Every year, Case Western Reserve University School of Law honors the achievements of distinguished alumni, faculty and prominent members of the legal community by inducting new members to the Society of Benchers – the law school’s Hall of Fame.
Established in 1962, the Society of Benchers inducts new members on the basis of extraordinary achievement and dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession, as voted on by their peers.
This year, we celebrate 11 new members of the Society of Benchers.
Avidan Cover has taught as a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law for 15 years. He taught in the Milton and Charlotte Kramer Law Clinic, serving clients in matters ranging from evictions to mortgage fraud to prison conditions. He has also taught doctrinal courses in Constitutional Law; Law, Legislation, and Regulation; International Law; International Human Rights Law; and seminars in Race, Law, and Society. Cover currently serves as the director of the Institute for Global Security Law and Policy. From 2019 to 2025, Cover served as the Law School’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Cover’s scholarship focuses on human rights, civil rights and national security law. He is a frequent public commenter on international relations and the law. His articles have appeared in numerous publications including the Georgia Law Review, the Florida Law Review, and the Iowa Law Review. In 2026, Cover was appointed as the Peter M. Gerhart Senior Research Scholar.
Cover was a Fulbright Scholar from 2018 to 2019 in Kenya where he taught international criminal law and legal theory at Strathmore Law School. Cover previously taught at Seton Hall University School of Law, where he supervised the Urban Revitalization Project. In addition, he was a Gibbons Public Interest and Constitutional Law Fellow from 2007 to 2009, litigating prisoner’s rights, same-sex marriage, national security, and education cases. Cover also served as senior counsel at Human Rights First, where he researched and analyzed U.S. military and intelligence agencies’ interrogation and detention policies and practices. He began his legal career as an associate corporation counsel for the New York City Law Department where he represented the city in litigation following the 9/11 attacks. Before embarking on his legal career, Cover was a Teach for America corps member, teaching middle school social studies at Merritt Elementary School in Washington, D.C.
Cover graduated cum laude from Cornell Law School and earned his B.A. at Princeton University.
A proud resident of Shaker Heights, Cover is grateful to his wife, Lora, and his children, Ruby and Solomon, for the joy and support they bring, and their willingness to discuss every case with him. Cover also thanks all the incredible staff, faculty, and students he has been fortunate to learn with, and from, over his years at the Law School.
Rhonda Baker Debevec is a civil trial lawyer who has spent decades fighting for victims injured by medical mistakes, nursing home neglect, sexual assault and driver error. Since 2015, Debevec has owned The Debevec Law Firm located in Cleveland, Ohio. Before founding her own law firm, Debevec practiced at Spangenberg, Shibley and Liber from 1997 to 2015 and became the second woman partner in the Firm’s history in 2007.
Debevec is most at home in the courtroom when the fruits of her hours of preparation finally come to bear. Throughout her career, as lead counsel, Debevec has tried cases within many of Ohio’s 88 counties and twice established a record high jury verdict within a jurisdiction. Debevec’s involvement in cases has improved safety for Ohioans by incentivizing increased adherence to institutional policies and professional guidelines. Most rewarding of all, Debevec has offered friendship and support to her clients in their time of need.
As a full-tuition scholarship recipient, Debevec is intensely grateful to the Law School for the privilege of becoming a lawyer. To “pay it forward,” Debevec has volunteered extensively with the Law School and will soon be installed as the Law Alumni Board’s President. Debevec has also served as President of the Cleveland Academy of Trial Attorneys and Board Member to the Ohio Association for Justice. In addition, Debevec worked on the Ohio Association for Justice’s Patient Advocacy Task Force, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation’s Judge4Yourself project, Ohio Supreme Court’s Jury Instruction Committee and is an Eighth District Judicial Conference Lifetime Member. For the past 15 years, Debevec has been recognized by Super Lawyers and was recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Ohio Super Lawyers in 2018 and 2020. Less formally, Debevec has been praised as a committed mentor to many legal professionals who learned legal research, deposition, and other litigation skills under her tutelage.
