KMK Law Congratulates the Participants of the First-Year Law Student Case Competition
Keating Muething and Klekamp PLL (KMK Law®), in partnership with the University of Cincinnati College of Law, hosted the First-Year Law Student Case Competition on January 16 & 17, 2026.
This year, the competition was comprised of 20 teams from 5 law schools in Ohio and Kentucky. The event offered the students the chance to engage directly with members of the legal community through speakers, networking opportunities, and team presentations judged by KMK Law Partners, in-house counsel, and community leaders.
“The First-Year Law Student Case Competition is a best-in-class experiential learning opportunity that goes beyond a traditional legal challenge,” said Alan Fershtman, Managing Partner at KMK Law. “This year’s program was a success, giving law students the chance to develop their skills, build meaningful professional connections, and engage with diverse perspectives that will shape their legal careers.”
The top teams of the competition included:
First Place – The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law
- Patsy Carolan
- Sneha Kar
Second Place – University of Akron School of Law
- Tausha Bacorn
- Anna Koduru
Third Place – University of Cincinnati College of Law
- Hunter Gottfried
- Jake Shroder
2026 Case Competition Participants
Law Schools:
- Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University
- The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law
- University of Akron School of Law
- University of Cincinnati College of Law
- University of Dayton School of Law
Volunteer Judges, Coaches, Assigning Partners, and Planning Team:
- Taylor Baumeister, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Kourtney Brueckner, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Corey Bushle, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Caitlin Case, Senior Regulatory Counsel, VP, Fifth Third Bank
- Adam Centner, Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Kate Christoff, Director of Legal Talent, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Bailee Cline, Legal Talent & CLE Coordinator, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Nicole Cloyd, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Kellan Coffey, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Chris Colloton, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Eric Cook, Of Counsel, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Alan Fershtman, Managing Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Tanner Fisher, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Christo Fosse, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Tom Hankinson, Services Sourcing Team Leader, GE Aerospace
- Miranda Hogg, Senior Counsel, Aqua Finance, Inc.
- Elizabeth Hutson, Staff Attorney, ProKids
- Dan Izenson, Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Anitra Walden-Jacobs, Corporate Counsel, Kroger
- Alex Johnson, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Chris Jones, Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Dara Kendall, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, The Procter & Gamble Company
- Ken Kreider, Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Shannon Lawson, Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Joe Lehnert, Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Jeremy Lifter, Real Estate Counsel, Phillips Edison & Company
- Kelly MacDonald, Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Mel Matthews, Senior Counsel, Cintas Corporation
- Krista Meyer, Counsel, Geico Insurance
- Kassidy Michael, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Priya Mistry, Senior Counsel, The Procter & Gamble Company
- Rachel Pappenfus, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Jim Parsons, Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Beth Ann Powers, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Kelzé Riley, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Greg Robinson, Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Antoinette Schindel, Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Debby Stiene, Administrative Assistant, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Jason Stitt, Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Taylor Stott-Trout, Deputy General Counsel, ClearPoint Health
- Dan Utt, Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Samuel Weaver, Associate, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
- Robert White, Associate General Counsel, The Procter & Gamble Company
- Jerad Whitt, Partner, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
About Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL
The law firm of Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL (KMK Law®), based in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a nationally-recognized law firm delivering sophisticated legal solutions to businesses of all sizes—from Fortune 50 corporations to start-up companies.. KMK Law has been awarded a Top Workplaces honor by The Enquirer Media since 2012. Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers® 2025 recognized KMK as a leading law firm in Ohio in Banking & Finance and in Ohio: South Central in Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions. KMK Law earned four National Rankings in Corporate Law, Land Use & Zoning Law, Project Finance Law and Venture Capital Law and 43 Metropolitan Rankings in the 2026 “Best Law Firms” Report. Founded in 1954, KMK has approximately 145 lawyers and a support staff of 120 employees. Additional information is available at www.kmklaw.com.
