Adrienne Ferraro Mueller has amassed a broad range of experience defending companies and their officers and directors in securities and shareholder litigation. She has appeared in federal and state courts throughout the country, with notable success in the Delaware Court of Chancery and the Delaware Supreme Court.
Adrienne advises boards, committees, and senior management in connection with matters of corporate governance, complaints brought on behalf of employee benefits plans, and actions involving the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Secretary of Labor. She frequently collaborates in the M&A space, aggressively defending against merger-related challenges threatening major transactions and practically addressing post-closing disputes. She also has conducted wide-ranging internal investigations arising out of allegations of insider trading, accounting misconduct, harassment, and noncompliance with DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies.
Adrienne is the administrative partner for the Cleveland Office, a role she assumed in 2021 after nearly five years as the office's hiring partner. She is a member of the office's Diversity Inclusion and Advancement (DIA) Committee and the Firmwide Associate Training Committee. Outside of the Firm, Adrienne is a member of the board of directors of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. She previously served as a member of the Family Services Committee of The Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland as well as director and chair of the governance committee of Blessing House, a children's crisis care center. She is a member of the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2022.
Experience
Additional Speaking Engagements
- November 10, 2021
Shareholder Litigation and Director Oversight: What You and Your Board Need to Know - June 2, 2021
What Lawyers Need to Know About What Employees, Consumers, and Shareholders May Be Thinking About Diversity - January 27, 2021
Accounting for Lawyers Lecture - November 16, 2020
Developments in Securities Litigation and Director & Officer Liability - December 4, 2018
Developments in Securities and Shareholder Litigation - December 1, 2016
Importance of Full and Fair Proxy Disclosures - November 29, 2016
Directors and Officers in the Crosshairs: Trends in Securities and Shareholder Litigation - December 2014
18th Annual RR Donnelley SEC Hot Topics Institute: SEC Enforcement - December 2013
Defending the C-Level Suite - October 2008
Where Default Lies: Litigation Arising from the Subprime/Real Estate Market Downturn - December 2006
Defending Parallel Civil and Criminal Proceedings, Cleveland Bar Association White-Collar Crime Institute
- The Ohio State University (J.D. with honors 2003; Order of the Coif; Managing Editor, The Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution; Moot Court Governing Board; National Moot Court Team); The College of Wooster (B.A. cum laude 2000; Phi Beta Kappa; Honors in Political Science)
- Ohio, U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio, and U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third and Sixth Circuits
Crain's Cleveland Business, "Woman of Note" (2024)
The Best Lawyers in America — Corporate Governance Law and Securities-Litigation (2019-2024), including "Lawyer of the Year" for Litigation-Securities (2021, 2023-2025)
Ohio Super Lawyers (2018-2022)
Smart Business Magazine's "Progressive Woman" Award Recipient (2021)