News Archives - Mansour Gavin LPA

Mansour Gavin LPA has once again been recognized for legal excellence, earning multiple regional and national rankings in the 2026 edition of Best Law Firms^®. The firm received recognition in 11 practice areas regionally and achieved a National Tier 3 ranking in Litigation – Real Estate.

Selection to Best Law Firms reflects a firm’s commitment to professional excellence and client satisfaction. To be eligible, at least one lawyer in the firm must be recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^®, a distinction earned this year by 13 Mansour Gavin attorneys, with four named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.

“We are proud to be recognized among the 2026 Best Law Firms,” said Tony Coyne, Mansour Gavin President and Managing Partner. “This honor reflects the trust of our clients and the strength of our legal team. It’s a testament to our firm’s deep bench of talent, collaborative culture, and commitment to delivering results.”

Best Law Firms evaluates more than 75 national and 127 metropolitan practice areas. The process combines client and peer feedback with quantitative analysis, to produce a tiered system of industry-led rankings of the top 4% of the industry.

Mansour Gavin LPA received the following rankings in the 2026 Best Law Firms:

National Tier 3

Litigation – Real Estate

Regional Tier 1 – Cleveland

Commercial Litigation
Corporate Law
Land Use and Zoning Law
Litigation – Real Estate
Real Estate Law

Regional Tier 2 – Cleveland

Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
Litigation – Insurance
Litigation – Labor and Employment
Trusts and Estates

Regional Tier 3 – Cleveland

Elder Law
Litigation – Trusts and Estates

About Best Law FirmsBest Law Firms^®, ranked by Best Lawyers^® and respected for over 14 years, is the most credible ranking of exceptional law firms globally. It is rooted in a rigorous, peer-to-peer, industry-driven evaluation. A ranking from Best Law Firms signifies a high-quality practice and a breadth of legal expertise. Ranked firms, presented in three tiers, are recognized on a national and metropolitan scale, providing legal professionals with an elevated stature from the Best Law Firms recognition. For more information, visit www.bestlawfirms.com.

About Mansour Gavin
Founded in 1954, Mansour Gavin LPA is a full-service law firm with offices in Cleveland and Independence, Ohio. The firm provides trusted counsel to individuals and privately held and publicly traded companies across corporate, litigation, real estate, labor and employment, environmental, estate planning, and related areas of law.

Mansour Gavin is pleased to welcome Marisa Moody to the firm.

Marisa is a results-driven legal professional with experience supporting attorneys in litigation, estate planning, and trust administration. At Mansour Gavin, she assists in researching legal matters, drafting pleadings, and preparing documentation to meet client needs. She is proficient in WealthCounsel, LexisNexis, and other legal tools, and is skilled at maintaining detailed case records and ensuring confidentiality across all matters.

Before joining Mansour Gavin, Marisa gained experience at several law firms, where she managed complex caseloads, coordinated discovery, and supported attorneys through all phases of trial preparation. Her work has spanned probate, immigration, and estate planning, giving her a well-rounded understanding of diverse legal processes and client needs.

Marisa holds a Master’s in International Security from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Law and Social Thought from the University of Toledo. While at Toledo, she studied abroad in London, focusing on British Constitutional and Criminal Law and EU Politics, served as President of the Law and Social Thought Society, and mentored first-year students in the program.

We’re thrilled to have Marisa on board and look forward to her contributions to the firm and our clients.

Diane A. Calta has been elected Secretary to the Board of the Northeast Ohio Law Directors Association. Diane is a key member of the firm’s civil litigation and real estate and land use practice groups, bringing over 25 years of legal experience in municipal law, economic development, litigation, real estate, eminent domain, and probate and estate planning.

Diane currently serves as Director of Law for Mayfield Village and special legal counsel for the City of Independence. Previously, she was Director of Law for the City of Beachwood and the City of Green. Diane has also held public sector roles as Assistant Director of Law for several Northeast Ohio communities, including Pepper Pike, Chagrin Falls, and Bentleyville. Additionally, she has served as an assistant prosecutor for the Village of Bratenahl.

The Northeast Ohio Law Directors Association is a professional organization that brings together municipal law directors, legal counsel, and attorneys from Northeast Ohio who specialize in representing local governments. The association focuses on providing continuing legal education (CLE) opportunities, facilitating networking among municipal legal professionals, and addressing legal issues pertinent to municipal governance. Members often include city solicitors, law directors, and attorneys engaged in public sector law. The association frequently collaborates with other legal organizations, such as the Ohio Municipal Attorneys Association, to host seminars and presentations on topics relevant to municipal law.

We are pleased to share that, as of May 1, Mansour Gavin’s Independence office has relocated to a new location:

6133 Rockside Road, Suite 301
Independence, Ohio 44131

Please note that our phone and fax numbers remain unchanged. Our downtown Cleveland office is unaffected by this move.

We look forward to continuing to serve our clients from this updated space.

Should you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

We are proud to share that Tim Boyko has been elected Chairman of the University Hospitals (UH) West Market Board of Directors, overseeing UH Elyria Medical Center, UH Parma Medical Center, and UH St. John Medical Center. Additionally, Tim has been appointed to the University Hospitals Board of Directors, the governing board of University Hospitals.