In 1993, Debevec earned her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Kenyon College in Political Science and Spanish Studies and Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, from Case Western School of Law in 1997. Debevec is the proud mother of two adult children, Adam and Rachael, who now live in Croatia and Chicago.
Ndubisi Ezeolu is Partner-in-Charge of the Tucker Ellis Los Angeles office and Co-Chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Group.
Bisi represents and counsels businesses, municipalities, and public entities in complex labor and employment matters, serving as a one-stop resource for companies and their executives on a broad range of employment law issues. He has advised on and litigated virtually every wage-and-hour issue there is, including exemptions, incentive compensation, independent contractor status, off-the-clock work, overtime, meal and rest, pay practice, and PAGA claims. Bisi also has litigated a wide variety of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, trade secret, and unfair business practices matters.
Bisi devotes a significant amount of time to serving the community. He has provided pro bono services for homeowners in financial trouble and serves on the board of directors for Five Acres – a non-profit organization committed to providing children and families with mental and health services, foster care, and adoption solutions – and has previously served on the board of directors for the Pasadena Fire Foundation and Kids Included Together.
Bisi and his wife Marisa live in Altadena with their three children. An avid sports fan, Bisi enjoys coaching baseball, soccer, and flag football, and rooting for his favorite teams.
A graduate of Hamilton College and CWRU School of Law (’80), Jeffrey L. Hjelm presently serves as an Active Retired Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Hjelm was appointed to the SJC in 2014, served as an Associate Justice until his retirement at the end of 2019, and became an Active Retired Justice of the Court in early 2020. In his current capacity, Hjelm sits with the Court in appellate proceedings when called upon and also sits in the trial court in Maine’s mid-coast counties, presiding in criminal cases.
Hjelm was first appointed to the bench in 1992 when he became a judge of the Maine District Court. In 1998, Hjelm was appointed to the Maine Superior Court (Maine’s court of general jurisdiction and jury-trial court), where he was twice reappointed and served for sixteen years before joining the SJC. During his judicial career, Hjelm has been extensively involved in the administration and oversight of Maine’s judicial and legal systems. While an Associate Justice of the SJC, he was the Court’s liaison to the Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure and served on the Legislature’s Criminal Law Advisory Committee. Hjelm also was the Court’s liaison to a number of committees and boards that regulate the Maine bar, including the Overseers of the Bar, the Board of Bar Examiners, and the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection. Hjelm was a member of Maine’s State-Federal Judges Council and served on its Executive Committee. Hjelm has also been involved in matters of judicial ethics, having taught judicial ethics to newly appointed judges for nearly a decade and serving on the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, which provides guidance to judges on specific ethics questions. He also was a judicial member of the Advisory Committee on the Maine Rules of Evidence.
For his first two years after law school, Hjelm held clerkships with the Superior Court and the SJC. Hjelm then worked as a trial lawyer with a Bangor law firm. In 1987, he became an Assistant Attorney General and prosecuted murder cases, before becoming a District Court judge.
Justice Hjelm and his wife live in Camden and on North Haven Island.
John P. Kellogg, Esq. is Program Director Master of Arts in Music Business at Berklee Online and retired Assistant Chair of Music Business/Management, Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. In his 40 plus years as an entertainment lawyer specializing in music law, his clients have included Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees The O’Jays, the late Gerald Levert, and LSG.
A musician, songwriter, former recording artist and vocalist with the group Cameo, John began his academic career at University of Colorado, Denver as Assistant Professor Music Business. He advocates for the rights of artists through his teaching and writings, which include his best-selling book Take Care of Your Music Business, now in its Third Edition. He has written several peer-reviewed academic journal articles and both developed and taught the first free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on the music business, Introduction to Music Business, a top ten finalist for the edX Prize for exceptional contributions for online teaching and learning and another MOOC, Foundations of the Music Business available through Coursera.org. The courses have enrolled over 100,000 national and international students. An active Online educator, Kellogg authored and instructs two other Berklee Online courses.
