Mr. Kirsanow is a partner with the firm's Labor and Employment Practice Group and a member of the Diversity Committee.
Mr. Kirsanow returned to Benesch in January 2008 after serving on the five-member, President-appointed National Labor Relations Board in Washington D.C. for two years. While serving on the NLRB, he was involved with significant decisions including Oakwood Healthcare, Inc., Dana/Metaldyne and Oil Capital Sheet Metal, Inc.
Mr. Kirsanow has also been reappointed by President Bush to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, where he will serve his second six-year term. This is a part-time position.
Mr. Kirsanow focuses his legal practice on representing management in employment-related litigation, as well as in contract negotiations, NLRB proceedings, EEO matters and arbitration. He continues to testify before and advise members of the U.S. Congress on various employment laws and matters.
Mr. Kirsanow formerly served as senior labor counsel of Leaseway Transportation Corp. and labor counsel for the city of Cleveland. He has extensive experience in public sector employment matters as well as in industries such as health care, trucking, heavy manufacturing, radio and television and employee leasing.
Mr. Kirsanow is past chair of the board of directors of the Center for New Black Leadership, has been an adjunct professor at the Cleveland Marshall College of Law, and testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the nominations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.