local lawyers, super attorneys

CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 19JANUARY 15, 2016

SUPER ATTORNEYSA Cleveland Jewish News Special SectionSUPER ATTORNEYSA Cleveland Jewish News Special Section

LOCAL LAWYERS

LOCAL LAwyers20 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG January 15, 2016

We, the attorneys of Zukerman, Daiker & Lear Co., L.P.A. will never rest in our representation of our clients. Our fi rm aggressively defends those

accused of all federal and state felonies, white collar and computer crimes, grand jury investigations, misdemeanors and OVIs. We take all immediate

steps necessary to prevent charges from being instituted and prepare the case for trial, with the

goal of dismissal or acquittal.

Our legal team also fi ghts for custody matters as well as personal injury cases and civil litigation. Since 1993, ZDL’s clients have known that they have a team

of attorneys on their side who will never rest!

ZUKERMAN, DAIKER& LEAR CO., L.P.A.

3912 Prospect Ave., E. Cleveland, OH 44115

PH: (216) 696-0900FX: (216) 696-8800

zukerman-law.com

ZUKERMAN, DAIKER& LEAR CO., L.P.A

L-R: PAUL B. DAIKER*, ADAM M. BROWN, LARRY W. ZUKERMAN*, S. MICHAEL LEAR, ANDREA LATESSA, BRIAN A. MURRAY** *CHOSEN TO 2016 SUPER LAWYERS **CHOSEN TO 2016 RISING STARS

We’ll never rest

SUPER ATTORNEYS CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 21January 15, 2016

MICHAEL UNGAR | ULMER & BERNEJewish roots help lead the way for this ‘super’ attorneyNOELLE BYE | SPECIAL TO THE CJN

The principles Michael Nathan Ungar learned as a young Jewish boy prepared him for his career as an award-winning lawyer.

“I would say that Judaism – like many religions, including Catholicism, Buddhism, Protestant, etc. – teaches you early on to ask a lot of questions, to be open to new ideas, to formulate an advance position,” Ungar said. “And to treat other human beings with dignity and respect, and to act in a manner that reflects positively on people of the Jew-ish faith.”

A member of Temple Israel Ner Tamid in Mayfield Heights, Ungar feels those values contributed to his skill in dealing with his clients.

A large amount of his ability to connect to others can also be attributed to his more humble beginnings, work-ing as a shoe salesman in his father’s Cleveland shoe shop, Mar-Lou Shoes in Mayfield Heights, which his brother Dan now runs.

“You’ve got to relate to people in this business,” he said. “I think I can relate to people pretty well, and some of it goes back to lessons my dad taught me in terms of treating people decently, treating them with respect, no matter what shape or size they had – and that

includes their foot.”For the fourth consecutive year, Un-

gar tops the Ohio Super Lawyers list.Benchmark Litigation also selected

Ungar as one of the top 100 Trial Law-yers in the country in 2015.

Most of his cases are in business litigation, and he also mediates and arbitrates in many litigations.

“The truth is, there are so many great lawyers throughout Ohio, it’s just humbling,” Ungar said. “I’ve had so many mentors in my life and leaders – great lawyers, great judges, that I’ve been exposed to and learned so much from.”

In addition, he was ranked in Cham-bers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2007-2015) in Band 1 – the highest of six bands – for General Com-mercial Litigation. Only six other Ohio attorneys, including one from Cleve-land, earned this ranking.

“Winning has a lot of definitions,” he said. “Winning in my world means achieving a good result for the client, so the client picks up the phone and calls you for the next matter. You’re only as good as your most recent performance for the client. You have to prove your-self again and again. You cannot rest on your laurels. And if I believed any of this stuff that’s being written about me, it would be time to go back to being a first-year lawyer.”

Though he owes a lot of his political upbringing to his now retired peers, and he’s mindful of where he came from, he never stops learning, and it’s the millennials who keep him ener-gized.

“They represent the future, and I try to relate to them – sometimes success-fully, sometimes not successfully,” he said, laughing. “I engage with them on a daily basis and their fresh perspec-tives on the world, in everything from technology to work-life balance, to what entertains them … is of interest to me. It may not be my generation, I may be a classic boomer in so many respects, but guess what? They were voting too.”

The younger generation certainly relates to the law differently, taking a much bolder and less restrained approach, Ungar said, than his genera-tion. They also tend to be less con-cerned with taking a hint from the past in order to lead in the future.

“And while that might have a scary aspect to it, to me … I sort of embrace it,” he said. “It’s bold and it’s daring. And it challenges the sort of conserva-tive view I had coming in.”

He deals with the newer age bracket daily – both at work and at home. His daughter, Katherine, is a third year law student at The Ohio State University in Columbus.

“I’m getting it pretty much straight up and unvarnished, directly from a millennial,” he said. “And my daughter, as you would expect any proud parent to say, is very bright and incredibly enthused and brings a brand new per-spective.”

Law runs in Ungar’s family. His grandfather, Abe Kipperman, a Russian immigrant, also attended OSU’s law school. Ungar’s career spans 31 years, all of which was spent in Cleveland, though he went to law school at Boston

University. “I think the legal profession is a

great and honorable profession that should be touted. It’s just a benchmark to all the freedoms that we as Ameri-cans enjoy,” Ungar said.

His exposure to the concept of jus-tice came at an early age, through his history lessons in the Holocaust.

He saw both sides of justice – from a complete absence of it initially to the rendering of it when those who could be apprehended were required to answer for their crimes at the Nurem-berg trials – and it had an impact on his later career.