The former president of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA), John is a Hall of Fame member of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA), a panelist and frequent commentor on radio, TV, and other media outlets in the US and abroad. He has served as judge on the New England Emmy-Award winning TV talent show Community Auditions and was a featured guest in The Story of the Songs which aired on the Reelz cable network. A long-time member of the Grammy Organization and a volunteer grader for the Annual Entertainment Law Initiative Writing Competition for law students, John was twice recognized for supporting Grammy’s education, advocacy and human service initiatives.
A graduate of Syracuse University, John received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Science, Television and Radio degree from the University’s Newhouse School of Communication. In 1980 he was awarded his Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University Franklin Backus School of Law. He also completed the Harvard University Graduate School of Education Management Development Program.
In honor of his late father, who graduated from Western Reserve University School of Law in 1948, John cofounded the law school’s annual John Wragg Kellogg Prize, to recognize an outstanding minority student.
Susan Racey has devoted 36 years to the practice of estate planning and administration, building a career grounded in thoughtful counsel and steady leadership. Susan began her legal career at Arter & Hadden, the oldest large law firm in Cleveland, until its closure—after which she joined 35 fellow partners in founding Tucker Ellis LLP, carrying forward their shared commitment to excellence and client-focused service.
Susan earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from CWRU School of Law in 1989, where she was an Editor of the Law Review and inducted into the Order of the Coif. She is admitted to practice in Ohio and Florida and is an OSBA Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law.
Susan’s practice includes complex estate and business succession planning, trust administration, contested probate litigation, equine law and the preparation of marital agreements. She played a key role in passing Ohio’s Senate Bill 210 legalizing postnuptial agreements and has testified multiple times before the Ohio Legislature supporting legislation that has improved Ohio residents’ lives. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the OSBA Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Section and chairs several subcommittees. Previously, she chaired the Marvin R. Pliskin Advanced Probate Seminar and Cleveland Estate Planning Institute.
An active community leader, Susan has served on numerous charitable boards, including the Cleveland Zoological Society, Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center and its Foundation, Susan G. Komen NE Ohio, Arabian Horse Foundation, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation. She also participates on advisory and planned giving committees for CWRU School of Law, Cleveland Metroparks, College Now, Hattie Larlham, and University Hospitals Diamond Advisory Group. She was humbled to receive the 2024 Estate Planning Council of Cleveland Exceptional Service Award for her community involvement.
David C. Shall has been a television executive for over forty years. He is currently Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel of Beverly Hills-based Tornante Television, a division of The Tornante Company, founded by Michael D. Eisner, former Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Tornante Television develops and produces original television shows and digital productions, including the adult-animated series, Bojack Horseman, Tuca & Bertie, Long Story Short and Undone. Tornante Television also produces Scrambled Up, Crime Expose and Judge Faith for syndicated television.
David previously served as Executive Vice President, Business Operations/General Counsel, Fremantle, in Burbank, California, one of America’s foremost producers of reality-based entertainment programming, including American Idol (ABC), The Price Is Right (CBS), America’s Got Talent (NBC) and Family Feud (syndication).
Prior to joining Fremantle in 2003, David was Executive Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs and New Business Development at Twentieth Television, a division of The Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., in Los Angeles. He oversaw all business and legal affairs for such Fox classics as America’s Most Wanted, Cops and Divorce Court. During his ten-year tenure at Twentieth, David also was responsible for all legal matters relating to the off-network syndication sales of Twentieth Century Fox Television’s hit series, including The Simpsons, Family Guy, Malcolm in the Middle and X-Files. Earlier in his career, David served as a business affairs executive at Tribune Entertainment in Chicago and Paramount Pictures in Hollywood.
