Login | April 11, 2025
Brouse McDowell adds new partners and associates
ASHLEY C. HEENEY
Legal News Reporter
Published: February 15, 2012
Brouse McDowell’s new managing partner Marc Merklin said the addition of new partners bodes well for the future of the firm.
Attorney Merklin’s promotion to managing partner of the firm late last fall (story published by Akron Legal News Nov. 15, 2011) was followed by the promotion of seven partners and two associates between its Akron and Cleveland offices. Brouse also has an office in Avon.
“Chris Huryn and Sharon Luarde come to Brouse McDowell as new additions to bolster some of our existing practices,” Merklin said of the partners based out of Brouse’s Cleveland office. “Chris helps us create depth and experience in our health care practice group. Sharon, coming from an inhouse position, brings to us experience in managing large volumes of litigation and defense of product liability claims.”
Huryn previously practiced with Tzangas, Plakas, Mannos & Raies in Canton and Luarde served as associate general counsel and lead litigator for Electrolux North America in Cleveland.
“Kerri, Suzana, Joy, Mike and Nichole have been promoted from the ranks of our associates, demonstrating our commitment to the growth and development of lawyers at all levels of experience,” Merklin said of the new partners, all whom work out of the Akron office except for Mike (O’Donnell), who is in Cleveland.
Kerri Keller, is in Brouse’s litigation practice group and formerly worked as a judicial law clerk for Judge John R. Adams, United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio. She focuses her practice in the area of business and commercial litigation, including contractual disputes, business torts, employment law, insurance recovery and real estate disputes.
Suzana Koch is a member of the firm’s commercial and bankruptcy practice group. She focuses her practice on commercial law and business reorganizations, and she helps businesses grow through mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other transactions.
Joy Kosiewicz, who has particular experience with privacy issues and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a member of Brouse’s health care and business and corporate practice groups. In her health care practice, she represents health systems, physician groups and health plans in a variety of regulatory, real estate and corporate matters. She also serves on the Bath Township Zoning Commission.
Michael O’Donnell is a member of the firm’s litigation and commercial and bankruptcy practice groups and has a wide variety of complex litigation experience primarily for sophisticated corporate clients with respect to product liability, contract disputes, premises liability, employment, trade secrets and real estate.
He is legal counsel to the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County and a life member of The Judicial Conference of the 8th District and serves as a trustee on the alumni board of the Cleveland Marshall Law School and in November was elected to the Rocky River City Council.
In Akron, NiCole Swearingen-Hilker is a member of the firm’s estate, succession planning and probate administration practice group. She focuses her practice on various types of estate, succession and probate issues, including the preparation of comprehensive estate planning documents, probate administration and a variety of estate administration and tax issues. In 2011, she was recognized in 2011 as a ‘30 for the Future’ Young Professional by the Greater Akron Chamber and has also received the Community Service Award for attorneys “40 and Under” for the Ohio State Bar Association District 11. She is a fellow of the Ohio State Bar Foundation and the Akron Bar Association Foundation and serves as the vice chair of the Women in Law section of the Akron Bar Association.
Additionally, Erika Green, joined the firm as an associate in the Cleveland office, focusing her practice in the areas of commercial and bankruptcy as well as insurance recovery.
Most recently, she served as a law clerk for the Judge Randolph Baxter,
New associate Jennifer Hanzlicek concentrates her practice in the area of intellectual property, helping individuals and companies bring their inventions to market. Prior to working as an attorney, she worked as a chemist for 16 years in the environmental, oil, adhesives and coatings fields, including nearly 13 years at a major national commercial and retail coatings manufacturer. She has also worked in a microbiology laboratory.
“We are excited about the success of all of these young lawyers and we believe it bodes well for the future of our firm and our role as one of the premier business law firms in northeast Ohio,” Merklin said.