• FOP/OLC Legal Staff
    OLC General Counsel
    Kay Cremeans

    Email:

    Phone:
    (614) 224-5700 Ext. 1123

    Kay Cremeans graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in 1984. She graduated from Capital University Law School in 1988 and was admitted to the practice of law in Ohio the same year. She is admitted to practice law in the United States District Court for both the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio.

    Kay has been employed with the FOP/OLC since 1988 when she was hired as Staff Attorney. In January of 2020, Kay was appointed as General Counsel for the FOP/OLC. In her role as General Counsel, Kay manages the FOP/OLC legal staff in addition to continuing to represent several bargaining units of FOP/OLC members around the State of Ohio. As an attorney for the FOP/OLC for well over thirty years, Kay has represented law enforcement officers and safety support personnel in all aspects of public sector labor law including investigatory interviews, pre-disciplinary hearings, mediations, grievance hearings and negotiating collective bargaining agreements. Kay has represented hundreds of FOP/OLC members in single and multi-day arbitration hearings. Kay has extensive experience representing the FOP/OLC all over the state in the various Courts of Appeal defending arbitration awards. In addition, Kay has extensive experience in administrative practice before the Ohio State Employment Relations Board and the Ohio Personnel Board of Review. Over the past 3 decades, Kay has represented the FOP/OLC at SERB in complex statutory Representation and Unfair Labor Practice hearings. Kay also travels around the State of Ohio lecturing on the U.S. Supreme Court cases that govern the rights of law enforcement officers in Ohio.




    Staff Attorney
    Douglas Behringer

    Email:

    Phone:
    (614) 224-5700 Ext. 1120

    Douglas Behringer is an attorney for the FOP/OLC, working out of the Columbus office.  He was born and raised in northwestern Ohio.  Doug started his military career early when he joined the Army Reserve as a junior in high school.  He received his undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University before going on active duty in the Army.

    After a stint in the Army, he returned to college and obtained his law degree (J.D.) from The Ohio State University, with honors.  He was in private practice in central Ohio for six years before joining the FOP/OLC in 2002.

    Doug has over twenty-three years experience in litigation, administrative, labor and employment matters.  He has represented members of the FOP, OLC in disciplinary matters, investigations, litigation grievances, arbitrations, contract negotiations, mediation, civil service appeals and unfair labor practice matters.




    Staff Attorney
    Andrew Fortlage

    Email:

    Phone:
    (614) 224-5700 Ext. 1220

    Andrew Fortlage is an attorney representing the FOP/OLC in northwest Ohio. He is a native of Toledo, and an alumni of Bowling Green State University and the University of Toledo College of Law. Before joining the FOP/OLC, Andrew worked in various legal areas, including landlord-tenant law, criminal defense, and litigation discovery. In his free time, he enjoys building computers, cooking, and traveling.


    Staff Attorney
    Jessica Franken

    Email:

    Phone:
    (614) 224-5700 Ext. 1122

    Jessica is an attorney for the FOP/OLC working out of the Columbus office. She was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and attended the University of Kentucky where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a Minor in Political Science. Jessica then returned to Columbus to attend Capital University Law School where she graduated Cum Laude in 2021. While in law school, Jessica was a member of the Ohio Attorney General’s Mock Trial Team. Prior to joining the FOP/OLC, Jessica was an associate attorney at Mark C. Collins Co., L.P.A., a prominent criminal defense firm well known for representing Columbus Police Officers on criminal matters.




    Staff Attorney
    Robert Merkle

    Email:

    Phone:
    (614) 224-5700 Ext. 2103

    Rob joins the legal staff of the FOP/OLC with significant experience both as an attorney and a retired law enforcement officer.  Rob earned his undergraduate degree in Criminal  Justice from Kaplan College in Florida.   He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Northern Kentucky, Chase College of Law in 2014 and was admitted to the practice of law in Ohio in 2015.  While earning his law degree Rob worked as a law enforcement officer at Springfield Township Police Department in SW Ohio for 18 years holding the positions of Patrol Officer, Vice Detective, Investigator, Crime Scene Technician, Fingerprint Analyst, and Sergeant. Rob was also a labor Union Representative.  Prior to Springfield Twp., Rob worked at a few other departments until obtaining full-time employment.  After 20+ years as a police officer Rob suffered an on the job injury and was forced to take a disability retirement.  Since retiring from law enforcement Rob started his own law practice representing clients in criminal matters, probate, family law, Police Department Consulting, contracted investigations and contract law.  Rob stayed involved with the law enforcement community with consulting and assistance from Police Administration to Criminal Investigations.  The opportunity to represent the men and women within law enforcement presented itself and Rob couldn’t think of anything else he’d rather do.  This made him the perfect fit for joining the FOP/OLC and winding down his private law practice.  Rob will be representing various bargaining units in the Southwest part of the state. 




