Ice Miller LLP launches a new Government Law Group with a team of lawyers and governmental advocates with extensive experience serving clients with local, state and federal government issues. Led by former Congresswoman Deborah Pryce and Columbus-based partner John H. Oberle, the group will represent both the private and public sectors and will be a one-stop shop for governmental legal issues including: public finance, broadband development, economic development, election law, energy, ethics, gaming law, lobbying, municipal law, procurement, property tax complaints, public private partnerships (P3) and regulatory issues.
Former JobsOhio general counsel Kristopher (Kip) Wahlers, who recently joined the Firm as a partner practicing with the Municipal Finance Group, is also a member of the Government Law Group. Wahlers has more than 20 years of experience in the field of public finance, economic development and public law. He is well known throughout Ohio for his tenure at JobsOhio, the private, non-profit corporation that oversees economic development in the state. Wahlers’ addition to the Firm’s bond practice brings great strength to the 25 municipal bond attorneys in a nationally ranked bond firm handling complex public finance transactions in Ohio and throughout the country.
Oberle, a partner with the Firm, leads the Government Law Group with Pryce. Oberle has more than 20 years’ experience in regulatory and policy matters at the state and local level in Ohio and regionally. “We understand the legal, policy and regulatory issues that impact businesses,” said Oberle. “Together, our team can provide an unprecedented level of service to meet the needs of businesses trying to succeed in this market.”
“We’re really proud of our team working together to deliver government law services to our clients,” said Pryce. “This combination of attorneys and other professionals, including advisors in our Whiteboard consulting group, has experience with so many areas of government. It means we can provide private and public clients with a well-rounded perspective on their issues, and a depth of guidance in meeting the complex needs of business and government. In addition, our support system throughout all our offices is superb. It includes nationally eminent public employee benefits and municipal finance practices as well as attorneys with experience in almost every area of government law. Dozens of Ice Miller attorneys work on government law matters daily.”
In addition to Pryce, Oberle and Wahlers, the Government Law Group includes broadband and energy attorneys Greg Dunn and Chris Miller; tax appeals and construction lawyer Chris Michael; litigators John Gilligan, Matt Fornshell and Albert Lin; and economic development strategist Chris Magill. The Government Law Group will coordinate closely with Ice Miller Whiteboard principals and lobbyists David Battocletti and Dan Helmick, along with several other Firm professionals.
Team Member Highlights:
Deborah Pryce, a former U.S. Representative, brings more than 25 years of legislative and leadership experience to provide clients real-time direction and optimal leverage. Pryce’s legislative and leadership experience includes serving as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Ohio’s 15th Congressional district from 1993-2009. From 2002-2006, she served as House Conference Chair, making her the highest-ranking Republican woman in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives. She also served as Deputy Whip, as the Ranking Republican Member on the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises (2007-2008); Chairman, Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology (2005-2006); and sat for 10 years on the powerful Rules Committee. Congresswoman Pryce also served as a Franklin County Municipal Court Judge from 1986-1992.
John H. Oberle has more than 20 years of experience as a regulatory attorney, a public sector advocate and lobbyist, and works to ensure clients’ interests are well represented regionally before state governmental agencies, city halls and the Ohio statehouse. Oberle’s experience includes work as: a lobbyist for the Governor’s Office; Chief of Legislative Affairs for the Ohio’s Chief Regulatory Department (Ohio Department of Commerce); elected Sharon Township Trustee; and Principal of Ice Miller Whiteboard LLC. This experience not only includes an understanding of the law, but includes how government and regulatory agencies develop policies that impact business. He zealously pursues client’s objectives in seeking a favorable result.
Kip Wahlers is a seasoned bond lawyer in Ohio. Most recently he served as General Counsel for Browning & Associates, a financial advisory firm focusing on building bridges between the private sector and state and local government. Wahlers also served as General Counsel at JobsOhio, and before that, was a partner at Calfee, Halter & Griswold, LLP, focusing on public finance, including state and local government finance and economic development.
Greg Dunn is focused on broadband and telecom issues. He and his team were responsible for the creation of Dublink, a system for the City of Dublin, which includes 125 miles of fiber optic cable, a conduit system and a wi-fi system, all connected to a municipal data center and the Ohio Academic Resource Network. Since its creation, Dublink has attracted international attention, including being named one of the top seven intelligent communities of the year by the Intelligent Community Foundation (ICF) in both 2010 and 2011. Dublink also received an award from the National Science Foundation and the White House’s broadband initiative: US Ignite. Dunn was recognized recently as the “Municipal Law Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers.
Chris Miller advises private entities, public agencies and individuals on legal issues relating to telecommunications (both wired and wireless), energy and utility matters, broadband services, information technology and associated regulatory matters. He has significant experience representing clients’ interests in proceedings before the Ohio Public Utilities Commission, Ohio Power Siting Board, the FCC and other regulatory agencies.
Chris Michael brings depth to the Government Law group in the areas of construction and tax. Recently, he represented and assisted one of the largest school districts in the State of Ohio in all stages of design, selection, and construction of a $250 million, multiple-building Ohio Facilities Construction Commission construction project.
Chris Magill is the Economic Development Director for Ice Miller and leads a collaborative team of professionals and attorneys to assist private and public sector clients in achieving growth strategies through economic development consulting. Prior to joining Ice Miller, Magill served as the executive director of the Ohio Tax Credit Authority (Authority) for the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD), a board consisting of the Director of the ODOD and four other members appointed by Ohio’s governor, the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of the Senate.
Dan Helmick is a principal with Ice Miller Whiteboard, is a career government affairs professional with a reputation for strategic thinking and strong advocacy in representing clients at the state and local levels of government.
David Battocletti, a principal in Ice Miller Whiteboard’s government relations team, brings more than a decade of work experience in government including involvement at city, state and federal levels. Battocletti’s extensive knowledge of the legislative and executive process helps provide clients with successful legislative strategies, executive agency advocacy and government procurement.