“I do civil litigation work. When I see some of the injustices going on in the world, in the do-over category … would I like to be part of the prosecu-tion team against some of the crimi-nals doing some of the things we know they’re doing – the terrorists?” Ungar said. “The answer is you bet.”

Nolle Bye is a freelance writer from Strongsville.

Michael Ungar of Ulmer & Berne headlines the list of Ohio Super Lawyers for the fourth consecutive year. | Photo | Noelle Bye

“When I see some of the injustices going on in the world, in the do-over category … would I like to be part of the prosecution team against some of the criminals doing some of the things we know they’re doing – the ter-rorists? The answer is you bet.”Michael UngarUlmer & Berne


DAVID R. COHEN‘Law geek’ gets to the bottom of casesCARLO WOLFF | STAFF [email protected]

An acrostic ties David R. Cohen to his work as a special master, an attorney who mediates, arbi-

trates, assists in federal cases and moni-tors in federal courts.

“C” stands for “consistent.” “O” stands for “open-minded.” “H” is for “honest,” “e” for “excellent,” and “n” for “nice.” It’s a clever way to introduce a potential client to a man who’d rather be a referee than a litigator.

After completing undergraduate work at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Cohen tried sales and mar-keting, but that didn’t take. So at age 29, he went to law school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, not sure of his specialty. He studied crimi-nal cases, contract cases, corporate law – and read an opinion, which turned on the light bulb.

“Somebody’s got to write the opinion, somebody’s got to decide the cases,” he said he realized. “I think that would be really cool, that’s what I want to do.”

So his first job out of law school was clerking for a federal judge.

“A clerk reports to the judge, but one of the worst-kept secrets is that law clerks draft opinions for the judge’s sig-nature,” he said, adding there is a “lot of give-and take. That was a great job and I really loved it. I ended up being a law clerk for three different judges.” They included Solomon J. Oliver, the U.S. District Court Judge presiding over the consent decree between the city of Cleveland and the Department of Justice in connection with Cleveland police practices.

As special master, Cohen was a helpmate to Jack Zouhary, judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, in a Toledo case that’s been called the biggest antitrust suit in U.S. history. It alleged price-fixing among manufacturers of polyurethane foam, contended the firms owed money to everyone who had bought any kind of product containing such foam over the past 10 years. It meant “almost ev-erybody in the country was a potential class member.”

The case was settled for $151.5 mil-lion and, Cohen said, “If you think of all the people and all the product, you can argue that that’s a pittance.” He’s been involved in other cases more than a billion dollars and ones involving “hundreds of millions.”

In such cases, “the judge will ap-point me as a helpmate,” Cohen said.

He’s been doing this full time for almost 12 years, and he’s happy to not be a specialist, said Cohen, who also spends part of his day on tai chi and kung fu, different kinds of Chinese martial arts.

He worries he’s too busy. He also worries the work will dry up. He’s do-ing fine.

“I’m a law geek,” Cohen said. “There’s never been a case I don’t like because there’s always something inter-esting, whether it’s the evidence or the people who are part of it. I just really like the law and helping people figure it out.”

Name: David R. CohenAge: 56Residence: Beachwood Synagogue: Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in BeachwoodOther Jewish affiliation: Studies with the Jewish Family ExperienceWhy I am an attorney: “To help bring justice into the world.”

Cohen

Congratulations toPaul J. SingermanGary S. Desberg

Ronald J. Teplitzkywho were selected for inclusion in

2016 Ohio Super Lawyers.®

SINGERMAN, MILLS, DESBERG & KAUNTZ

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3333 Richmond Road, Suite 370Beachwood, Ohio 44122

(216) 292-5807www.smdklaw.com


Representing Victims of Financial & Professional Wrongdoing

LEVIN & ASSOCIATES CO., L.P.A.THE TOWER AT ERIEVIEW, SUITE 1100

1301 E. 9TH STREET, CLEVELAND, OH 44114PH: 216.928.0600 FX: 216.928.0016

WWW.LEVINANDASSOCIATES.COM

• Legal, accounting, advising and fiduciary negligence

• Contract, commercial and securities disputes

• Matters arising from significant business, property or

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• Dozens of seven and eight figure results for clients

Levin & Associates has earned a reputation for vigorous advocacy and achieving satisfying results for our clients.

LEVIN & ASSOCIATES CO., L.P.A. PROFESSIONAL NEGLIGENCE & COMMERCIAL LITIGATION

We represent plaintiffs in litigation using alternative fee arrangements.

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LOCAL LAWYERS24 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG JANUARY 15, 2016

HEIDI FRIEDMANTHOMPSON HINE

Environmental work takes her across country KRISTEN MOTT | STAFF [email protected]

CJN: After graduating from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1995, where did

you begin your career?HF: “I went to Thompson Hine right

after college and I’ve been there ever since. At the time it just seemed like the right fi t.”

CJN: You’re a partner in the fi rm’s environmental and product liability practice groups. Why did you focus your career on those areas of law?

HF: “I’m an environmental, health and safety lawyer, and my niche practice is national environmental counsel for large companies across the country. I handle environmental health and safety and product stewardship issues for large companies, mainly manufacturing com-panies but others as well, and I handle them across the board, so everything that includes transactional work, litiga-tion and regulatory compliance work.

“I enjoyed the regulatory compliance work aspect of environmental law. It’s an area that’s been stable and growing and a focus of many businesses for a long time.”

CJN: Is there a case you’ve been involved with that has made an impact on your career?

HF: “There’s not a specifi c case or matter, but the relationships that I’ve had with some of my clients – some of whom I’ve been supporting for decades on these issues – have made me want to have similar relationships with other clients.”

CJN: You’re founder of a fi rm-wide women’s initiative at Thompson Hine. What does that entail and why did you create it?