David is a native of Northeastern Ohio and received his Bachelor of Arts in English and History, and Juris Doctorate, from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He currently resides in Marina del Rey, California, with his wife, Tana Suarez Rivas, dog Maddie and cat Lincoln.
Patricia A. Shlonsky serves as Partner-in-Charge of UB Greensfelder’s Cleveland office, where she leads strategic development, client service, and operational initiatives. With more than 30 years of legal experience, Patty is a trusted advisor in employee benefits law, guiding clients through the complexities of plan establishment, compliance, executive compensation, ERISA litigation, and HIPAA privacy issues.
Patty’s distinguished legal career has earned national recognition. She holds an AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, is ranked in Band 1 among Ohio’s “Leaders in Their Field” in Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation by Chambers USA and is consistently included in The Best Lawyers in America®.
Patty is active in the legal and employee benefits communities as a member of the American Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Association, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, and WEB (Worldwide Employee Benefits). She is a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel and formerly served as Vice President and Trustee of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries Benefits Council of Cleveland.
In addition to her professional achievements, Patty is deeply committed to public service and civic leadership. She received the Ohio State Bar Foundation’s 2025 Ramey Award for Distinguished Community Service, recognizing her longstanding contributions to the community and the 2022 Nettie Cronise Lutes Award, for her efforts to advance and support women in the legal profession. She currently serves as President of the Board of Trustees of the Cuyahoga County Public Library and as a board member of United for Libraries and Bellefaire JCB. Patty is also Secretary of the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and a member of the Retirement Fund Committee of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.
Patty’s prior community leadership roles include service on the boards of Dress for Success Cleveland, The City Club of Cleveland, BVU: The Center for Nonprofit Excellence, The Center for Community Solutions, and College Now.
Beyond her legal practice and community involvement, Patty is an avid reader and editor of a book review blog.
Since graduating from Case Western Reserve School of Law in 2003, Tom Welsh has spent his entire legal career at Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP. Tom was elected Partner at Calfee in 2012, joined the firm’s Management Committee in 2020, and was named the firm’s Managing Partner in 2023.
As Managing Partner, Tom focuses on driving Calfee’s strategic growth, strengthening client relationships, and shaping the firm’s long-term vision. Prior to becoming Managing Partner, Tom chaired Calfee’s Corporate & Finance practice group. He has broad experience consummating mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and divestitures for private equity, public and private company clients, while also providing day-to-day general corporate counseling to his clients.
Throughout his tenure, Tom has played a significant role in Calfee’s continued expansion and success. His collaborative leadership style, focus on client service, and commitment to attracting and developing top legal talent has positioned the firm for sustained growth in an increasingly competitive legal market. As Managing Partner, he is focused on advancing Calfee’s strategic priorities while preserving the culture and values that have long defined the firm.
Beyond Calfee, Tom is deeply engaged in the Northeast Ohio business, educational, and nonprofit communities. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Cleveland Partnership and the Playhouse Square Foundation. He is a former member of the Board of Directors and past President of the Cleveland Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), where he chaired the organization’s annual Deal Maker Awards event. He is also a former Board member and past President of the Cleveland Baseball Federation, a nonprofit providing Cleveland youth with free opportunities to play baseball and softball. In addition, Tom currently serves on the Law School’s Visiting Committee.
Tom’s commitment to both the firm’s clients and the broader community reflect his belief in building strong organizations and lasting partnerships.
Outside of the office, Tom is an avid Cleveland sports fan and enjoys spending time with his wife, Jessica, and their two dogs. When he is not cheering on his hometown teams, he can often be found on the golf course enjoying a round with family, friends, and colleagues.
Adam Zangerle serves as STERIS plc’s Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Company Secretary. In his role, Mr. Zangerle is responsible for all aspects of STERIS’s Legal, Corporate Responsibility, Government Affairs, and HSE functions, and leads a department of more than 50 professionals and support staff.
