Cincinnati, OH – Melvin S. Shotten, a partner in the Business and Finance Department of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, has been elected president of the Cincinnati Bar Foundation.

The Cincinnati Bar Foundations tradition of making grants and otherwise encouraging programs that improve access to justice and support the legal profession began in 1961. As the philanthropic arm of the Cincinnati Bar Association and the only fully-independent law related charitable organization in Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Bar Foundation concentrates grant-making efforts in four major areas:

• Encouraging knowledge and understanding of, and respect for, the law in the community, particularly with young people;
• Improving the quality and administration of justice in all its facets;
• Supporting the delivery of legal services at an affordable cost for the poor, elderly and otherwise disadvantaged; and
• Fostering professionalism and civility in the practice of law.

Shotten, a resident of Hyde Park, advises and represents financial institutions and borrowers in complex loan and work-out situations. He is the chair of the firm’s Health Care Practice Group and deals regularly with private practice providers, hospitals and other health care institutions on a variety of complex health care and regulatory issues. Shotten received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan College of Engineering, and law degree from the University of Michigan College of Law, graduating from both programs with honors. He was an editor of the Michigan Law Review while in law school. Shotten is among those chosen for listing in The Best Lawyers in America and Ohio Super Lawyers.

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.