“I look at more than the deal and the risk.  I see the client holistically and can anticipate as well as respond to pressure points.”

With experience as a professional negotiator, a professor of organizational behavior and change and nearly 25 years as a business lawyer, Fadi V. Nahhas takes a broad view of transactions.  His unique personal and professional background has shaped both his practice and his approach to clients.

Mr. Nahhas serves as chair of the Eastman & Smith’s Executive Committee of the Firm and functions as outside general counsel on diverse needs of midsize businesses involved in a variety of industries, from manufacturing and Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive businesses to the telecommunications and service industries.  A pioneer, Mr. Nahhas has handled several novel transactions from the sale of one of the first cannabis businesses in Ohio, to the sale of the only licensed hazardous waste facility in the region.

In response to the increasing cross-border needs of Firm clients, Mr. Nahhas developed a robust immigration law practice from the ground up to serve the needs of clients with foreign direct investments in Northwest Ohio and is one of just a few immigration attorneys in the area.  This includes assisting many clients in developing strategies that best serve their immigration needs in hiring foreign nationals on permanent as well as temporary bases.  He also has assisted foreign nationals and their families to obtain and maintain legal status in the United States.

Prior to practicing law, Mr. Nahhas taught international business and managerial skills courses at Northern Kentucky University and published several articles related to small business development in the Middle East.  He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law where he was a senior book review editor at the University of Cincinnati's Human Rights Quarterly, a member of the executive board of the University of Cincinnati Moot Court Board and a member of the Order of Barristers. He received a master of organizational behavior from Brigham Young University and a B.S., summa cum laude, in management and international studies from Northern Kentucky University.