Tim focuses on business and real estate law, as well as probate and estate planning. He joined Mansour Gavin in 2016 after serving as managing partner of Boyko, Dobeck & Weaver. Tim is licensed to practice in Ohio and Florida and represents individuals, businesses, and nonprofits in a variety of legal matters, including Florida probate and estate planning. He is an active member of several bar associations and is deeply involved in his community, including fundraising for The Patty Boyko Foundation in memory of his late wife.

Please join us in congratulating Tim on these well-deserved appointments and recognizing his leadership and ongoing commitment to supporting the health and well-being of our region.

Mansour Gavin LPA has once again been recognized as a Top Workplace by cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, earning the honor for the fourth consecutive year. This recognition is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by Energage LLC, which measures key aspects of workplace culture, including feeling respected, supported, and empowered.

“We are honored to be named a 2025 Northeast Ohio Top Workplace,” said Tony Coyne, Mansour Gavin President and Managing Partner. “This recognition, earned in a highly competitive field and shared with only 188 organizations, is a testament to our team’s dedication and the culture we’ve built together. We remain committed to fostering a positive and inclusive work environment.”

“Top Workplaces awards are especially meaningful because they come from employees,” added Eric Rubino, CEO of Energage. “It shows these companies are listening and responding to what their people need to thrive.”

We are pleased to welcome Samantha Papagna to Mansour Gavin as a paralegal, where she supports our attorneys with legal research, document preparation, and client communication.

Samantha is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, where she earned a BBA in Business Economics and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Law and Paralegal Studies. She also holds a Legal Technology Certificate from the National Society for Legal Technology.

With a background that blends business insight with a passion for social justice, Samantha brings valuable experience as a paralegal, legal intern, and volunteer advocate. Her work with the Hope and Healing Resource Center reflects her commitment to meaningful community engagement and advocacy.

We’re excited to have Samantha on our team and look forward to the contributions she will bring to the firm and the clients we serve.

Mansour Gavin is pleased to welcome Katie Epperson* to the firm! Katie is an associate focusing her practice on civil litigation, insurance defense, and labor and employment law. Prior to joining Mansour Gavin, Katie worked for an employment law firm where in addition to investigating employment discrimination allegations, she coached managers, senior executives and clients on best management practices to optimize defense strategies and promote compliance within the workplace.

Katie earned her J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and is admitted to the Ohio State Bar and the United States District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio.

*Katie Epperson is now known as Katie Tinnel.

Mansour Gavin LPA is thrilled to announce that 12 of our lawyers have been included in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® and 3 have been recognized as 2025 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America. Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers has been universally recognized as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

“For more than 40 years, the rigorous methodology of Best Lawyers has ensured the integrity and esteem of our legal recognitions,” said Phillip Greer, CEO of Best Lawyers. “We are proud to continue offering potential clients the highest standard of credibility through our Best Lawyers awards as they seek legal counsel.”

Tony Coyne, President and Managing Partner of Mansour Gavin LPA, added, “We are incredibly proud of our attorneys who have been honored this year. Their dedication and expertise exemplify the high standards of excellence our firm strives to uphold.”

Mansour Gavin congratulates the following lawyers named to the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America:

Timothy A. Boyko – Corporate Law, Elder Law, Real Estate Law, and Trusts and Estates

Charles T. Brown – Litigation – Trusts and Estates

James A. Budzik – Litigation – Labor and Employment

Diane A. Calta – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Real Estate, and Real Estate Law

Anthony J. Coyne – Corporate Law, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Land Use and Zoning Law, and Real Estate Law

Brendon P. Friesen – Corporate Law

Daniel J. McGuire – Trusts and Estates

John W. Monroe – Corporate Law, Land Use and Zoning Law, Litigation – Real Estate, and Real Estate Law

Edward O. Patton – Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, and Litigation – Insurance

Tatyana Pishnyak – Corporate Law

Michael P. Quinlan – Trusts and Estates

Bruce G. Rinker – Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law

We would like to congratulate the following lawyers recognized in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America.

Katie Epperson* – Insurance Law

Kenneth E. Smith – Corporate Law and Insurance Law

Kathryn E. Weber – Corporate Law, Litigation – Real Estate, and Real Estate Law

About Best Lawyers
Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected lawyer ranking service in the world. For 40 years, Best Lawyers has assisted those in need of legal services to identify the lawyers best qualiﬁed to represent them in distant jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties. Best Lawyers awards are published in leading local, regional and national publications across the globe.

*Katie Epperson is now known as Katie Tinnel.

Katie Epperson* has been selected for the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s 2024-25 Leadership Academy, a highly regarded and selective program offering leadership and professional development programming. The program features leadership assessments, coaching, and opportunities for community engagement with legal and civic leaders.

The Leadership Academy, now in its 8th year, is a 10-month program that offers attorneys with at least five years of experience the chance to enhance their leadership skills. Candidates must demonstrate a passion for the legal profession and civic engagement, a commitment to leadership development, and enthusiasm for building connections with legal and community leaders in Greater Cleveland. The program includes partnerships with top professional development firms, offering participants tailored consultations and group sessions with leading legal minds.

Mansour Gavin LPA, founded in 1954, is a well-established law firm with offices in Cleveland and Independence, Ohio, providing a wide array of legal services to individuals and successful corporations, both privately held and publicly traded.

*Katie Epperson is now known as Katie Tinnel.

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