Orla is a seasoned litigator concentrating her practice on product liability, mass torts, and commercial litigation disputes. She works closely with clients to assess potential risks, develop comprehensive defense strategies, and minimize exposure to liability. Her approach to litigation is client-centric, focusing on the client’s needs not only during, but prior to and after litigation.
Orla has successfully represented corporate and individual clients across a broad spectrum of industries. She defends food manufacturers and suppliers in product liability cases across the United States, including class actions, and single- and multi-plaintiff claims. She also represents supply chain clients related to consumer product claims involving, among other things, lithium-ion batteries, immersive devices, laptops, tablets, gaming devices, sporting equipment, scooters, and medical devices. She also handles automobile, construction, premises liability, and contract dispute claims.
In obtaining the many favorable outcomes Orla has achieved for her clients, she has worked with a multitude of experts and consultants across many disciplines, including FDA regulatory specialists, mechanical and electrical engineers, metallurgists, fire investigators, meteorologists, OSHA experts, medical specialists, economists, vocational rehabilitation specialists, and life care planners. She has a notable record of achieving favorable results for her clients during dispositive and discovery motion practice, at mediations and settlement conferences, and on appeal.
Orla is deeply committed to diversity, community service, and pro bono efforts. She actively mentors students from diverse backgrounds, preparing them for college, law school, and legal careers. She also serves as the Assistant Corporate Secretary and a board member, and previously served as Treasurer of the Defense Association of New York (DANY). She co-chairs the Products Liability and the Young and New Lawyers Committees, and is a member of the Judicial Screening Committee, and the DRI and Other Bar Organizations Committee for the Defense Association of New York. She also served as the New York State Representative for the Defense Research Institute for the 2021–2024 term. She also maintains an active pro bono practice.
Dahlia has a citizenship trifecta: UK (by birth), Canada (by choice), and St. Kitts & Nevis (by descent). She believes that robust intercultural communication and exposure is the best way to foster healthy global relationships and is an avid traveler. Dahlia has almost 30 years of US and global immigration experience both in private practice and at US universities. During her 16 years of university employment, she served as a DSO, ARO, and RO while advising on outbound immigration and directing academic, medical, and employment immigration services. Dahlia returned to full-time private practice in 2021 and continues to focus on all immigration areas that intersect with academic and medical immigration. Dahlia earned degrees from the University of Toronto (B.A.), Howard University School of Law (JD), and Loyola University Chicago School of Law (LL.M).
Okorie Okorocha is the only California attorney among over 250,000 licensed attorneys who is nationally board certified in both civil and criminal trial law as of 2023. His practice areas include employment law, criminal defense, and personal injury.
Okorie has earned two Master of Science degrees in toxicology and pharmacology. Highly knowledgeable in these fields, he has served as a drug and alcohol expert witness in over 560 trials, helping juries understand complex scientific concepts and ensuring that proper procedures are followed in court. He has also been regarded as an “excellent” lawyer in both state and federal courts.
Okorie earned a bachelor’s degree in biology, an M.S. in Pharmaceutical Science with a specialization in forensic science, an M.S. in forensic toxicology, and a Juris Doctor in Pasadena, California.
One of Okorie’s favorite cases involved serving as lead counsel for Rich McLellan, M.D. vs. County of Mendocino, California. In this case, he successfully forced the county to change a law that had allowed the euthanizing of dogs and cats in violation of California law. He often notes that he has taken the most lives off death row, four legged lives, but still impactful.
Okorie Okorocha has also served as an expert witness in forensic toxicology and pharmacology in 53 of California’s 56 counties, as well as in 23 U.S. states and internationally in Germany and Japan, further demonstrating the breadth of his expertise.
Depth and variation describe the public finance practice of John over the past 30 years. He has participated in traditional issue, economic development, and health care transactions and served as bond, underwriter, disclosure, and bank counsel for the issuance of tax-exempt and taxable bonds, notes and lease obligations in transactions throughout Ohio and Kentucky.
He has served as bond and/or disclosure counsel for every general obligation, economic development revenue, and water revenue bond issue of the City of Cincinnati since 2006. He also has served as bond and disclosure counsel for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government for every general obligation issue since 2008. In 2017, he led the Dinsmore team which was selected as bond and disclosure counsel for the City of Dayton.
Additionally, he has served as bond, underwriter, and/or bank counsel for traditional issue financings related to schools and universities, transportation, and water and sewer projects. These include bond and lease structures for new money transactions, advance refundings (including crossover structures), and current refundings. These financings have included features such as governmental master trust agreements and subordinated debt.
As bond, underwriter, and/or bank counsel for health care & other 501(c)(3) conduit transactions, John has experience with financing structures involving master trust indentures, leases, and financing agreements for private placements.
Prior to entering into private practice, John participated in public finance transactions in various positions with the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Cheryl-Lyn Bentley-Harmon
Cheryl-Lyn is an experienced employment and civil rights attorney and executive leader with deep experience across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. She advises small and mid-size organizations and nonprofits on HR compliance, employment law, and complex workplace issues, bringing a pragmatic, executive-level perspective shaped by leadership, enforcement, and litigation experience.
Cheryl-Lyn currently serves as General Counsel of a national nonprofit organization, where she functions as a strategic advisor to the CEO, executive team, and Board of Directors. This role encompasses enterprise-wide legal and compliance oversight, including employment and labor matters, governance, contracts, ethics, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, risk management, and organizational policy. Cheryl-Lyn also leads and manages multidisciplinary legal and ethics teams and partners closely with senior leaders across the organization.
Throughout her career, Cheryl-Lyn has advised CEOs, senior leadership teams, and boards on navigating sensitive employment issues, labor relations, policy development, and organizational change. She previously served as Deputy Director at a Philadelphia-based legal services organization, where she led human resources and operations for over 200 legal professionals across three offices. Before that, Cheryl-Lyn served at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights where she investigated civil rights violations and mediated disputes to resolution. She also worked as an attorney at a boutique employment firm representing plaintiffs in a wide variety of matters including discrimination, criminal history, and wage and hour cases. Cheryl-Lyn clerked for Chief Judge Petrese B. Tucker in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Cheryl-Lyn operates a limited advisory practice, Bentley Harmon PLLC, providing employment and HR compliance consulting to nonprofits and small-to-mid-sized businesses.
Cheryl-Lyn holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, M.S.Ed. from Long Island University, and B.A. from Harvard University.