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Emily Bohatch

Emily Bohatch graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 2025 with honors. While she was in law school, she worked for the Chandra Law Firm as a law clerk on many civil-rights cases, and at CWRU’s First Amendment Clinic. Her work included researching and drafting the civil-damages-for-criminal-acts retaliation-and-intimidation complaint against Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Judge Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze and the Title VII–retaliation and Fourteenth Amendment sex-discrimination case against former Port Clinton, Ohio fire chief Kent Johnson. She has also been actively engaged in Title IX sex-discrimination matters.

Before starting law school, Emily was a politics and government investigative reporter in South Carolina, where she was known for her award-winning investigations into the state’s prison system.

She also wrote extensively about legislation on women’s and LGBTQ issues.

Emily works tirelessly in the pursuit of justice and is passionate about helping people, especially in her native Cleveland and northeast-Ohio community.

Emily is admitted to practice law in Ohio.

Areas of Focus

Class Actions

Lawsuits are expensive. So expensive, in fact, that the cost of litigating a matter can easily exceed the damages a successful plaintiff can expect to recover. That's where class actions come in.

Constitutional Law

Freedom of speech, of the press, of religion, from excessive force, from unreasonable searches and seizure, from government discrimination. Due process of law.

LGBTQ Rights

For years, LGBT people had no legal protection from discrimination in employment, housing, education, and other aspects of American life. Things are starting to change, although they have not changed enough. We stand ready in the fight.

Defamation (Libel and Slander)

When reputations are on the line, we've handled high-stakes matters.

Voting Rights

Chandra Law lawyers have been fighting for over a decade to protect Ohioans' voting rights against an onslaught of schemes by government officials to suppress the vote.

Employment Discrimination

No matter the industry in which you work, federal and all states' laws provide extensive protections against discrimination and retaliation for reporting discrimination.

Employment Retaliation

Federal and state law protects individuals willing to stand up for themselves and others when they reasonable believe unlawful discrimination or other illegal activity has taken or is taking place.

False Claims Act (Qui Tams)

If you work for a company that does business with the federal government or any of its agencies, and you suspect that your employer, or anyone else, has been engaged in fraudulent activity, federal law offers you protection.

First Amendment

Our experience and success in protecting these rights against government infringement is hardly paralleled. We particularly focus on First Amendment

Government Ethics, Misconduct, Fraud, & Abuse

Internal Investigations

Companies, governments, non-profit organizations, and interested citizens engage The Chandra Law Firm LLC and draw on our experiences to investigate potential misconduct.

Ohio Public Records Act, Open Meetings Act, FOIA, & Sunshine Laws

Police Misconduct & Brutality

Our firm helped negotiate the largest police-misconduct settlement in Cleveland history: the $6,000,000 settlement for the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.

Public Corruption

As the general public continues to lose trust in elected officials and government workers, any allegation of public corruption has the potential to ruin your reputation.

Whistleblower Actions (False Claims Act)

But the False Claims Act is tricky, and there are many pitfalls for the unwary. Experience in these cases makes a big difference.

Wrongful Death

The Chandra Law Firm LLC has been entrusted with the solemn responsibility of representing grieving families who have lost loved ones. And we've obtained results.

Mediation

Religious Discrimination

While most people find that discussing religion is a subject best suited for doing so privately, many people unfortunately still have their religion held against them at the workplace, or by governments.

Title IX

Title IX is a federal civil-rights law that forbids sex discrimination in federally funded education programs. It applies to most public and private schools from kindergarten through college.

Race Discrimination

Sadly, far too many workers are still the victims of discrimination because of their race. While the law is on your side, proving that racism is the driving cause behind your suffering at work is a complex task requiring skilled representation.

Pregnancy Discrimination

Most pregnant women continue to work through their pregnancies. Unfortunately, some employers are convinced that treating pregnant employees fairly and equally hurts the bottom line.

Wage-and-Hour (Fair Labor Standards Act)

Recognizing the importance of labor conditions to the health, efficiency, and wellbeing of American workers, Congress enacted the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Malicious Prosecution, Abuse of Process, and False Arrest

With our unique combination of experience in criminal cases, civil-rights litigation, and defamation law, we can help you recover damages for malicious prosecution, false arrest, and abuse of process.

Hazing

Beatings. Torture. Psychological harm. Even death. Hazing can be dangerous. And Ohio is one of 44 states with laws prohibiting it.

Wrongful Termination

While most people who've been fired feel wronged, that doesn't mean they've been wrongfully terminated in the eyes of the law, which can be harsh—and defines only a few narrow areas where employees can fight back. Here's how we find cases worth fighti

Constructive Discharge

A "constructive discharge" is an involuntary termination of employment

Hostile Work Environment

Most people who call us to complain about being treated badly at work describe their workplace as a "hostile work environment." Perhaps because they've heard that term bandied about. But the truth is, that term has a very, narrow legal meaning.

