Three Ulmer & Berne LLP partners have been honored in the latest rankings by Benchmark Litigation. Frances Floriano Goins was named to the “Top 250 Women in Litigation,” while Paul R. Harris and Joshua A. Klarfeld were included in the “40 & Under Hot List.” This individual recognition for Goins, Harris, and Klarfeld follows Ulmer’s department-wide honor of being named Benchmark’s “Ohio Firm of the Year” for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in the last six years.
“Fran, Paul, and Josh each use their incredible talent to litigate at the highest level, helping our clients achieve their business goals,” said Scott P. Kadish, Managing Partner. “Their skill and sophistication in resolving complex disputes and their dedication to exceptional client service are hallmarks of what we at Ulmer strive to deliver to our clients.”
For Goins, this marks the sixth consecutive year that she has been included in the “Top 250 Women in Litigation” list, which acknowledges female litigators from all 50 states and the District of Columbia for participating in some of the most impactful litigation matters in recent history. She is one of only four litigators in the state of Ohio to earn this distinction.
Goins co-chairs Ulmer’s Cybersecurity & Privacy and Financial Services & Securities Litigation Practice Groups. She demonstrates impressive skills in the resolution of complex business disputes, including securities, financial services, shareholder rights, corporate governance, cybersecurity, and contract law matters nationally at both the trial and appellate court levels. Among her extensive outside activities, Fran serves as a member of the AAA Commercial Arbitration Panel, as Chair Emeritus of the ABA Director & Officer Liability Committee and a member of the ABA Dispute Resolution Committee, as Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Art Song Festival, and on the boards of several other community organizations. She received her B.Mus. and M.Mus. degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and her J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Harris and Klarfeld make their third consecutive appearance on the “40 & Under Hot List,” which honors top young litigators in the United States and Canada who are involved in high-impact litigation matters and who have won the hard-earned respect of their clients and peers.
Harris co-chairs the firm’s Business Litigation Practice Group, focusing his practice on litigating a wide range of business and employment matters. He also has significant appellate experience, including making successful oral arguments before various Ohio Courts of Appeals. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Lutheran Hospital, on the Associate Board of Boys Hope Girls Hope of Northeast Ohio, and as President of the Saint Ignatius High School Alumni Executive Council. He received his B.A. from The Ohio State University, his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School, and his M.B.A. from the University of London, Royal Holloway.
Klarfeld is a partner in the firm’s Product Liability Practice Group, where he regularly defends pharmaceutical, medical device, and mass and toxic tort actions. He also represents clients in complex business litigation, including counseling major corporations in multidistrict, coordinated, and consolidated proceedings. He serves on the Board of Directors of both Young Israel of Greater Cleveland and Hebrew Academy of Cleveland. He earned his B.A. from Yeshiva University, and his J.D. from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University, where he has also served on the faculty.