arrangements, health care/other welfare benefit plans, and fringe benefit programs. The firm has significant experience in advising employers on compliance with the ACA health care reform law. Attorneys represent clients in administrative matters with all related federal agencies (IRS, Department of Labor, and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation).

Estate Planning/Probate:
The estate planning/probate practice provides advice on the full spectrum of probate related issues, including the formation and administration of trusts, federal gift and estate tax planning and preparation, and the complete administration of probate estates. The firm also works with a number of financial institutions to provide advice and counsel for their trust advisory services.

Health Care:
The health care group guides health care organizations through transactional, regulatory compliance, and operational matters, including health care mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, health care financing, hospital-physician alignment strategies, health care non-profit organizational governance and tax matters, health care fraud and abuse counseling, risk management, governmental/third party billing and reimbursement, Medicare and Medicaid enrollment, licensure and certification, survey and enforcement, hospital medical staff matters, managed care contracting, HIPAA compliance, and health care contracting.

Labor & Employment:
The highly regarded labor and employment group represents employers nationally with respect to litigation and issues arising in the ever-changing modern employment relationship. The group is adept at providing effective personnel management strategies, counseling and training to assist clients in avoiding costly litigation, lengthy government investigations, labor disputes, and other outside party intervention.

Litigation:
Highly skilled trial lawyers represent clients nationally in federal, state and appellate courts, and in arbitrations, mediations and other dispute resolution procedures. The litigation group represents clients in disputes involving a wide range of business issues, including nationwide toxic tort cases, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, industrial equipment, and consumer products, and serving as national coordinating counsel in multi-jurisdictional litigation.

Real Estate:
The real estate practice provides daily advice to businesses and individuals, whether property owners or property users, in all types of real estate transactions, including acquisition, development, lease and finance of real estate and related property interests, retail, industrial and office leasing and construction contracts and disputes.

Tax Law:
The tax practice is known for expertise in tax planning and representation of clients in tax controversies with the IRS and other taxing authorities including audits, administrative appellate proceedings and judicial proceedings.

Clients:
The firm serves a national client base, including Fortune 500 companies, small- and medium-sized businesses and individuals.