Taxpayer Lawsuits in Ohio

Crime Victims: Civil Action for Damages for Criminal Acts Under Ohio Revised Code § 2307.60

If you are a crime victim, there’s an Ohio law that may help you seek justice. Ohio Revised Code Section 2307.60 authorizes crime victims to file civil lawsuits against the persons responsible for injuring them. The statute applies broadly.

Public-Accommodations Discrimination

Unfortunately, discrimination does not just occur in the workplace.


Revenge Porn

On March 22, 2019, Ohio’s law prohibiting the nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images––so-called “revenge porn”—went into effect: R.C. 2917.211.

Private-citizen-initiated criminal charges in Ohio

Normally, criminal proceedings are initiated by a jurisdiction’s prosecuting authority, often a city or county prosecutor. But an Ohio statute, R.C. 2935.09, establishes a method through which private citizens can file criminal charges.

Whistleblower Program of the U.S. Department of Justice

On August 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) initiated the Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program. The program’s purpose is to encourage individuals to report corporate misconduct.

First Amendment Retaliation

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects individuals' rights to free speech, association, and petitioning the government, as well as freedom of religion and freedom of the press.

California's Bane Act: Protecting Your Civil Rights from Threats and Coercion

At The Chandra Law Firm LLC, we're committed to protecting civil rights. California's Bane Act is a powerful legal tool that protects individuals from interference with their rights through threats, intimidation, or coercion.

California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act: Your Right to Equal Treatment in Public Places

At The Chandra Law Firm LLC, we fight for people whose civil rights have been denied. One of California’s most important civil-rights laws is the Unruh Civil Rights Act.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: Federal Protection Against Employment Discrimination

At The Chandra Law Firm LLC, we believe that every employee deserves to work in an environment free from discrimination. One of the most important federal civil-rights laws protecting employees is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Ohio Whistleblower Protection Act

Police Brutality in California: What Are Your Rights?

If California police officers hurt you—or someone you love—without legal cause, you may have a civil-rights claim. Excessive force violates both the U.S. Constitution and California law. You have the right to sue for justice and compensation.

Free Speech for California Public Employees: Where the Line Is Drawn

If you work for a public agency in California—whether it’s a city department, school district, or state office—you have free-speech rights. But those rights aren’t unlimited. And if you speak out at work, your employer may try to punish you for it.

California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA): What It Means for You

California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act—or FEHA—is one of the most powerful civil-rights laws in the country. It protects workers and others from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

Crisis Management and Communications—and Reputation Defense

When your reputation is under siege—or when others’ reputations justifiably need to be challenged based on facts—Chandra Law is ready to defend your reputation, restore your standing, challenge those who have harmed you, and guide you through the storm.

California’s Anti-SLAPP Statute

If someone sues to punish you for speaking out on a public issue, you may be facing what’s called a SLAPP suit—short for “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.” California’s legislature recognized how dangerous these suits are to free speech.

Ohio’s Anti-SLAPP Statute

When the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act (UPEPA) took effect, Ohio became the 35th state to recognize the need for strong protections against SLAPP (short for “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation”) suits.

Civil action in Ohio for dissemination of private images

The version effective September 30, 2025 has broad protections.

Bar Admissions

Ohio

Litigation Percentage

100

Education

Case Western Reserve University (2025)

Ohio University (2017)

Honors and Awards

  • Dean's Honor List (repeatedly), Case Western Reserve University School of Law
  • Order of the Coif, Case Western Reserve University (May 2025)
  • Sindell Torts Prize, Case Western Reserve University School of Law (May 2025) (Award for winning the Sindell writing contest.)
  • First Place in Election and Political Coverage - Staff Award for coverage in which she participated, South Carolina Press Association (Feb. 2021) The State Newspaper
  • Other Staff Award for COVID-19 Coverage

  • Third Place in Government Reporting, South Carolina Press Association (Feb. 2021 while with the State Newspaperr, received an award for various stories written while on the government beat)

  • Third Place in Profile Feature Writing, South Carolina Press Association (Feb. 2021while with The State Newspaper, received an award for a profile on U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, which used data to examine his career and accomplishments.

  • Second Place in Government Beat Reporting, South Carolina Press Association, South Carolina (Feb. 2020, while with The State Newspaper, for reporting related to State House accountability.)

  • Second place in Investigative Reporting, South Carolina Press Association (Feb. 2020)- while with The State Newspaper for four- part investigation into the state's prison system following a deadly prison riot).

  • First place in Disaster Reporting - Staff Award, Green Eyeshade (Jan. 2018).

Past Employment Positions

Judical externship, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Greenberg (N.D. Ohio 2025)

Government reporter and Breaking-news reporter, The State Newspaper (2019–22)

Breaking-news reporter, USA Today Network (2017–18)

Making the right choice in legal representation can make the difference in whether you achieve a result that protects your legal rights and best interests.

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