Lisa Messner

Lisa is a partner at M&S, where she leads the firm’s Litigation practice area. With twenty years of experience, her practice focuses on class action defense, complex commercial litigation, consumer protection and privacy laws and regulations. She has successfully defended clients in highly regulated industries against government enforcement matters and class actions across the country. Lisa litigates in a variety of jurisdictions with admissions in Ohio, Illinois and the District of Columbia and multiple federal courts. Lisa has also been specially admitted on a pro hac vice basis to federal district courts nationwide, including Florida, Texas, California, Indiana, and Maryland, where she achieved optimal outcomes in class action litigation, complex commercial litigation, and agency enforcement actions.

A fierce and focused advocate for her clients, Lisa understands the unique needs of businesses facing complex civil lawsuits. Her litigation process takes into account each client’s individual business model, culture, and goals to craft a defense strategy specifically targeted to meet that client’s objectives.

Recognizing the extraordinary liability often at stake in class action lawsuits and regulatory enforcement actions, Lisa is also passionate about identifying and remedying compliance issues before they capture the attention of regulators or land in a courtroom. In addition to her litigation practice, she assists clients with achieving industry and statutory compliance, conducting employee training, and proactively improving internal policies and procedures to minimize future litigation risks.

Lisa also provides mediation and arbitration services, serving as a skilled neutral in helping disputing parties achieve resolution outside of the courtroom. She has built a successful track record as a mediator in federal district court across a range of cases including class-wide settlements, complex business-to-business matters, employment and labor relations, contract and collective bargaining disputes, and personal injury cases. She also has significant experience presenting and serving as an arbitrator in employment and labor relations disputes. Lisa has completed formal mediation training through the American Bar Association and is a member of the ABA’s Dispute Resolution Section.

Lisa has been recognized for her outstanding professional achievements as an Ohio Super Lawyer®, Ohio Rising Stars for four years, an award given to less than 5% of all Ohio’s lawyers. She is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and has also earned recognition in Columbus CEO Magazine’s List of Top Ohio Lawyers.

Lisa serves the legal community and its diversity initiatives in numerous ways, including active involvement with the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF), where she serves on the Trials Practice Area Committee to educate others about litigation strategies and practices.

• Successfully defended multiple clients in class action suits for Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) violations in federal court.
• Successfully defended clients in government enforcement actions in federal court.
• Negotiated a favorable settlement for corporate client defending against class action claims and regulatory enforcement actions.
• Litigated complicated civil lawsuits for clients involving a variety of business disputes, including complex contractual disputes involving multiple business entities.
• Compiled 50 state surveys for clients related to debt collection, consumer protection laws, and compliance with Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
• Drafted comments with FTC and CFPB on behalf of corporate clients.
• Assisted clients with formal responses to Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) and subpoenas.