Four Named Partners of Graydon Head

October 1, 2007

(Cincinnati, OH)  Graydon Head is pleased to announce that Susan M. Argo, Matthew B. Lake, Daniel E. Reitz and Kevin S. Woodard have been named Partners in the Firm.

Argo is a member of the Banking and Finance Industry Group with a litigation focus on bankruptcy, loan workouts and creditors' rights.  She has practiced law since 1996 and previously served as Assistant Vice President and Counsel for a large regional bank's Legal Department.  Argo earned her B.A., summa cum laude, in Economics and Spanish from St. Ambrose University in 1993 and her J.D. with honors, from Drake University Law School in 1996.  Argo is a member of the Ohio, Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Northern Kentucky Bar Associations.  She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Excel Development Co., is a graduate of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s C-Change Program Class of 2006, member of the Advisory Panel for Bold Fusion Discover Cincy and the Firm’s Women’s Professional Development Group.

Lake is a member of the Business and Finance Client Service Department.  He counsels for-profit and nonprofit clients in a variety of industries on corporate and tax-related issues including incorporation, reorganization, like-kind exchange transactions, sales and use taxes, real property tax valuations and complaints, and real property tax exemptions.  He also has experience as a Certified Public Accountant (currently inactive) and has worked extensively in helping both large and small businesses comply with regulations and explore ways to minimize tax liability.  He earned his B.S. in Finance with Distinction from Indiana University School of Business in 1994 and his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, Order of the Coif, in 1999.  He is an active member in the Indiana University Alumni Association and a graduate of the Cincinnati Academy of Leadership for Lawyers Class X.

Reitz is a member of the Business and Finance Client Service Department and the Commercial Real Estate Industry Group.  He counsels clients on corporate and real estate issues including the acquisition and disposition of real estate, the negotiation of office, warehouse, retail and other leases and bank financing.  He earned his B.A., cum laude, in Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs from Miami University in 1998 and his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, Order of the Coif, in 2001.  Reitz is an active member in the Cincinnati Bar Association’s Young Lawyers' Section Mentoring Committee, a mentor with Cincinnati Youth Collaborative and a member of Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s C-Change Program Class of 2007.

Woodard is a member of the Banking and Finance Industry Group, providing counsel in the areas of broker-dealer relationships, investment advisors, insurance, mutual funds, hedge funds, bank regulatory matters and general corporate law.  He has practiced law for fourteen years and immediately prior to joining Graydon Head, served as Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel for a publicly traded investment management and mutual fund company.  Woodard also previously served as Vice President and Counsel for a large regional bank for which he served, in addition to other responsibilities, as the Chief Legal Officer and compliance manager for its broker-dealer, investment advisory and insurance subsidiaries.  He earned his B.A. from Miami University in 1988 and his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1991.

Graydon Head attorneys serve clients in a variety of industries with particular experience with business clients in banking & financial, commercial real estate, media, communications & information, construction, health & elder care, manufacturing, distribution & technology.  The Firm provides personal client services to many local business owners and their executives and families in the estate planning and administration area.  Graydon Head was recognized for its innovative approach to quality improvement as the first recipient of the Customer Focus Award from the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

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