Scott North, Ohio Governor Strickland's Special Representative on Regulatory Reform, Returns to Porter Wright Morris & Arthur

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Porter Wright is pleased to announce that Scott North has re-joined the firm's Columbus office as a partner in the Litigation Department, Chair of the firm's Government and Regulatory Affairs Practice Group, and key resource in the firm's Environmental Practice Group. Mr. North left the firm last year, when he served as the Ohio Governor's Special Representative on Regulatory Reform, creating and implementing Governor Strickland's Advantage Ohio initiative. Advantage Ohio was created to improve Ohio's business climate and eliminate unnecessary, redundant and inefficient regulations and regulatory practices that constrain business and development in the state.

"We are proud of Scott's work on behalf of Ohio's citizens and his willingness to serve Governor Strickland's administration," remarks Robert Trafford, Porter Wright's Managing Partner. "That said," he adds, "everyone is extremely excited to have Scott and his tremendous talents back at the firm."

In private practice, Mr. North maintains a significant complex civil litigation docket that focuses on environmental cases and business and commercial law disputes. His practice also extends across a broad scope of other litigation matters -- from intellectual property and public contracts to product liability and insurance coverage. This long-standing, established practice has brought Mr. North before numerous state and federal trial and appellate courts in Ohio and other states. In addition, Mr. North's experience collaborating with the business community and state officials on regulatory reform places him in a position, as Chair of the firm's growing Government and Regulatory Affairs Practice Group, to strengthen Ohio's economy one business at a time.

Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Mr. North is a champion of Ohio's sense of community, diverse economic base, and rich history. This dedication and his work for the Governor earned him the Ohio Chemistry Technology Council's Excellence in Public Service Award for 2007. As he rejoins Porter Wright, Mr. North is eager to reap the benefits of Advantage Ohio's regulatory reform and to pair that reform with economic development initiatives to improve Ohio's economy and standard of living. "I am deeply committed to unlocking all of Ohio's potential and look forward to working with others who share that commitment," says North.

Mr. North can be reached at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP, 41 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, (614) 227-2087, snorth@porterwright.com .

Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP is a nationally recognized law firm that traces its origins to 1846 in Ohio. With more than 250 lawyers, the firm also has offices in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Dayton, Ohio; Naples, Florida; and Washington, D.C. Porter Wright provides counsel to a worldwide base of clients.

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Source: Porter Wright Morris & Arthur

CONTACT: Madelyn Colberg, Practice Development Manager of Porter Wright
Morris & Arthur, +1-216-443-2564, +1-800-824-1980

Web site: http://www.porterwright.com/

2008-04-21 17:26:30 0341156 PRNEWSWIRE