Samir B. Dahman

SamirDahman2_THUMB

sbd@kjk.com

Columbus: 614.636.1250
10 West Broad Street, Suite 1900
Columbus, OH 43215

Ann Arbor: 734.707.1882
2723 South State St., Suite 150
Ann Arbor, MI 48105

I solve issues for businesses, owners, and individuals concerning commercial litigation, business law, estate planning, and employment. As Partner in Charge of Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP’s Columbus Office and I lead a team of skilled partners, associates, and staff. I provide exceptional, client-focused legal services and am known for taking a sincere and serious approach to my clients’ matters.

I have been named one of the Top 5 Lawyers in Columbus and Top 100 Lawyers in Ohio. I hold an AV® Preeminent rating from my colleagues and was listed as one of the “Top Lawyers” in Columbus by Columbus CEO Magazine in 2014 and 2015. Every year since 2012, I have been selected as a Super Lawyer or Rising Star by Super Lawyer magazine, a distinction reserved for no more than the top 5% of lawyers in a state.

My cases and I cases sometimes attract media attention, with me contributing to or my higher-profile cases being covered by Sports Illustrated, ESPN, CBS Sports, Law360, Columbus Business First, The Columbus Dispatch, The Lantern, 97.1 The Fan, and WTKA.

As a community leader, I received Business First’s “Forty Under 40” award in 2015 and Leadership Upper Arlington’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017.  And in 2019, I graduated from Leadership Columbus.  These achievements are given to individuals who have made exemplary leadership contributions to their business and civic communities.

I was also an adjunct professor at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law where I taught about buying and selling privately held companies.

During law school, I served as an extern for Magistrate Judge Mark R. Abel of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Before law school, I was a research and marketing analyst in Taipei, Taiwan.

Active in the community, my wife and I founded The Berkshire Triathlon, a 501(c)(3) charity, which has raised over $210,000 for children with serious illnesses in Central Ohio benefiting Flying Horse Farms, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and the Ronald McDonald House.

Bar Admissions

  • All Ohio state courts
  • All Michigan state courts
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan

Education

  • Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, J.D., Executive-Editor, Ohio State Entrepreneurial Business Law Journal
  • University of Michigan, B.A., Economics

Representative Matters

  • Obtained preliminary injunction in a $20+ million real estate partnership dispute pending in multiple jurisdictions, which facilitated a favorable resolution, providing stability and security and allowing the partnership’s operations to thrive free and clear of outside interference.
  • Lead counsel in successful representation of Chris Spielman in a putative name, image, and likeness class action against IMG College and Ohio State University in federal court.
  • Lead counsel in a two-week jury trial defending a family business and its CEO against sexual harassment claims originally by six plaintiffs, where the CEO admitted having sex with 8 employees, and facing liability of more than $3 million, obtained an outcome essentially awarding one plaintiff just $16,000.
  • Obtained $5.6 million for squeezed-out partner who did not even have a written partnership agreement in an allegedly un-named entity and who had previously provided sworn statements that he was not a partner.
  • Prevailed in bet-the-company litigation by obtaining complete defense verdict following preliminary injunction in Federal Court on behalf of small business accused of trademark, trade dress, and copyright infringement; breach of contract; misappropriation of trade secrets; Ohio Deceptive Trade Practices Act, unfair competition, tortious interference with business, and unjust enrichment.
  • Successful resolution of $6.3 million combined breach of sales representative agreement and construction dispute pending in U.S., Canadian, and Mexican federal courts.
  • Prevailed in bench trial in $3.8 million breach of settlement agreement action against national bank, and was awarded $120,000 in legal fees.
  • Resolved $2.6 million lawsuit filed in  Federal Court by one of the largest law firms in the Midwest for violations of trade secret, non-compete, and tortious interference laws seeking a temporary restraining order within 7 days for a $0 payment, an agreement to not use information the client never had, and not contact clients the client was not soliciting.
  • Successful resolution of $2.4 million joint venture dispute pending in multiple jurisdictions.
  • Prevailed at week long jury trial on behalf of business by obtaining $42,000 in breach of contract action, while obtaining directed verdict on adversary’s fraud and conversion claims and a verdict throwing out adversary’s $650,000 breach of contract and trade secret misappropriation claims.
  • Serves as outside general counsel to a number of companies, from manufacturers and distributors to marketing and international software companies.
  • Established estate plans for numerous families in Ohio and Michigan, including revocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney, foreign beneficiaries and guardians, and other supporting documents.
  • Organized, merged, acquired, restructured, and divested dozens of privately-held companies in the technology, outsourcing, marketing, medical, manufacturing, and services industries.

Reported Cases

  • Bertec Corp. v. Sparta Software Corp et al., 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 78437 (S.D. Ohio May 4, 2020)
  • Spielman v. IMG College et al., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 240478 (S.D. Ohio Nov. 27, 2019)
  • Sahaj Hotel Inc. v. Desai, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 28708 (S.D. Ohio Feb. 21, 2019)
  • Johnson v. Big Lots Stores, Inc., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 199525 (E.D. Mich. Dec. 5, 2017)
  • D.P. Dough Franchising, LLC v. Southworth, 2017 U.S. Dist. Lexis 157951 (S.D. Ohio Sept. 26, 2017)
  • Wensink Farm Seeds, Inc. v. Lafever et al., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97609 (N.D. Ohio Jun. 23, 2017)
  • Cap City Dental Lab v. Ladd et al., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 118570 (S.D. Ohio Sept. 1, 2016)
  • RAE Assocs. v. Nexus Communs., Inc., 145 Ohio St. 3d 1477 (Ohio Supreme Court Apr. 20, 2016)
  • Cooke v. Logan Insulating & Foam Serv., LLC et al., 2016-Ohio-1424 (5th Dist. Mar. 31, 2016)
  • RAE Assocs. v. Nexus Communs., Inc., 144 Ohio St. 3d 1477 (Ohio Supreme Court Feb. 10, 2016)
  • Ward et al. v. Rawlake et al., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 104798 (S.D. Ohio Aug. 10, 2015)
  • RAE Assocs. v. Nexus Communs., Inc., 2015-Ohio-2166 (10th Dist. Jun. 4, 2015)
  • Murtech Energy Servs., LLC v. ComEnCo Sys. et al., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85502 (E.D. Mich. Jun. 24, 2014)
  • RAE Assocs. v. Nexus Communs., Inc., 2013 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 3461 (Franklin County Ohio May 19, 2013)
  • RAE Assocs. v. Nexus Communs., Inc., 2014 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 3984 (Franklin County Ohio Feb. 5, 2013)
  • Ohio Council 8 Am. Fedn. of State v. Brunner, 462 Fed. Appx. 557 (6th Cir. Feb. 16, 2012)
  • Nationwide Mut. Ins. Co. v. McRae, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 60782 (S.D. Ohio June 7, 2011)
  • Levy v. Cain, Watters & Assocs., P.L.L.C., 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9537 (S.D. Ohio Jan. 15, 2010)
  • Ohio Neighborhood Fin., Inc. v. Christie, 2010 Ohio 5017 (8th Dist. Oct. 14, 2010)
  • Alice’s Home v. Childcraft Educ. Corp., 2010 Ohio 4121 (10th Dist. Sept. 2, 2010)
  • Fleisher v. Ford Motor Co., 2009-Ohio 4847 (10th Dist. Sept. 15, 2009)

Presentations & Publications

Community Involvement