Professional Experience
Michael McMenamin is head of the firm's First Amendment and Media Defense Group, and was the firm's Managing Partner for twelve years. Mr. McMenamin concentrates a major portion of his practice in First Amendment and media defense, employment and labor law, and antitrust and unfair competition.
Labor and Employment Matters
Michael was selected from 2004 through 2009 as one of Ohio's Super Lawyers by Law & Politics magazine and Cincinnati magazine. He is also an award-winning writer and a contributing editor of Reason magazine and Finest Hour, the quarterly journal of The Churchill Centre in Washington, D.C. He writes frequently on free speech, media, labor, antitrust and other public policy issues. His book Becoming Winston Churchill — The Untold Story of Young Winston and His American Mentor was published in 2007 by Harcourt in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Areas Of Emphasis
First Amendment and Media Defense
As outside counsel to WJW-FOX8 in Cleveland, the largest television news organization in Ohio, Mr. McMenamin has litigated many major news-access and defamation cases involving First Amendment rights. In addition, he has successfully defended Reader's Digest, Fox Television Stations, the Associated Press, Cable News Network, Ted Turner, The Canton Repository, Arts & Entertainment Television Network, WGBH TV in Boston, Random House, Harper Collins, Twentieth Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment, James Cameron, the Better Business Bureau, the American Horse Show magazine, WTAM-AM Radio in Cleveland and WKBN-TV in Youngstown.
Employment and Labor Law
In his employment law practice, he has defended a leading tire and rubber manufacturer, a national food processor, a national health care services provider, and a range of other service and manufacturing companies in employment discrimination, wrongful discharge and unfair labor practice cases in eleven states. He has successfully tried over 100 labor arbitration cases. He also provides counsel on union representation elections, human resources policies, maintaining a union-free workplace, employee handbooks and alternative dispute resolution.
Antitrust and Unfair Competition
In his antitrust and unfair competition practice, he has handled multi-district litigation, class action price-fixing cases, criminal antitrust grand jury investigations, distributorship terminations, price discrimination cases, exclusive dealing cases, and monopolization cases for a variety of manufacturing, service and retail companies. He also has extensive experience in counseling clients and trying cases involving covenants not to compete, trade secrets, Lanham Act and other related issues.
Education
University of Pennsylvania Law School, LL.B., 1968
Case Western Reserve University, B.A. (with honors), 1965
Licensed to Practice
- All Ohio courts
- U.S. District court (Northern District of Ohio)
- U.S. Court of Appeals (Third Circuit) (Fourth Circuit) (Fifth Circuit) (Sixth Circuit) (D.C. Circuit)
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Pro Hac Vice admissions in state and federal courts in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
Awards & RecognitionsAV rated by Martindale-Hubbell2004 - 2009: Law & Politics magazine Ohio Super Lawyer: Employment & Labor; First Amendment/Media/Advertising; Employment Litigation Marquis Who's Who in American Law, 4th Edition Marquis Who's Who in the World, 10th Edition Chair, Lexwork International, 2006-2007 |
Articles by Michael McMenaminMarch 2009 – Government-Imposed Union Contracts: The Real Threat of the Employee Free Choice Act and What Employers Can Do to Protect Themselves.April 2007 – Crain’s Cleveland Business: "Local Locale, Global Growth," published in the April 16-22, 2007 issue. July 2005 – Reason Magazine; "Who Will Be The Next Nominee For The Supreme Court?" Fall 2001 – PERSPECTIVE: On Employment Law: Cooperation Between Workers and Management? November 2000 – Reason Magazine; Labor Lost October 1999 – Reason Magazine; Truth, Terror and David Trimble June 1998 – Reason Magazine; Clients From Helll February 1997 – Reason Magazine; Judge Gags Rudy and Rupert April 1996 – Reason Magazine; All the President's Fault February 1996 – Reason Magazine; Tobacco Row May 1995 – Reason Magazine; The Bush-League Strategy of Baseball's Player Rep February 1995 – Reason Magazine; Labor Gains - Reforming Employment Law September 1994 – Reason Magazine; Defending the President |
