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In recent days, Thompson Hine LLP 
, a leading national law firm, announced that Deborah Z. Read has been elected as the firm’s managing partner, making her one of only a few major law firms with a woman at the top.
Read will succeed David J. Hooker on May 1, 2012. Hooker has served as managing partner since 1997, and will continue to be an active partner in the firm.
Read has been an integral part of building the firm and setting its strategic priorities. As managing partner she will utilize her leadership experience within the firm as a member of its Executive Committee for the last eleven years.
In addition, Read, for the past six years, has served as Thompson Hine’s firmwide hiring partner. In this capacity, she oversaw all group and individual lawyer hiring and created a unique hiring and integration program. As a result of these efforts, the firm was listed as one of the top four firms with fewer than 500 lawyers for lateral partner satisfaction and integration in a survey conducted by leading consulting group Major, Lindsey & Africa. During Read’s tenure as hiring partner, the firm’s lateral partner program increased in size by 49 percent.
Read’s management experience extends to all areas of the firm. She served as chair of the firm’s Tax, Benefits and Planning practice and its Lawyer Personnel Committee, a firmwide committee then responsible for compensation and career development for all non-partner lawyers. In addition, she worked to ensure implementation of the firm’s first parental leave policy, which is non-gender-specific, and in the 1990s, when technology supporting offsite work was less prevalent, she established an onsite Saturday childcare program for firm lawyers and staff. She was also involved in the formation of Thompson Hine’s Spotlight on Women® program, the firms award-winning national women’s initiative.
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Read was quoted as saying: “It’s an honor to take on the role of managing partner. We have a very talented group of lawyers with whom I am privileged to work. I look forward to building on the firms strong foundation of client service and developing ways that we can continue to innovate how we deliver our services to provide the maximum value for our clients. Thompson Hine is an excellent firm with a long history, and we will continue to add lawyers that complement our existing expertise and enhance our geographic presence.”
Read has received numerous, prestigious awards, including the 2010 Northeast Ohio ATHENA award, presented annually by ATHENA International to people who assist women in realizing their leadership potential, show excellence in their business or profession, and have devoted time and energy to their communities. She is also the recipient of the 2006 YWCA Career Women of Achievement award, the 2006 Rainmakers Award (Northern Ohio Live), the 2001 Kaleidoscope Magazine Woman Who Gives Back award and the1988 United WayVolunteer of the Year award.
Read concentrates her practice on corporate structure and restructuring for nonprofit organizations, and tax and corporate planning for nonprofit organizations, foundations and health care organizations. She advises leading foundations and nonprofit organizations. Read also serves as a volunteer adviser to a variety of charities and organizations that make up Business Volunteers Unlimited, providing them with guidance and evaluation of their legal issues. Read is listed in The Best Lawyers in America.
Read’s has long been dedicated to serving the community. Organizations to which she has contributed include United Way Services, the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, and the Health and Caring for All Vision Council, among others.
Established in 1911, Thompson Hine is a business law firm dedicated to providing superior client service.
