Suzanne K. Richards
Columbus Office
Ms. Richards is a partner in the Vorys Columbus office a member of the litigation practice group. She has been engaged primarily in business and employment litigation. For the past four years, Ms. Richards has been involved in class action litigation in state and federal courts involving wage and hour issues, primarily in the state of California. She has also worked with a national client for over ten years, representing them in mediations and in arbitrations as part of their alternative dispute resolution program.
Career highlights include:
- Successfully representing the Ohio General Assembly in a mandamus action before the Supreme Court of Ohio
- Representing Ohio's savings and loan guarantor during a financial crisis in Ohio occasioned by the failure of one of Ohio’s largest savings and loans
- Appointment by the Federal Court as a special master overseeing the consent decree that governed the final years and closure of the old Ohio penitentiary
- Appointment as the Chair of the Board of Commissioners on Character and Fitness of the Supreme Court of Ohio
Ms. Richards is a member of the Federal Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Columbus Bar Association, and the Defense Research Institute.
Ms. Richards has spoken on a wide variety of litigation and trial practice topics, and most recently, on e-discovery, ethics for lawyers and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Ms. Richards received her J.D. summa cum laude from The Ohio State University College of Law where she was a member of the Order of the Coif. She also was a member and the Issue Planning Editor for the Ohio State Law Journal. She received her B.A. summa cum laude from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame.
Ms. Richards clerked for The Honorable Robert Duncan of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
Publications
- Suzanne K. Richards & Nancy B. Heller, "The Ultimate Litigation Workshop: An Advanced Paralegal Seminar on Drafting Preliminary and Responsive Pleadings," February 1998 (Professional Education Systems, Inc. publication)
- Suzanne K. Richards & Nancy B. Heller, "Ohio Discovery Skills for the Paralegal," August 1993 (Professional Education Systems, Inc. publication)
- Suzanne K. Richards & Nancy B. Heller, "Ohio Discovery Skills for the Paralegal," January 1992 (Professional Education Systems, Inc. publication)
- Suzanne K. Richards & Nancy B. Heller, "Ohio Discovery, Pretrial and Trial Procedures," July 1989 (Professional Education Systems, Inc. publication)
- Suzanne K. Richards & Nancy B. Heller, "Ohio Civil Litigation Techniques: Active Roles for Legal Assistants," December 1987 (Professional Education Systems, Inc. publication)
Honors and Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America, Labor and Employment Law, 2006-2008
- The Best Lawyers in America, Alternative Dispute Resolution, 2005-2008
- Ohio Super Lawyers, Business Litigation, 2004-2008
- Chambers and Partners, Leading Lawyer in Labor and Employment, 2007-2008
- Fellow of the Columbus Bar Foundation since 1998