Who We Are
Our vision is to be something different from traditional law firms and through those differences enable a higher quality of service to our clients and to each other. We are different, by design.
Mark Terzola
Start-Ups, Intellectual Property, Licensing & Corporate
About Mark
Mark brings a combination of 20 years of business and legal experience to his law practice. He has worked with public and privately held companies across multiple industries, including the energy (utility and OEM suppliers), software (SaaS and embedded control systems), communications and construction industries, in the handling of their day to day legal needs. Immediately prior to starting L&T with Jeff in July, 2015, Mark was the COO and CFO for Echogen Power Systems. In that role, Mark handled the day to day legal functions of the company as well as had direct responsibility for various company functions like production engineering, supply chain, finance and project delivery. He also led the development and negotiation of key strategic relationships including those with GE Aviation, Dresser-Rand / Siemens, AEP, and others.
Prior to joining Echogen, Mark was a partner at Roetzel & Andress where he created and built the firm’s intellectual property group and worked with a client base that included multi-national, publicly traded companies and pre-revenue start-ups. In addition to his work at Echogen, Mark previously sat on the Board of Directors for Advanced Energy Economy Ohio and was a founding director of the Ohio Business Council for a Clean Economy. Mark has a B.S. in Civil/Environmental Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and received his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Akron. Mark is a local, growing up listening to the Michael Stanley Band, spending summer days at the lake and watching his Browns fumble, drive and RedRight88 their way to Baltimore. When not working, he can usually be found coaching, rooting on his Irish or with his wife chasing after their four children.
Jeff Leonard
M&A, Tax, Start-Ups and Corporate
About Jeff
Prior to forming the firm with Mark Terzola, he served as General Counsel for First Communications, Inc., a publicly-traded diversified telecommunications company. Prior to joining First Comm, he was a partner at Roetzel & Andress Co. LPA where he was the head of the Firm’s Business Services Group. He has also served as Chief Financial Officer / General Counsel / Director of Strategic Growth for Feature Foods, Inc. (dba Main Street Gourmet), a middle market privately-held manufacturer of frozen bakery products. Prior to holding that position, Jeff was a partner with Brouse & McDowell where he was chair of that firm’s Tax Practice Group. Jeff has received an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has been named one of Ohio’s “Superlawyers” in M&A and one of the Best Lawyers in America for Tax Law. Jeff received his undergraduate degree cum laude in accounting from Miami University and his law degree from The Ohio State University College of Law. Jeff began his legal career at Baker & Hostetler and has also practiced as a Certified Public Accountant with Arthur Anderson & Co. He is married to Debbie who recently retired as a teacher from Akron Public Schools after teaching at-risk kids for 32 years. He and Debbie have three children, Kaleigh, Elisa, and Molly. They live in Fairlawn.
Deborah A. Weisman
M&A, Licensing, Start-Ups and Corporate
About Deborah
Deborah has over 20 years of experience assisting business owners, entrepreneurs, start-up, emerging-growth, seasoned and closely-held family businesses navigate their unique legal issues related to mergers and acquisitions; intellectual property/technology licensing; formation, structure and internal governance matters; operational/employment contractual relationships; and equity and debt finance transactions. Deborah’s clients engage in manufacturing (including food products and consumables), distribution, software development, hosting and software-as-a-service (SaaS), and service businesses across a wide variety of industries.
Prior to joining Mark and Jeff at Leonard & Terzola, Deborah had the privilege of being a principal in the law firm of Millet & Weisman, where she practiced law with her father, Paul Millet. Before Millet & Weisman, she spent over 11 years with Kahn Kleinman (since merged into Taft Stettinius) and began her career at Benesch. Deborah earned a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan and a law degree with high honors from the George Washington University National Law Center in 1994. Deborah was raised in the Cleveland area, and returned to the CLE after law school. Here, she met her husband Jim, who spends his work days growing biotech software and service companies through BioEnterprise. In her free time, Deborah can be found running the paths around the Shaker lakes, taking spinning/indoor cycling classes, cooking, watching the Cavs, and striving for zen as she pursues her second career as administrative assistant/logistics coordinator/chauffeur/short-order cook for her 3 active kids and 2 rambunctious dogs.