STERIS is a leading provider of products and services that support patient care with an emphasis on infection prevention. STERIS reported revenue of approximately $6 billion in Fiscal Year 2026, employs approximately 18,000 people globally, and serves Customers in more than 100 countries. STERIS is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol STE, and additional information can be obtained at www.steris.com.
Mr. Zangerle provides legal advice on a wide range of corporate governance, merger and acquisition, securities, employment, and compliance issues. Since his appointment as STERIS’s General Counsel in 2013, Mr. Zangerle has managed all legal matters for dozens of significant organizational acquisitions. Most notably, he led the legal matters associated with STERIS’s combination with Synergy Health plc, including the commencement of a “recommended offer” under U.K. law, filing the S-4 Registration Statement with the U.S. SEC, obtaining a favorable decision in protracted litigation with the U.S. FTC, completion of the $1.9 billion combination, and redomiciling the parent company to the United Kingdom. Mr. Zangerle also managed STERIS’s subsequent redomiciliation from the U.K to Ireland in 2019.
Mr. Zangerle joined STERIS in 1997 as Associate General Counsel. Previously, he served as an Associate attorney with the law firm of Warren and Young LLP in Ashtabula, Ohio. Mr. Zangerle earned a Bachelor of Arts from St. Lawrence University and a Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University and was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1991.
He is on the Board of The First Tee Cleveland, where he serves as secretary. Previously, he served on the board of the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the American Red Cross and is a past President and past board member of the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel. Mr. Zangerle lives in Pepper Pike, Ohio, with his wife, Claire, and the two Labrador Retrievers. A native of Northeast Ohio, he is an avid golfer and a long-suffering Cleveland Browns season ticket holder.
David Zoba graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1980, after receiving his BA cum laude from Harvard University in 1973. He received the Society of Benchers’ Award at his graduation from CWRU.
Upon graduation, Mr. Zoba joined Cravath, Swaine & Moore as an associate in New York. In 1984, he moved to Dallas, Texas, where he was a partner in various firms representing mall developers and Dillard’s Department Stores. In 1994, Mr. Zoba joined The Limited (L Brands) in Columbus, Ohio, where he was the chief transaction lawyer for Limited’s 10 brands and 5,000+ stores. At Limited, Mr. Zoba began his transition into retail real estate as the head of real estate for Galyan’s Trading Company, which Limited spun off as a public company. Mr. Zoba was instrumental in Galyan’s growth to a 52 store, $800 million sporting goods retailer, before it was successfully sold to Dick’s Sporting Goods. In 2006, Mr. Zoba joined Steiner + Associates in Columbus, Ohio, as Chief Operating Officer. Steiner is a premier owner/operator of mixed-use town centers, including Easton Town Center.
In 2009, Mr. Zoba was recruited by Gap Inc. in San Francisco to be Senior Vice President – Global Real Estate and Store Development, where he headed all real estate and development functions for Gap Inc.’s domestic and global brands (Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta). Mr. Zoba launched Gap’s entry into new global markets, including Italy and China, and opened more than 100 Gap and Old Navy stores in Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. He retired from Gap Inc. in 2016. Mr. Zoba currently sits on the board of Acadia Realty Trust (NYSE: AKR), and on four portfolio companies owned by Freeman Spogli & Co., an active private equity investor.
Mr. Zoba served as a Trustee and Executive Board member with the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) for many years. He chaired the ICSC’s Law Conference and received the ICSC’s Distinguished Services Award. He also served on the board of Larkin Street Youth Services, San Francisco’s leading organization supporting and educating homeless youth. For many years, Mr. Zoba chaired the Harvard College Schools Committee in Dallas.
Mr. Zoba has been married to Elizabeth (Henry) Zoba since 1973, and they have 3 daughters and 9 grandchildren. They live in Naples, Florida, and New Canaan, Connecticut.