Five attorneys, one office, all licensed in Ohio

Diane Okafor

Founding partner · Employment litigation

Diane founded Ashgrove Law in 2012 after nine years at a downtown Columbus firm, where she defended employers in discrimination and wage cases. She now represents mostly employees, and says the years on the other side are the reason she can tell a client within an hour whether a case is worth bringing. She has tried more than thirty employment cases to verdict in state and federal court.

Diane is a past chair of the Columbus Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law Committee and teaches a session on deposition practice for newer lawyers each spring.

Admitted

Ohio, 2003; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio; U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

Education

J.D., The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law; B.A., Kenyon College

Michael Brandt

Partner · Business formation and contracts

Michael joined Diane in 2014 to build the firm's business practice. Before law school he spent four years as a controller at a family-owned HVAC company in Dublin, and he still reads a client's financial statements before he reads their operating agreement. He works with founders, restaurants, construction contractors and professional practices, many of whom have been clients since the day they formed their company.

Admitted

Ohio, 2008

Education

J.D., Capital University Law School; B.S. in Accounting, Ohio University

Tom Kessler

Of counsel · Business disputes

Tom has tried commercial cases in central Ohio since 1997, first at a large regional firm and then in his own practice before joining Ashgrove in 2019. He handles breach of contract, partnership disputes and non-compete litigation, and he is a certified mediator for the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Clients hire Tom when the other side has a bigger firm; opposing counsel tend to settle when they see his name on the pleadings.

Admitted

Ohio, 1997; U.S. District Court, Southern and Northern Districts of Ohio

Education

J.D., University of Cincinnati College of Law; B.A., Miami University

Rachel Nguyen

Senior associate · Severance and non-competes

Rachel reviews more severance agreements than anyone else at the firm, usually several a week, for everyone from warehouse supervisors to hospital executives. She also handles non-compete matters on both sides: advising employees who want to change jobs and drafting covenants for employers who want to protect client relationships. Before joining Ashgrove in 2017 she clerked for a judge of the Tenth District Court of Appeals.

Admitted

Ohio, 2015

Education

J.D., The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law; B.A., Denison University

Alana Price

Associate · Employer compliance and business law

Alana advises employers on handbooks, leave policies, contractor classification and the day-to-day questions that come up between payroll and the break room. She also works with Michael on formations and operating agreements. Before law school she worked in HR at a Columbus logistics company, which means she has handed out the paperwork she now drafts.

Admitted

Ohio, 2021

Education

J.D., Capital University Law School; B.A., Otterbein University