Erika Ward
Acquisitions & Divestitures, Start-Ups, Securities Compliance, and Corporate
About Erika
Erika joined L&T having first worked at both Hogan Lovells (Washington, D.C.) and Baker & Hostetler (Cleveland, Ohio). Her practice has involved supporting a wide range of complex federal and state regulatory matters as a food regulatory attorney (labeling and advertising compliance, enforcement challenges, import and export issues, litigation support, and comment drafting on proposed regulations and agency guidance) and mergers and acquisitions, public company securities regulations, and general corporate governance compliance. Pro bono work is important to Erika and she has focused her talents on death penalty work and parole hearing representation. Erika also spent a summer during law school at a legal clinic that provided assistance to HIV/AIDS and cancer patients facing various legal matters related to their diagnoses. At L&T, she continues to focus her practice on acquisitions and divestitures, start-ups, securities compliance and general corporate representation.
Erika received her J.D. from Duke University School of Law and earned her B.A. in Sociology from The Ohio State University (summa cum laude).
During her free time, Erika enjoys practicing and teaching yoga, attending shows at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, spending time with her dog Scout, and, during the fall, watching the Buckeyes dominate the college football landscape.
Fred Leffler
M&A and Corporate
About Fred
Fred’s legal career spans over twenty-five years and includes time as a partner in a large US law firm as well as embedded in house counsel to multi-billion dollar companies. Fred is primarily a deal lawyer – and his experience includes over 200 acquisitions, strategic alliances and capital raises / financing transactions. While much of his work has been US focused, he has been counsel on transactions that have occurred in over 35 countries.
His unique perspective on practicing law is no surprise as his experience fuses solid “big law” training with the practicality and management skills that come from working within the business. His in house counsel service, which informs his practical approach and his attention to project schedules and budgets, includes two years with a global corporation where he was the primary legal counsel and lead negotiator for business units with over $1B of revenue; and, three years at a publicly traded utility where he was responsible for supply chain agreements accounting for over $7B of annual spend. Fred then spent the next two years as an investment banker (FINRA Series 79 licensed) where he applied his legal skills to strategically position his client’s businesses and negotiate the sale of their businesses. Benefiting from these acquired skills and experiences, Fred is uniquely prepared to provide sound, creative, practical and efficient legal solutions.
Fred earned his B.A. in Business Administration from Grove City College, Grove City PA and graduated cum laude from The University of Akron School of Law. Fred, his wife and three children all live in the Akron area
Scott Salsbury, of Counsel to the Firm
Labor and Employment, Litigation and Trial Counsel
About Scott
Scott represents management in labor and employment law matters and litigation. His labor practice includes union avoidance, collective bargaining negotiations and unfair labor practice charges. He arbitrates grievances and represents employers before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Scott’s employment practice involves representing employers before the U.S. Equal Employment Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Occupational Safety Health Association (OSHA) and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC). He advises clients on a host of employment issues that include Pregnancy and Disability Discrimination, Medical Leave, Whistleblower Retaliation and Wage and Hour.
Scott has litigated in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout Ohio. He is a trial lawyer and has tried to verdict cases involving areas of law that include defamation, tortious interference with business relations, discrimination and retaliation, construction disputes, commercial real estate, workers compensation retaliation, and non-compete agreements.
Scott is licensed to practice in Ohio and before numerous federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. He has multiple publications and routinely performs training to businesses and continuing education for legal professionals in all areas of employment and labor law. He is an OSBA Certified Specialist in the area of Labor and Employment Law, AV rated by Martindale, and routinely selected as a “Super Lawyer”.