Two distinguished Frantz Ward partners are named “Lawyers of the Year” in Cleveland in the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Best Lawyers designates only one lawyer per practice area as “Lawyer of the Year” in the nation’s largest legal markets.
Brett K. Bacon is named for Litigation–Insurance and
Brian J. Kelly is named for Litigation–Labor & Employment.
The 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America survey also
recognizes 47 Frantz Ward attorneys in 30 practice areas.
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise, and undergo an authentication process.
Brett represents insurers, lenders, transporters, manufacturers, retailers, and other business entities in all aspects of litigation in the federal and state courts, and before various arbitration venues. He has tried to verdict, before juries and courts, class actions, insurance, product liability, lender liability cases, commercial, trucking, real estate, and other business disputes. Brett has defended insurers in all aspects of commercial, life, health and disability coverage. He has tried or negotiated lender disputes involving letters of credit, repurchase agreements, revolving credit agreements, mortgage priority issues, usury and point disputes, and participation agreements. Brett has defended lenders in nearly all aspects of consumer claims, including class actions. He earned his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and his B.A., with highest honors, from the University of Dubuque.
Brian focuses his practice on the representation of management in all phases of labor relations and employment litigation. Brian regularly represents employers in litigation before federal and state courts, administrative agencies and arbitrators involving employment discrimination and harassment, wrongful discharge, theft of trade secrets, breaches of non-compete agreements and other employment contract topics. He also has extensive experience counseling employers on employment topics ranging from FMLA and ADA compliance to reduction in workforce planning and implementation. In the labor relations area, Brian has significant experience in collective bargaining negotiation, union avoidance techniques and strike disputes. He has also developed and implemented personnel policies and in-house training programs on a variety of labor and employment law topics. Brian earned his J.D.,
cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A.,
with High Distinction, from the University of Michigan.