HF: “I’m extremely active in the pro-fessional development of female lawyers nationally, regionally and locally. About eight years ago a partner of mine and I started and formalized our women’s initiative called Spotlight on Women. It has two main aspects: to facilitate the networking and interaction of female professionals in the Cleveland commu-nity and to support the professional de-velopment of our own female attorneys at Thompson Hine.

CJN: What do you enjoy most about

your work?HF: “I really like being a trusted

adviser to clients. I like thinking about how I can add value to their businesses and making sure that they can meet their goals without any legal issues. And I have a really good relationship with a lot of my clients and I enjoy working with them.”

CJN: Looking toward the future, do you have any goals you hope to accom-plish?

HF: “I’m the co-founder, along with Ann Harlan, of a women’s law center at CWRU. It’s another way that we can help facilitate and promote the success of women in the law. I want to continue to further that cause. At most fi rms, you have 50 percent of associates coming in as women but at the equity partner level, you only have 16 or 17 percent. I want to continue to fi nd ways to work with other professional women in the community.”

Name: Heidi FriedmanAge: 45Synagogue: The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood and ClevelandOther Jewish affi liation: Involved with the professional women’s committee at the Jewish Federation of ClevelandWhy I became an attorney: “I was always interested in assisting compa-nies in furthering their business goals by providing supportive legal advice. Mainly, I wanted to become a partner with business clients so they could further their business goals. That was the most interesting aspect to me.”

Friedman

Turning Your Obstacles Into Opportunities

*Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation.

Ohio Super Lawyers Since 2003 2015 and 2016 Cleveland Top 25 Women

2015 Ohio Top 50 Women

Certified Elder Law Attorney*

Best Lawyers’ Lawyer of the Year - 2016 Cleveland Elder Law

2013 Cleveland Trusts and Estates

Member and Former President, Special Needs Alliance

Elder Law Estate PlanningAsset ProtectionMedicaid Planning GuardianshipLong-Term Care OptionsSpecial Needs Planning

(216) 861-0360 x Hickman-Lowder.com

Attorney Janet L. Lowder

Congratulations to our 2016 Super Lawyer

MediationInc101 Prospect Ave. WCleveland, OH 44114

(216) 589-9995

www.mediate.com/mediationinc

[email protected]

Jerry Weiss, founder of MediationInc, is nationally recognized as a go-to neutral for the resolution of complex, high conflict, intractable disputes. He’s the first lawyer in Cleveland to have devoted his practice exclusively to mediation and alternative dispute resolution. For over 30 years he has received Martindale’s highest rating, AV preeminent. Rated First Tier in Mediation by US News and World Report and a perennial selectee of Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America (2013 Mediation Lawyer of the Year), he is the only person in Northeast Ohio to have been inducted as a Distinguished Fellow in the International Academy of Mediators (IAM), a peer selected organization of the world’s premier commercial mediators. Jerry is a regular presenter to Bar Associations in this country and abroad on topics related to mediation and conflict and its resolution.

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR DISPUTES

MediationInc101 Prospect Ave. WCleveland, OH 44114

(216) 589-9995

www.mediate.com/mediationinc

[email protected]

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR DISPUTES

2016


Life’s too short to wear orangeOur strongest endorsements come from clients whose names you will never hear. We vigorously pursue all avenues to avoid prosecution and protect our client’s reputation.

At trial, our results are second to none. Our team brings a combined 60+ years of experience protecting individuals and corporations. We have won more than 100 trials in federal and state courts throughout Ohio. We represent individuals charged with financial crimes, healthcare fraud, securities fraud, public corruption and cyber crimes. We have the resources and proven track record to handle simple and complex criminal matters.

(L-R) Roger Synenberg, Nadeen Hayden, Clare Moran, Dominic Coletta

Synenberg, Coletta & Moran, LLC55 Public Square, Suite 1331Cleveland Ohio 44113

216 622-2727 www.Synenberg.com


JEFFREY FRIEDMAN FRIEDMAN DOMIANO & SMITH

Auto accident launched career to aid hurt passen-gersED WITTENBERG | STAFF [email protected]

An automobile accident at age 17 fueled Jeff Friedman’s passion to become a personal injury lawyer.

“I care about those who are injured, and I want to see them compensated fairly for their injuries, since I was not,” Friedman said in a telephone interview from his winter home in Marco Island, Fla. “I can empathize with them and understand their problem.”

Friedman has been confined to a wheelchair since 1964, when he suffered a spinal cord injury as a passenger in a car crash. Laws did not exist at that time to protect and compensate injured passengers of motor vehicle accidents.

But Friedman – founding partner of Friedman Domiano & Smith, a personal injury law firm based in Cleveland – was determined to change that. After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from John Carroll University in University Heights in 1969, he attended Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland.

During his final year of law school, Friedman began working on a case with attorney Mike Shane to fight to change what he called the highly unfair guest statute law in Ohio, which stated a driver wasn’t liable for any injuries to guests or passengers in the vehicle and injured passengers couldn’t collect against the driver. He argued the law with the Supreme Court of Ohio and won, and the law was ruled unconstitu-tional in 1973.

Friedman began practicing law solo in 1973, and a classmate from college, Frank Chenette, joined him to create a partner-ship called Friedman & Chenette in 1980.

Friedman and Chenette practiced together until 1987, when Joe Domiano and David Smith were invited to join together in a new partnership. After Chenette ventured on his own in 1988, Friedman Domiano & Smith was established. Friedman is still the firm’s managing partner.

Friedman is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States. Membership is lim-ited to attorneys who have won million-dollar and multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements.

