Crain’s Cleveland names Phil Oliss, Jackie Pasek, and Marques Hillman Richeson "Notable Litigators"
Crain's Cleveland Business has named Jones Day partners Phil Oliss, Jackie Pasek, and Marques Hillman Richeson among the publication's "Notable Litigators and Trial Attorneys" for 2025.
Criteria for this distinction includes demonstrated involvement in significant litigation and trial proceedings, senior leadership in the Firm, serving as a mentor in the workplace, and leadership in outside professional, industry-related, or civic organizations.
Phil Oliss is a partner in Jones Day's Business & Tort Litigation Practice where he leads trial teams in mass tort, bankruptcy, commercial, and consumer class action litigation.
His significant accomplishments include representing STERIS in consolidated mass tort cases involving ethylene oxide emissions from medical device sterilization, including through trial. He successfully defended Akron-based GOJO in a number of cases, all of which were dismissed, and helped the company renegotiate a major contract without litigation. Mr. Oliss also was lead trial lawyer for the Cleveland Guardians in litigation against Diamond Sports, resulting in a court order requiring Diamond Sports to pay the Guardians for telecasts during the 2023 season.
Mr. Oliss serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Cleveland Public Theatre. He is also a judicially appointed member of the Advisory Group to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, and a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the Federal Bar Association.
Jackie Pasek's practice focuses on defending companies in complex lawsuits, with a focus on product liability actions. A partner in Jones Day's Business & Tort Litigation Practice, she has served as a team member and trial counsel of choice in more than 20 high-stakes, multi-week jury trials in both state and federal courts throughout the country, where she managed nearly every aspect of the proceedings.
Throughout her practice, Jackie has represented companies across a range of industries—from consumer goods manufacturers, to pharmaceutical companies, to hospital systems. She recently represented University Hospital Health System in a lawsuit brought by the ex-CEO of a technology vendor, who sued in federal court in Tennessee, alleging the hospital system forced his employer to fire him. After an intense discovery period led and directed by Ms. Pasek, the system obtained complete summary judgment in September 2024, which was affirmed by the Sixth Circuit in February 2025.
Ms. Pasek is co-leader of the New Lawyers Group in the Firm's Cleveland Office, and is a board member for Children and Family Advocates of Cuyahoga County, an organization that governs Cuyahoga County Court Appointed Special Advocates.
Marques Hillman Richeson, also a partner in Jones Day's Business & Tort Litigation Practice, is an accomplished litigator with more than 15 years of experience successfully managing high-stakes litigation in federal and state courts at the trial and appellate levels. He has served as national and coordinating counsel for Fortune 500 and global companies, providing strategic advice on matters related to product liability, mass tort, and multidistrict litigation.
He has served as lead counsel for a global science company in mass tort litigation occurring across the United States involving perfluorinated compounds, and has also been lead trial counsel for a national moving and storage company, defending the company against personal injury lawsuits.
Mr. Richeson is a member of the Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC), which advocates for product manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers across the globe. He has served as an adjunct professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and taught trial advocacy in Nigeria as part of Jones Day's Rule of Law in Africa initiative.
