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Larry J. Obhof, Jr.

Larry Obhof has experience in both general and appellate litigation. He has worked on a wide range of matters involving constitutional law, antitrust, torts, contracts and securities. Mr. Obhof has represented clients at all levels of both state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court and numerous courts of appeals.

In addition to his work with the firm, Mr. Obhof serves as State Senator for Ohio’s 22nd Senate District. He is Vice Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which focuses on bills and issues that directly impact civil, criminal and commercial law. He is also a member of the standing committees on Education, Financial Institutions and Government Oversight and Reform. In addition to these duties, Mr. Obhof is a member of Ohio’s Criminal Sentencing Commission, which reviews the state’s sentencing statutes and sentencing patterns and makes recommendations to the legislature regarding necessary statutory changes.

Mr. Obhof is an Adjunct Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he has taught courses on Legislation and Civil Procedure. He has published articles on such topics as federalism, the separation of powers, the First Amendment, statutory interpretation and securities. His writings have been cited in approximately 50 law journals throughout the country, as well as by a member of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Prior to entering the private sector, Mr. Obhof served as a law clerk to the Honorable Alice M. Batchelder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University and Yale Law School, and he currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Yale Law School Association. He is admitted in the state of Illinois, the U.S. Supreme Court and more than a dozen other federal courts.

Representative Matters:

• Challenged the constitutionality of the Obama administration’s healthcare reform bill on behalf of a small business association and the attorneys general or governors of 26 states.
   
• Member of a team litigating matters stemming from Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme and seeking to recover funds for victims of the fraud.
   
• Defended a major newspaper in an action for breach of contract and defamation.
   
• Defended claims for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty brought in the Delaware Chancery Court, in a case described by an industry watcher as one that “will be cited often by scholars and practitioners alike.”
   
• Trial-level and appellate-level experience in securities-based class actions, including writing pleadings, motions and appellate briefs.
   
• Member of a team that represented a major auto manufacturer in multidistrict antitrust litigation where plaintiffs sought damages of several billion dollars.
   
• Numerous pro bono matters, including writing amicus briefs on constitutional issues, as well as acting as co-counsel in several federal criminal appeals.

Representative Publications:

• “Stoneridge Investment Partners: The Supreme Court Rejects ‘Scheme Liability,’” 9 Engage 118 (June 2008)

• “The Supreme Court Rejects ‘Scheme Liability’ in Securities Class Actions,” Class Action Watch (March 2008)

• “Supreme Court Clarifies Scienter Pleadings,” 17 Bus. L. Today 10 (November/December 2007) (co-author)

• “It’s Not Just the Test That’s A Lemon, It’s How Some Judges Apply It,” 6 Engage 142 (May 2005) (co-author) (also published as a Federalist Society white paper)

• “DeRolph v. State and Ohio’s Long Road to an Adequate Education,” 2005 BYU Educ. & L.J. 83 (2005)

• “Federalism, I Presume? A Look at the Enforcement of Federalism Principles through Presumptions and Clear Statement Rules,” 2004 Mich. St. L. Rev. 123 (2004)

• “Rethinking Judicial Activism and Restraint in State School Finance Litigation,” 27 Harv. J.L. & Pub. Pol’y 569 (2004)

Miscellaneous:

• From 2006-2007, Mr. Obhof served by gubernatorial appointment as the public’s representative on Ohio’s Privacy/Public Record Access Study Committee, a legislative study committee aimed at safeguarding privacy rights and preventing crimes such as fraud and identity theft.

• Mr. Obhof has participated, as a panelist or as a moderator, in discussions on such topics as constitutional law, securities and legal ethics.