Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP

Litigation in federal court requires special skills and experience. The temperament and pace of litigation in federal court is generally different from that in state court. By this nature, federal cases involve significant financial stakes or complex federal law issues. At Shumaker, our federal court litigators have both the substantive knowledge and technical skill required for success in federal litigation.

Our federal court litigators regularly appear before the U.S. District Courts of Florida, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio. Several are former law clerks to district court judges. Many of our federal court litigators also interact with the federal judges at seminar presentations and on local bar committees. These experiences enable us to achieve results for our clients.

Many times, our federal litigators have pursued significant federal issues and established new law in both the district courts and the Circuit Courts of Appeal. Our federal litigators have frequently participated in high-stakes business disputes and cases resulting in published opinions in litigation involving the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), the Bankruptcy Code, the Lanham Act and the Copyright Act.

In addition to these areas, our litigators also have experience with claims involving the following federal laws:

• The Petroleum Marketing Practices Act
• The Sherman Act, Clayton Act and Robinson-Patman Act
• The 1933 and 1934 Securities Acts
• Constitutional claims arising under the Bill of Rights including the 1st Amendment
• The Federal Rehabilitation Act
• The Family Medical Leave Act
• Motor and rail carrier claims arising under federal statutes and regulations
• The Social Security Act
• Civil Rights Acts

Our experience and breadth of knowledge allows us to sit down with our clients facing the prospect of federal litigation, evaluate the issues, map out and execute a strategy, and achieve results that are significant and beneficial for our clients in an economical and efficient manner.

Our Commitment to Diversity

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP is committed to attracting, retaining, and promoting individuals of diverse backgrounds to ensure that our firm reflects the clients we represent and our values of inclusion.  We believe that embracing differences in ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, religion, and other characteristics, helps us consider the full range of perspectives our clients face and the goals they seek to achieve, allowing us to provide more creative, insightful, and complete guidance and counsel.  By affirmatively embracing and appreciating those differences, we create a supportive working environment at Shumaker for all individuals of the firm.

Diversity in Action

Shumaker's commitment to diversity is reflected in the following measures:

1. Creation of a Diversity & Inclusion Committee to coordinate and direct our diversity initiatives. Our committee is made up of partners (including at least one member of the Firm’s management committee), associates and administrative personnel.
2. Recipient of the 2013 Gold Standard Certification by Women in Law Empowerment Forum, which is given only to firms that have demonstrated that women represent a meaningful percentage of their equity partners, are involved in the highest leadership positions and have meaningful representation in the ranks of the firm’s most highly compensated partners. Shumaker was one of only 42 firms in the country to have received this prestigious award in 2013.
3. Creation of Shumaker’s Women’s Leadership Initiative, a firm-sponsored group dedicated to promoting, developing and fostering the potential of our female attorneys, helping them to navigate a path to a successful and satisfying legal career at the Firm, and to serve as leaders within the legal and business communities.
4. Membership and active participation in organizations that support diversity initiatives in our communities. Such organizations include, without limitation, racial, ethnic, disability, gender/LGBT and age initiatives.
5. Diversity in our hiring, advancement and leadership practices, for attorneys as well as staff members, including our Summer Associate Program.
6. Annual participation in the Toledo Bar Association’s Minority Clerkship Program.
7. Annual participation in the Ohio State Bar Foundation Law and Leadership Program, a program to establish a pipeline into the legal profession for disadvantaged students from underserved schools.
8. Membership in Partners in Education, a program in which our employees serve as tutors and mentors and provide ongoing financial support to area schools and students in need.
9. Cultivation of leadership opportunities among all attorneys and staff, recognizing the importance and benefit of diversity in leadership.
10. Firm-wide participation in periodic diversity education seminars or training programs.
11. Informal programs implemented firm-wide to enhance our awareness and understanding of the importance and benefits of diversity among our workforce and promote inclusion.