Friedman’s best-known cases include Felden versus Ashland Chemical, which resulted in a $3.5 million verdict, and Hillyer versus Painesville Township, which netted $1.6 million.

He’s also a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, the Cleveland Academy of Trial Attorneys, the Ohio Association for Justice and the American Association for Justice

Friedman worked as a part-time assistant attorney general of Ohio for more than 25 years.

He served 29 years on University Heights City Council, including several terms as vice mayor, and his wife, Margaret Duffy-Friedman, followed him on council.

A 1965 graduate of Cleveland Heights High School who grew up in University Heights, Friedman was inducted into the Cleveland Heights High School Dis-tinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.

He said his goal is “to keep pressing ahead under adverse legislature in the House and Senate in Columbus and do the best we can for our clients.”

Name: Jeffrey H. FriedmanAge: 67Residence: University Heights and Marco Island, Fla. Synagogue: Attends services at Green Road Synagogue in Beachwood, but not a memberWhy I am an attorney: “My accident in 1964 was the cause of my becoming a lawyer.”

Friedman

We are proud of these attorneys as they carry forward our tradition of legal excellence and outstanding client service.

Calfee is about responsiveness, relationships and results.

Donald LampertWorkers’ Compensation

[email protected]

1405 East Sixth Street | Cleveland, Ohio 44114216.622.8200 | calfee.com

Marcia J. WexbergEstate &

Succession Planning216.622.8858

[email protected]

David KaufmanLabor and Employment [email protected]

Eric ZellBusiness [email protected]

Calfee. Clients first. Legal expertise always.

meyersroman

Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis A Legal Professional Association

28601 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 500Cleveland, OH 44122Phone: 216.831.0042www.meyersroman.com

Meyers Roman Proudly Salutes Our2016 Super Lawyers

Barbara K. Roman

Seth P. Briskin

Debra J. Horn Scott M. Lewis

Mario J. Fazio

Bryan J. DardisRising Star

Jenifere R. SingletonRising Star

Alan N. Hirth

R. Russell O’Rourke

Peter Turner

Jonathan T. Hyman

Peter D. Brosse

SUPER ATTORNEYS CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 27JANUARY 15, 2016


ANDREW GOLDWASSER CIANO & GOLDWASSER

Working for two firms keeps him busyKRISTEN MOTT | STAFF [email protected]

CJN: Why did you decide to become an attorney?

AG: “After graduating from the University of Akron in 1992, I en-rolled in a master’s program to become a teacher. I had some time to kill so I started working at Reminger Co. as a legal investigator where I investigated truck accidents. I enjoyed what I saw and decided I would stop my master’s in education and instead focus on law.”

CJN: Once you graduated from Cleve-land-Marshall College of Law in 1997, where did you begin your career?

AG: “I started working for a firm called Sindell Lowe Eklund and Wake-field in Cleveland. That firm subse-quently split and I continued to work with one portion of that group before starting my own firm in 2000.”

CJN: Why did you decide to start your own firm instead of joining an-other private firm?

AG: “I’ve always wanted to try to do it on my own. I grew up in a family of lawyers and I wanted to try to experi-ence something new and do it my way. That’s why I decided to go out on my own. I’m blessed to have selected a great law partner and I’m very proud of the firm we’ve built over the last 15 years.”

CJN: What were some challenges you experienced along the way?

AG: “I had some wonderful mentors but nonetheless I faced some challenges of not having someone there with more experience on a day-to-day basis. The other challenge was of course setting up the business and operational systems, growing the firm from a marketing per-spective and then obtaining the capital that’s needed to run and operate a law firm.”

CJN: As a trial lawyer, your special-ties include complex civil litigation mat-ters with an emphasis on serious injury and wrongful death claims. Why were you drawn to those areas of law?

AG: “I enjoy helping people, I enjoy a contingent fee practice and I enjoy representing individuals. I also do quite a bit of securities litigation, which is helping people out who have had invest-ment losses.”

CJN: Is there a case you’ve been involved with that made a significant

impact on you and your career?AG: “The most meaningful case for

me was a case involving three Hiram College students who were tragically killed by a repeat drunk driver. We pros-ecuted a claim against the drunk driver but also went after the bar that served him when they knew he was intoxicated. That was a meaningful case for me be-cause of the relationship that developed with the family as we walked through a very challenging and difficult process.”

CJN: You’re a partner at two differ-ent law firms in Cleveland. How do you balance your time and your workload?

AG: “I try to divide my time between the two firms. I maintain a relatively small case load and handle more com-plex cases, so that gives me the ability to focus on a smaller number of matters and devote the necessary time to both firms and my clients.”

CJN: What’s the most rewarding aspect of your work?

AG: “The people who I work with and the clients that I get to know.”

Name: Andrew GoldwasserAge: 46Residence: SolonPosition: Co-founder and partner of Ciano & Goldwasser and managing partner of Rumizen Weisman Co. Noteworthy: Goldwasser has been named a Super Lawyer every year since 2008. This year, he was included in the Top 50 Cleveland Super Lawyers and Top 100 Ohio Super Lawyers lists.

Goldwasser

Rachel Kabb-Effron Certified Elder Law Specialist

216.991.5222 (Kabb)

The ESTATE PLAN that Kabb Law co-creates with you determines who will be the recipient of your assets. It minimizes taxes, ensures that you are able to receive the desired care, and make the decisions you

would want if you were able to speak on your own behalf.

· Estate Planning

· Elder Law

· Care Coordination

The difference is care.