    Staff Attorney
    Michael Piotrowski

    Email:

    Phone:
    (330) 753-7080 Ext. 3101

    Michael W. Piotrowski, Esq. is a labor lawyer who has been representing unions since he was in law school.  Mike earned his undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech and attended law school at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland.  After graduating from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, he worked in the international headquarters of the United Transportation Union. He has been representing police officers and public safety personnel since 1996 and has been Staff Attorney with the FOP/Ohio Labor Council since 1999.  Mike has 30 years of union-side labor law experience under the Railway Labor Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Ohio Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act.  He is admitted in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and has argued cases in numerous Ohio Courts.  He resides in Brecksville, Ohio, and has a son at Kent State and a daughter who is attending Brecksville Broadview Heights High School.




    Staff Attorney
    Megan Regan

    Email:

    Phone:
    (614) 224-5700 Ext. 1213

    Megan is a graduate of the University of Toledo with a double major in Law and Social Thought and Women’s and Gender Studies.  Megan went on to the University of Toledo College of Law where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in the top 10% of her class.  She was also the Technical Editor of the Toledo Law Review and published an article in the law review on Why Title IX Matters: The Key to Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Medicine.  While in law school Megan was active in the Labor and Employment Law Association as well as the Toledo Women’s Bar Association.  Prior to joining the FOP/OLC Megan worked for a law firm in Toledo as an Associate Attorney.  Megan is admitted to practice law in Ohio as well as Michigan.  She resides in the Toledo area with her husband. 




    Staff Attorney
    Meagan Roeth

    Email:

    Phone:
    (614) 224-5700 Ext. 1119

    Meagan earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Business Administration summa cum laude from The Ohio State University in 2008.  Meagan received her law degree from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 2012 where she was the Issue Editor of the Information Society Journal.   After law school Meagan gained valuable legal experience working at law firms as well as holding a position of Administrative Hearing Officer for the Unemployment Review Commission in Columbus.  Meagan is admitted to practice law in Ohio and is admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.  Meagan is working out of the Columbus Office of the FOP/OLC.  She resides in central Ohio with her husband and two daughters. 




    Staff Attorney
    Keith Washburn

    Email:

    Phone:
    (614) 224-5700 Ext. 1205

    Keith graduated from Ironton High School and enlisted in the U. S. Army as an Intelligence Analyst.  After his service obligation, Keith attended Ohio University and later joined the Chillicothe Police Department, where he worked 25 years.  Keith rose through the ranks at CPD from Officer to Sergeant to Captain and finally to Chief of Police.  Keith was the Chief for the last six years of his Chillicothe career.

    During his police career, Keith served as a bargaining unit member, and later as the bargaining unit chairman.  Keith has negotiated collective bargaining agreements for both the union and management. While serving as Chief of Police, Keith earned his Juris Doctor from Capital University.  Upon retiring, Keith took a position as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the Jackson County Prosecutor.  Keith is licensed in Ohio and the Federal Courts in the Southern District of Ohio.




    Paralegal
    Carol Davis

    Email:

    Phone:
    (614) 224-5700 Ext. 1149

    Carol is a paralegal in the FOP, Ohio Labor Council’s Columbus Office.  Originally from Mansfield, she moved to central Ohio to take a position as a dispatcher with the Reynoldsburg Police Department.  From there, she went to a law firm and acted as paralegal for a busy bankruptcy law firm. Carol is also a notary, a graphic designer, and prides herself on being detail oriented. 

    In her spare time, Carol worked in the food service industry which allowed her to make food drops to nearby first responder stations making her and the responders very happy.





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