John Winship Read

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Partner

Cleveland Office

Cleveland 216.479.6103

Fax 216.937.3737

Email jwread@vorys.com

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

University of Washington School of Law, J.D., 1972
University of Washington Law Review, Managing Editor, 1971-1972
Northwestern University, B.A., 1969

Bar & Court Admissions

Ohio
Pennsylvania
Colorado (inactive)
Washington (inactive)

Mr. Read is a partner in the Vorys Cleveland office and a member of the litigation group. His trial practice focuses on complex litigation on behalf of lenders, employers, utilities and manufacturers in state and federal courts, including bankruptcy courts.

Career highlights include:

Successfully representing a national accounting firm that was sued in state court in Cleveland by 86 investors who lost $90 million in a Ponzi scheme. The case settled for pennies on the dollar
Acting as lead counsel in a jury trial resulting in a $3.25 million verdict in a case involving trade secret theft—the design of a rolling mill
Acting as lead counsel in a trial resulting in a defense verdict for a London-based bank in a case involving a contractual dispute over ownership of a shipload of hijacked pig iron
Successfully persuading the Ohio Supreme Court on behalf of a national financial services organization that the Ohio Constitution preempts cities and counties from passing predatory lending ordinances
Representing several former partners of a bankrupt law firm in litigation brought by a Trustee seeking to have them disgorge income they had earned during the years before the firm collapsed
Participating throughout 1973 in Operation Homecoming—the repatriation of the Vietnam POWs—while on active duty in the Navy

Mr. Read is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the Defense Research Institute.

Mr. Read has been a member of National Institute of Trial Advocacy faculties for almost 20 years, teaching courses on trial and deposition-taking techniques.

Mr. Read received his J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law where he was the Managing Editor of the University of Washington Law Review. He received his B.A. from Northwestern University.

Professional and Community Activities

Former Ohio State Bar Examiner
The Lillian and Betty Ratner School, Board Member
Northwestern University Alumni Clubs of Cleveland and Pittsburgh, Former President
Achievement Centers for Children, Former Board Member

Honors & Awards

The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, 2011-2012
Ohio Super Lawyers, Civil Litigation Defense, 2006-2012
Inside Business, Northeastern Ohio's Leading Lawyers, 2002-2010