PROVIDING PEACE OF MIND

Rachel Kabb-Effron Certified Elder Law Specialist

216.991.5222 (Kabb)

The ESTATE PLAN that Kabb Law co-creates with you determines who will be the recipient of your assets. It minimizes taxes, ensures that you are able to receive the desired care, and make the decisions you

would want if you were able to speak on your own behalf.

· Estate Planning

· Elder Law

· Care Coordination

The difference is care.

PROVIDING PEACE OF MIND“At Rubin Guttman & Associates, we’ve been representing

people who’ve been injured or disabled, or whose loved ones have been the victims of wrongful death as

a result of serious accidents, medical malpractice or nursing home neglect and abuse since 1977. We’re proud that Rubin Guttman

has been recognized by his peers as an Ohio Super Lawyer for the tenth year.”

Rubin Guttman & Associates, L.P.A.

Rubin Guttman& Associates

55 Public Square, Suite 1860 Cleveland, OH 44113

Phone: 216-592-8716 • Toll Free: 888-206-9682 • Fax: 216-696-2778 www.guttlaw.com

Rubin Guttman


CIANO & GOLDWASSER L.L.P.CLEVELAND

CIANO & GOLDWASSER L.L.P.101 Prospect Ave. West1610 Midland BuildingCleveland, OH 44115

PH: (216) 658-9900 c-g-law.com

*CHOSEN TO 2016 SUPER LAWYERS**CHOSEN TO 2016 RISING STARS

JAMES M.LINEHAN** ANDY

GOLDWASSER*Top 100 OhioTop 50 Cleveland

PHILLIP A.CIANO*Top 100 OhioTop 50 Cleveland

When individuals and businesses are facing high-stakes litigation, it is essential to work with attorneys who are business savvy, equally comfortable in a courtroom or boardroom and laser-focused on their clients’ needs and objectives. For almost two decades, Ciano & Goldwasser L.L.P. has met the high standards of its clientele. For the fourth consecutive year, Phil Ciano and Andy Goldwasser are named to the Top 100 list for Ohio and Top 50 list for Cleveland.

As a boutique civil litigation fi rm, the attorneys handle a diverse range of matters, including business torts, commercial/employment litigation, investor claims, specialty torts, shareholder/partnership disputes, sports law, health care and wrongful death/catastrophic personal injury. Most of their referrals come from former clients and fellow attorneys, who know they possess the insight and tenacity to solve the problems at hand in the most effective way possible.

DEDICATED, DETERMINED AND DILIGENT REPRESENTATION OF CLIENTS IN HIGH-STAKES LITIGATION

We have also settled more than 5,000 claims on behalf of injured individuals. Our attorneys have been routinely recognized by their peers as exceptional personal injury and wrongful death lawyers. Their accolades range from being included in the list of Ohio Super Lawyers, Top 100 lawyers in Ohio and the Top 50 lawyers in Cleveland. They have been included in Best Lawyers and admitted to the highly regarded International Trial Lawyers Association and Inn of Court.

Rumizen Weisman Co., Ltd.CLeveLAnd’S PerSOnAL Injury FIrm

When We say We have expeRienCe, We mean it. ouR fiRm has handLed moRe than 150 juRy tRiaLs.

Andy Goldwasser mitch Weisman Scott rumizen

Rumizen Weisman Co., Ltd.

ph: (216) 658-5500 ohio-injury.com

Andy Goldwasser is a partner of both Ciano and Goldwasser as well as rumizen Weisman.


JOEL LEVIN LEVIN & ASSOCIATES

His work on financial fraud pays dividendsCARLO WOLFF | STAFF [email protected]

Joel Levin knows his way around financial chicanery. As founder and principal of Cleveland-based

Levin & Associates, the Erie, Pa., native prides himself on being dogged, patient – and victorious.

His firm recently won just less than $2 million in a case involving investors in a fund for themselves and a small not-for-profit agency. They lost their money.

“The person who ran the fund was running a Ponzi scheme and went to prison, and we had an almost four-year fight to try to figure out where he had put the money – in a commodities trad-ing firm in Chicago,” Levin said.

Based on records there and the Chicago firm’s policy manual, along with rules laid down by the federal Patriot Act, Levin & Associates won a $1.86-million jury verdict in October. That took a lot of work, but it’s work

Levin likes.His firm specializes in legal and ac-

counting malpractice, consumer fraud and complex litigation.

Levin says, “It’s becoming harder and harder because a lot of financial in-stitutions have gotten sweet deals from legislators to protect them” and a “a lot of courts and juries are not that happy if you give them a complicated matter.”

Some cases come to a satisfactory conclusion, he said, comparing such legal efforts to the one in “Spotlight,” a recent movie about the Boston Globe’s expose of pedophile activity within Boston’s Catholic clergy. “They ran it down and they got it,” he said of the Globe’s journalists. “Presumably other people in journalism and the law run it down and they lose it.”

Witnesses die, papers disappear, companies dissolve, people move.

Both sides in that recent Ponzi case wanted a particular witness but she was touring the country in her RV and could never be served, he noted.

Memory can be shaky, too.“People can’t remember who they

had lunch with a week ago,” said Levin, who completed undergraduate and graduate work at the University of Chicago, earning a law degree from Boston University and a Ph.D. from Oxford University. “How are they going to remember who they had lunch with six years ago and what they talked about? People remember things that are important to them.”

What does he like best about his work?

“I suppose what I like best is the people who I encounter who I like. I like a lot of the people; usually I like my clients. Often I like experts, I some-times like opposing counsel, though not always. I like success. When we get results, that’s a real rush, that’s a big deal. At the end, if you get a successful result, it’s a big deal.

“I don’t take cases I don’t believe in,” Levin says. “I don’t need to, and I won’t.”

