Rita McNeil Danish

Rita serves as a trusted advisor to lead her clients down the unconventional path to successful outcomes. She is a savvy problem solver, legal strategist, and committed advocate. In addition to managing a thriving legal practice, Rita also serves as Taft’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategic Business Partner. In this role, she is a leader, advisor, advocate, and catalyst for change, and focuses on infusing DEI into Taft’s culture across our offices and in the communities that we serve.

Her vast matrix of experiences in the public and private sectors have made her keenly adept in municipal law, crisis management, and government contracting, as well as government affairs and personnel/human resources. Rita serves those in the corporate community who need assistance navigating public sector organizations that are owned and operated by government entities, with an emphasis on procurement. She also provides advice and counsel to organizations in the public sector, requiring legal counsel who understands the nuances of government law. She brings her passion to empower economic growth in local communities through diversity and inclusion work with small, women- and minority-owned businesses.

Rita has significant hands-on public and private experience from serving in a variety of roles, including:

• Judge and Magistrate, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic and Juvenile Divisions
• City Attorney for the cities of Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, and Greensboro, N.C.
• Vice President of Government Affairs, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber
• Section Chief, Civil Rights Division, Ohio Attorney General’s Office
• Chief Legal Counsel, Ohio Department of Commerce
• Assistant Deputy Legal Counsel for Governor George V. Voinovich

Speeches

• Moderator, “Negotiation Hot Topics: What Lawyers Need to Know to Succeed,” ACC Chicago Summit, Aug. 30, 2022.
• Presenter, "Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Best Practices for Your Workplace," Ohio Chamber of Commerce DEI Webinar, April 28, 2022.
• Co-presenter, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Recruiting and Retaining Diverse Talent in a Changing World” at the 2022 Business Tax Conference sponsored by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 26, 2022.
• Speaker, “Disparity Studies,” International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA), Nov. 16, 2021.
• Panelist, “Recruiting and Retaining Diverse Talent in a Changed World,” ACC Chicago Summit, Sept. 1, 2021.
• Speaker, “Opening ‘White’ Spaces to Include All Faces - Fostering True Inclusivity in Women’s Groups,” Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and the Ohio Women’s Bar Association, March 31, 2021.
• Speaker, “There is a Crisis: What to Do,” WELD 2019 National Leadership Conference, June 2019.
• Panelist, “Advanced D&I: Practical Solutions for In-house Counsel to Promote Diversity and Inclusion,” ACC Chicago Summit, April 4, 2019.

Publications

• Author, "Contracting in a New World Requires New Tools," Municipal Lawyer, International Municipal Lawyers Association (2022).
• Author, "Contracting in a New World Requires New Tools," The Procurement Lawyer Newsletter, Fall 2021.
• Quoted, “Columbus announces next steps to address ethnic and gender disparities in contracts,” Columbus Dispatch, June 23, 2021.
• Author, “Trailblazing Legislation: Senate Bill 2610,” Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council Newsletter, Spring 2019.
• Author, “The ‘Occupy Movement’ and Regulating Public Spaces,” Municipal Lawyer, International Municipal Lawyers Association (2012).
• Author, “Municipal Subdivision Liability under Section 1983 in Perino, J.C., Citizen Oversight of Law Enforcement, Chicago,” American Bar Association, 97-113 (2006).