“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.

Experience

Mr. Nahhas has served as outside general counsel to many of his clients and has assisted many clients in strategic acquisitions and planning and the sale of several  businesses including the:

• Sale of assets of a national telecommunications reseller to an international company;
• Sale of assets of a pet food distributor;
• Sale of stock of a cross-border manufacturing operation;
• Sale of an employment services company;
• Sale of engineering service business;
• Sale of plastics injection molding company;
• Sale of a tax services business; and 
• Sale of assets of an automotive parts manufacturer to a multinational company.   

He has also helped many clients by closing several multi-million dollar loan refinancing transactions.  

As part of his management of the Immigration Practice Group, Mr. Nahhas has

• assisted clients in identifying immigration related issues arising out of I-9 compliance, restructuring and corporate acquisitions. 
• successfully guided companies in securing temporary and permanent visas for their employees, including H-1B, H-3, TN, L-1A, L-1B, and B-1 temporary visas and employment based permanent visas for professionals, skilled workers, multinational executives, persons with extraordinary ability or advanced knowledge and outstanding researchers successfully navigating, where applicable, through the labor certification application process (PERM or special handling), as well as immigrant petitions and general adjustment of status applications.

Community/Professional Affiliations

• American Immigration Lawyers Association
• Ohio State Bar Association (chair, Corporate Counsel Section)
• State Bar of Michigan
• American Bar Association

Honors & Awards

• Listed in Best Lawyers in America®, 2024 - Present
• Chambers USA, Band 4, Corporate/M&A (Ohio:North region), 2024
• Ohio Business Magazine's Ohio Leading Lawyers, 2024
• Past recipient of the 20 Under 40 Leadership Award
• Graduate of the Leadership Toledo program

Spotlight

Events & Speaking Engagements