Name: Joel LevinAge: 64Residence: Cleveland HeightsWhy I am an attorney: “Watching a society often indifferent to victims, ignoring of rights and callous to those taken advantage of, I noticed that the one group of individuals who could remedy this were lawyers. Law allows us to step back from the initial fray and make sense of the issues, offering a way to find success in a problematic world.”

Levin

Stronger togetherCongratulations to our attorneys selected to the 2016 Ohio Super Lawyers list.

Inajo Davis ChappellRobert E. ChudakoffTimothy J. DowningJeffrey S. DunlapBill J. GaglianoFrances Floriano Goins

James A. GoldsmithDaniel A. Gottesman*Howard M. GroedelRichard G. HardyPaul R. Harris*Elizabeth M. Hill*

Evelyn K. Holmer*Marvin L. KarpMark D. KatzJoshua A. KlarfeldJames N. KlineMurray K. Lenson

David L. LesterPingshan Li*Mary Forbes LovettBruce P. MandelLori A. Pittman HaasLawrence D. Pollack

Brian N. RammKip ReaderPeter A. RomePatricia A. ShlonskyRonald C. StansburyGregory P. Stein*

Andrea Stone*Stephanie Dutchess TrudeauMichael S. TuckerMichael N. UngarMatthew T. Wholey*Frederick N. Widen

ClevelandCleveland

Reuel D. AshKimberly L. Beck*Megan B. Gramke*

K.C. GreenJohn M. HandsJennifer Snyder Heis*

James D. HoustonScott P. KadishJesse R. Lipcius*

Thomas G. McIntosh*Donald J. Mooney, Jr.Jeffrey F. Peck

Gina M. SaelingerFrederic “Fritz” X. ShadleyYvette R. Simpson*

Michael J. SuffernJoseph P. Thomas Vance V. VanDrake, III*

CinCinCCinnatiinnati

Alexander M. Andrews Brian J. Laliberte Alyson Terrell*

ColumbusColumbus

Frances Floriano Goins Patricia A. Shlonsky

Top 50 Women in Top 50 Women in oohio / Top 25 Women in Clevelandhio / Top 25 Women in Cleveland

Michael N. Ungar

HigHigHHest Rated in Oest Rated in OHHiiOO

*2016 Ohio Rising Stars

Learn more at ulmer.com

Michael S. Tucker

TOP 100 OHIOTOP 100 OHIO


LISA ARLYN LOWEBUCKLEY KING

She helps companies work for ‘public good’JONAH L. ROSENBLUM | STAFF [email protected]

“Cuyahoga County approves $50 mil-lion demolition plan.”

“Intergenerational School opens.”“Historic building reopens after major

renovation.” Behind numerous Cleveland headlines

lies the work of Buckley King banking and financial services attorney Lisa Arlyn Lowe.

“I have a lot of background in commu-nity development projects and community development initiatives,” Lowe said. “I became an attorney to ‘further the public good.’ I started out working for Legal Aid in New York and have evolved to represent-ing business clients, helping them provide solutions to both business and legal issues. I hope my clients are better off for having met me.”

Many of the companies that she helps work for the “public good” that Lowe talks about – and that changes the nature of her work.

“You give it your all no matter what the position is or what the kind of project is,”

Lowe said. “Obviously, if you’re passionate about something, you’ll spend all hours of the day and night working on it. If it’s promoting economic development, you can enjoy spending the extra hours on it.”

Take the opening of The Intergenera-tional School, which she helped move in with Saint Luke’s Foundation and Neigh-borhood Progress Inc.

“We helped get that across the finish line,” Lowe said. “It was a great accom-plishment. It felt very, very good to go to the groundbreaking or the opening.”

Lowe did much of the “mundane” work to ensure that the school got the appropri-ate tax credits and necessary financing.

“The loan documents, you trudge through them, but without them you don’t close the loan and the kids don’t start school,” Lowe said.

What she admits could be considered “mundane” is uplifting in its results. She described helping a nonprofit refinance and lower its mortgage rate, thus allow-ing it to save money and put its resources toward the services it provides rather than toward debt service.

Other examples of her behind-the-scenes work include her work on behalf of the county’s demolition program, a major initiative meant to remove some of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County’s aban-doned homes and urban blight. Behind the scenes, Lowe served as project attorney, providing advice regarding the struc-ture of the program, bonds, legislation, program guidelines and contracts between those involved.

Or take her work with JobsOhio, which helps promote local job creation by provid-ing loans and grants to local businesses.

Or there’s the Hebrew Free Loan As-sociation of Northeast Ohio, where Lowe is working to structure a program in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood that will provide loans for people to buy side lots and fix up their houses, thus improving the neighborhood’s aesthetic appeal.

“I am passionate about community and economic development, so I try to let my work permeate that as well as my volun-teer time,” Lowe said.

Lowe moved from Chicago in 2007 be-cause her husband, Rabbi Steven Denker,

became the rabbi at Temple Emanu El in Orange. She said that when she came to Cleveland, the streets around her office were empty, something particularly notice-able given her background in community development. That changed to her delight.

Name: Lisa Arlyn LoweAge: 59Residence: Solon Synagogue: Temple Emanu El in Orange Jewish Boards/Organizations: Execu-tive vice president of the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Northeast Ohio, National Council of Jewish Women member and member of the Jewish Community Federation’s Bridge to the Future task force

Lowe


DAVID M. PARISNUREMBERG PARIS

He fights for Davids against Goliaths JONAH L. ROSENBLUM | STAFF [email protected]

Trial lawyers like David M. Paris are not always portrayed in the most posi-tive light.

