News Release
Six McGlinchey Stafford Attorneys Named to Ohio Super Lawyers 2019
Read Time: 4 minsMcGlinchey Stafford PLLC is pleased to announce the inclusion of attorneys in the firm’s Cleveland office in the 2019 edition of Ohio Super Lawyers.
- Richik Sarkar, Member, named to Ohio Super Lawyers in the areas of Business Litigation, Consumer Law, Appellate, Civil Litigation: Defense, Banking, and General Litigation
- David Waxman, Of Counsel, named to Ohio Super Lawyers in the areas of Real Estate: Business, Environmental, and Business/Corporate
The following attorneys also received the Ohio Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” designation for 2019:
- Susan E. Chylik, Member, named to Ohio Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” in the area of Banking
- Stefanie L. Deka, Associate, named to Ohio Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” in the area of Business Litigation
- Melany Kotlarek Fontanazza, Of Counsel, named to Ohio Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” in the area of Business Litigation
- Amanda Rose Martin, Associate, named to Ohio Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” in the area of Banking
Since 2004, more than 70 McGlinchey Stafford attorneys have received the distinction of being included in Super Lawyers and the publication’s “Rising Stars” lists across the United States.
The firm’s Cleveland team has extensive experience in the areas of consumer financial services, commercial litigation, and transactional matters, and includes some of the state’s top consumer financial services attorneys, as recognized by clients and peers in local and national publications.
Susan Chylik focuses on providing regulatory compliance and risk management advice to state and national banks, automotive finance companies, personal property lenders and finance companies, leasing companies, commercial lenders, and small loan lenders. She concentrates on issues related to consumer data privacy and information-sharing with affiliates and non-affiliates, consumer credit reporting practices, and consumer payment authorizations at the state and federal levels. Chylik earned a J.D. at The Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law in 2009 and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Economics from Kent State University in 2005.
Stefanie Deka practices consumer financial litigation for banks, lenders, and large financial institutions with a focus on all aspects of residential foreclosure litigation, including title litigation, violations of state and federal consumer statutes, and common law claims which she has handled at the trial and appellate level. She has extensive loss mitigation knowledge specifically with regards to lenders’ duties under the applicable federal statute in reviewing for loss mitigation options. Deka graduated from University of Akron’s School of Law with a J.D. in 2012, and was a Law Club member at Baldwin Wallace College, where she graduated cum laude with a B.A. in History in 2007.
Melany Fontanazza represents banks, lenders, and other financial institutions in consumer financial services litigation. She handles various types of business litigation and insurance defense cases at the trial and appellate level. She has also worked as Adjunct Professor at the University of Akron School of Law, teaching Legal Writing & Research. She holds a J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law, where she participated in Law Review and received the Ernest Karam Award for Academic Excellence upon graduation in 2005. She graduated from Marietta College cum laude with a B.A. in Accounting in 2002.
Amanda Martin concentrates on federal and state compliance matters for consumer financial services clients, with an interest and focus in the intersection of technology, finance, cybersecurity, and data privacy. She has a particular familiarity with issues relevant to sales finance, secured and unsecured lending, consumer and commercial loan brokering, lead generation, and title lending. A member of the Firm’s Cybersecurity and Data Privacy team, she currently holds a position as a Young Lawyer Liaison to the Privacy and Data Security subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Consumer Financial Services Committee. She attended Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, where she was Articles Editor for the Cleveland State Law Review and a member of the Moot Court Board of Governors before graduating magna cum laude with a J.D. in 2014. She received a B.A. in 2011 in English and Psychology from Case Western Reserve University.
Richik Sarkar maintains a broad, varied litigation practice in which he directs litigation; special projects such as organizational updates, policies, strategies, and investigations; and crisis management for a variety of clients across several industries, ranging from sports and media agencies to local, regional, and global financial institutions. He has particular experience handling complex litigation and business matters relating to data privacy, cybersecurity, and commercial and consumer regulations, contracts, and practices. Sarkar received his J.D. from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1998, his M.S.W. from the University of Michigan in 1994, and his B.A., with honors, from the University of Michigan in 1993.
David Waxman has acted as real estate and environmental counsel for individuals, closely-held businesses, educational institutions, public libraries, and Fortune 100 companies on matters pertaining to real estate acquisition, development, redevelopment, construction, financing and leasing, environmental compliance and insurance, and business acquisitions and divestitures. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law and a 1982 graduate of The Ohio State University.
Super Lawyers has listed outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement since the publication’s founding in 1991. To be included in a state publication, lawyers are subject to nomination, a peer-review survey by practice area, and independent research on candidates. The top five percent of attorneys in each state, as nominated by their peers, are then reviewed by an independent research team that focuses on professional accomplishments, peer recognition, and community involvement. The “Rising Star” designation recognizes the top 2.5% of lawyers in a given state who are 40 years old or younger, or have been in practice 10 years or less.