Cincinnati, OH – Gerald J. Rapien, partner of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, has been appointed by the American College of Trial Lawyers as the 2006 State Chair for Ohio. The American College of Trial Lawyers is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Fellowship in the College is by invitation, extended only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers who have demonstrated exceptional skill as advocates and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism and civility.

Rapien, a resident of Fort Mitchell, has been a member of the firm's Litigation Department since graduating from Notre Dame Law School in 1968, and became a partner in the firm in 1975. His practice is concentrated on personal injury, product liability, employer tort liability, pharmaceutical and medical device claims, insurance coverage, Qui Tam and other civil litigation cases in both federal and state courts.

Rapien is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and named an Ohio Super Lawyer by Cincinnati Magazine. He also is one of the recipients of the 2005 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award given by The Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Foundation. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, as well as a member of the Defense Research Institute, the Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the Cincinnati, Ohio, Kentucky, and American Bar Associations.

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP has offices in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton and Northern Kentucky. The firm provides a broad range of legal services to businesses and individuals, including litigation, corporate and business law, securities and municipal financing, tax and estate planning, labor and employment law, real estate and environmental, health care, intellectual property and unfair competition and antitrust law.