There is this persistent image in the public mind of lawyers chasing wind-falls on the backs of corporations and doctors who made an honest mistake.

The former North Carolina senator and Democratic vice presidential candi-date John Edwards, pre-scandal, did well to rebut that in his autobiography, “Four Trials.”

“Physicians err like the rest of us, and when, through neglect or reckless behav-ior, they cause damage, they must be held accountable for the consequences of their action or inaction,” Edwards wrote.

That’s the kind of passion that has kept Paris going for 3 1/2 decades.

“(Nuremberg Paris is) a firm that has maintained a leadership role in the specialized practice of represent-ing people who have been hurt, many catastrophically, by the carelessness of

other people, professionals, corporations and governmental entities,” Paris said. “I’m the luckiest guy around because I love what I’ve been doing for the past 35 years.”

For Paris, his work brings up the clas-sic biblical tale of David and Goliath. As prestigious as Nuremberg Paris is, the firm’s legal adversaries often dwarf its clients in power and wealth, such as a mother suing an enormous hospital.

“It’s the David and Goliath kind of syndrome, and it’s nice to be cast in that, to see yourself cast in that light, that role, as the David fighting the big insur-ance companies,” Paris said.

It’s a heritage that he is now passing down to his daughter, Dana, who joined Nuremberg Paris as a law clerk in 2010 and has been an associate attorney there for nearly three years. Her father said nepotism is avoided in the legal field, for good reason, yet Nuremberg Paris has figured out a way to have legacies and keep it professional. Partners Ellen M. McCarthy, William S. Jacobson and Jonathan D. Mester all had parents at

the firm – and are now a proud part of the firm.

“I think the secret to that is for the parents to stay away from their son or daughter as they’re learning,” David Paris said.

How did the Paris family keep it professional?

For Dana Paris’ first 2 ½ years, every-one mentored her – except her father. She sat second chair for five trials – none of them her father’s.

“Now that she’s cut her teeth on a number of cases, she’s self-assured and developing her own reputation and her own name, it’s wonderful to bring her on to some of my cases and we’re having a ball together,” Paris said.

The man she works with is one who, interestingly enough, has garnered some of his top praise from opposing attorneys. He credits that to profession-alism and avoiding the “Rambo,” “take no prisoners” style that some believe to be true of the field.

“This is a profession first and fore-most,” Paris said. “It’s a small commu-

nity. What goes around always comes around, always, and you lose credibility very quickly in a courtroom when you misbehave, so the best policy is and always has been the things you learned on the playground: play fair, make good calls, shake hands, don’t be a bully, and like my grandmother always told me, be a mensch.”

Name: David M. Paris Age: 63Residence: Moreland HillsSynagogue: Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in BeachwoodNoteworthy: In the past year, his daughter Dana got engaged and his wife Michelle was elected to the Bedford Municipal Court.

Paris

DarrellClay

RalphCascarilla

CarlDyczek

BonnieFinley

JonathanGreenberg

CraigMarvinney

Benjamin Chojnacki *

Joshua Hurtuk *

Shelly LaSalvia *

CharlesRiehl

JohnWaldeck, Jr.

GaryZwick

Professionalism, stability, and a commitment to excellence - these are the qualities of a successful team.

Since 1932, Walter | Haverfield has built a reputation across a broad spectrum of practice areas as a responsive advocate and trusted partner.

Walter | Haverfield is pleased to announce that thirteen of our attorneys were selected for the 2016 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

* Ohio Rising Stars

A WINNING TEAM SINCE 1932

KevinMurphy


PATRICIA A. SHLONSKY ULMER & BERNE

Employees can benefit from her vocationCARLO WOLFF | STAFF [email protected]

Patricia A. Shlonsky, a specialist in employee benefits and health care, has been at Ulmer & Berne

LLP for nearly all of her career. Chair of the employee benefits and tax prac-tice groups at the Cleveland firm, she represents employers in establishing and maintaining employee benefits like 401(k), pensions and health care plans.

“I started out doing general tax work and I really wanted to be more special-ized than that, and employee benefits is kind of a hybrid of tax and labor,” said Shlonsky, who will celebrate her 30th an-niversary at Ulmer & Berne Feb. 1.

The regulations she consults most regularly in representing employers are found in the Employee Retirement Secu-rity Act of 1974, the portion of federal labor law that covers employee benefits. Besides the Department of Labor, she also tracks the Department of Health & Human Services, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, and the IRS.

The Ohio State University Moritz Col-lege of Law honors graduate also does a lot of reading. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford.

Shlonsky is proud owner of a blog, frombriefstobooks.com. There, she recently reviewed a book by Anna Quindlen, also telling readers she spends much time “dealing with the in-tricacies of the Internal Revenue Code, the obscurities of ERISA and the agoniz-ing and yet rewarding task of solving complex problems.”

Shlonsky said she also handles a lot of government audits, and she’s been spending a lot of time looking at fees health care vendors charge. The field is especially fluid as the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, contin-ues to roll out.

The labor department keeps a sharp eye on fees associated with employee benefits, making sure “the fees being charged are appropriate and the invest-ment selection” is on target, she said.

While employee benefits are her focus, her practice is “very diverse,” she said. Among her other tasks is handling litigation “when our clients get sued by an employee or employees challenging

how benefits are administered.”How does she keep up with the feds? “I do a lot of reading, I get daily

updates from four or five different sources,” first by email, then with hard copy updates every two days or weekly. “It’s a fluid field,” she said.

Whether reviewing regulations that affect how employers administer their employee benefits or negotiating with employees on behalf of a client who has an issue with employers, Shlonsky is engaged and involved.

