BLACK JOINS THE LAW FIRM OF WAGENFELD LEVINE

COLUMBUS, OH. (May 25, 2007) – Melissa Black has joined the New Albany law office of Wagenfeld Levine as an Associate.

“Melissa typifies the kind of attorney we recruit,” said John Barno, who is the Workers’ Compensation Practice Group Leader in the region.

“She’s a natural leader and has extensive experience handling claims for Fortune 1000 clients. Her abilities as a litigator and skills in the courtroom will only add to the expertise we offer our clients,” Barno added.

Black has experience in Workers’ Compensation Defense Litigation, General Liability Defense Litigation and Premises Liability. Prior to her three years at a large Columbus law firm handling Workers’ Compensation Defense and Civil Litigation, Black was a law clerk in the housing unit of The Legal Aid Society of Columbus.

“Wagenfeld Levine is unique in its approach and process,” said Black, adding, “John Barno’s vision of growth and his focus on strengthening our regional presence is impressive. There are few opportunities like it in this region.”

Prior to moving to Columbus, Black worked as an intern at the U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg for the U.S. Department of State while she lived there and played professional basketball.

A former member of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) franchise in Phoenix, Black also played professional basketball in Greece and was formerly the girls JV basketball Coach at Reynoldsburg High School in Reynoldsburg, OH.

Black got her Juris Doctorate from Dayton Law School in Dayton, OH. and received her B.A. in Communications from the University of Massachusetts, where she was also a member of the Dean’s List and Captain of the women’s basketball team where she was a four-year letter winner. She also was named Academic First Team Atlantic 10 Conference as a senior. Black is a member of the Ohio Bar, the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio and a the Ohio and Columbus Bar Associations.

Wagenfeld Levine serves senior management of Fortune 1000 clients. The firm has regional offices in Columbus, Miami, St. Louis and Philadelphia. It represents self-insured clients in a variety of industries with an innovative methodology that combines vigorous defense, proprietary technology and lawyers who are leaders. It was voted the 2006 New Business of the Year in New Albany.

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