She advises clients on benefits issues that arise in mergers and acquisitions, on privacy and data security issues under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act benefits, and on private dispute resolution.

Her work may be specialized, but it has scope and consequence.

“Employee benefits affect every work-ing person’s life and job, so you want to make sure that everything is compliant so the employee can continue to rely on the benefits they’re expecting,” Shlon-sky said. “You’d be amazed how interest-ing it can be.”

Name: Patricia A. ShlonskyAge: 56Residence: Shaker HeightsSynagogue: The Temple-Tifereth Israel, Beachwood and Cleveland Other Jewish affiliation: National Council of Jewish WomenWhy I am an attorney: “I always wanted to be a lawyer. I think I liked the intellectual discipline of it.”

Shlonsky

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MICHAEL S. TUCKER ULMER & BERNE

Solving problems has become his businessED WITTENBERG | STAFF [email protected]

Michael S. Tucker takes pride in his work as a business lawyer who specializes in bankruptcy

and creditors’ rights.“I enjoy working through the issues,

helping my clients and dealing with attorneys on the other side of the case,” he said. “I’d like to think I have a reputa-tion for integrity, honesty and profes-sionalism – professionalism is very important to me.”

Tucker, who has practiced law for 29 years, said he was flattered to have been recognized for the first time as one of the top 100 attorneys in Ohio for 2016 by the Super Lawyers rating service. He has been rated as an Ohio Super Lawyer every year since 2004, and he also has been honored by The Best Lawyers in America each year since 2008.

Tucker also has earned the high-est rating of AV from the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings for many years.

“Primarily, clients call me up when they’re in stressful situations,” he said. “I like to take a calm and even approach to help them solve their problems.”

Tucker is a partner in the Cleveland-based Ulmer & Berne law firm, where he has worked for 18 years. Before that, he was an attorney for Weltman, Wein-berg & Reis, also of Cleveland, for eight years.

“I do a lot of negotiation, a lot of working with both sides to hopefully achieve an amicable resolution,” he said. “When that isn’t possible, even when we have to resort to litigation, I still handle it in a professional manner and put my clients at ease by telling them what is going to happen and work-ing with them. I always try to work out a resolution that is cost-effective and beneficial for my client.”

Tucker has served as chair of the Ohio State Bar Association and is imme-diate past chair of the OSBA’s banking, commercial and bankruptcy committee. He is also a former chair of the bank-ruptcy and commercial law section of

the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Associa-tion.

In addition, Tucker is certified as a business bankruptcy specialist by the American Board of Certification.

Despite these honors and accomplish-ments, Tucker said he is most proud of his two daughters: Betsy, 21, and Lauren, 18.

“I love to play softball, and I enjoy coaching,” he said. “I’ve coached both of my daughters in softball and soccer through the Solon (Recreation Depart-ment).”

Tucker, who lives in Solon with his wife, Diane, earned a law degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Miami University in Oxford. He grew up in University Heights and is a 1979 graduate of Cleve-land Heights High School.

“My goals are to continue represent-ing my clients, to be available to them whenever needed and to help them to solve their problems,” he said.

Age: 54Residence: SolonSynagogue: B’nai Jeshurun Congrega-tion in Pepper PikeOther Jewish affiliation: Participant in fundraisers for the Jewish Big Brother Big Sister Association of ClevelandWhy I am an attorney: “I like dealing with people and solving problems.”

Tucker

Representing injured people throughout Ohio at all levels. For over 20 years David Steiger has been privileged to represent injured people throughout Ohio. His goal with every client is to level the playing field against insurance companies, employers, and the State of Ohio. David’s client base is cultivated mostly through word of mouth from satisfied clients. In addition David considers it the highest compliment to receive referrals from other attorneys and doctors who entrust David to take care of their client’s and patient’s personal injury and workers’ com-pensation cases. David never forgets the human element of every case.

DAVID J. STEIGERSHELDON KARP CO., L.P.A.101 Prospect Avenue West 1835 Midland BuildingCleveland, OH 44115Tel: 216-696-3515Fax: [email protected]

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JEROME WEISSMEDIATIONINC.

His goal is to solve, resolve disputesED WITTENBERG | STAFF [email protected]

In 2000, Jerry Weiss took a big step when he became the first lawyer in Northeast Ohio to commit his entire practice to alternative dispute resolution.

Since then, Weiss has become recog-nized as an expert on mediation in the United States and abroad. He is the only Northeast Ohio lawyer – and one of only 145 worldwide – to have been selected as a Distinguished Fellow in the Interna-tional Academy of Mediators.

“We as lawyers are very used to winning or losing,” he said. “Often the winner feels like a loser also. The litiga-tion process is a very demanding and exhausting process; it takes a long time.

“Mediation is the kind of thing where you can take people away from the past conflict to a more constructive future.”

Weiss was selected as an Ohio Super Lawyer each year from 2008 through 2013 and again in 2015 and 2016. He also was recognized as Cleveland Mediation Lawyer of the Year by The Best Lawyers in America in 2013.

“I do 100 mediations a year, and to see the pivot to resolution that people take is really gratifying,” he said. “I know what they have saved themselves by not continuing the war drums. I am gratified every week by seeing that.”

Weiss, who has been practicing law since 1972, mediated his first case in 1990 as part of the original panel of federal neutrals formed by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. He formed his Cleveland-based firm, MediationInc., in 2000.

“I define myself as a mediator before a lawyer,” he said. “I view mediation as a profession, although I have maintained my license to practice law. Mediation is something quite separate and apart from the law.”

Weiss said he handles a broad range of disputes in many subject matter areas.

“It’s primarily employment-based matters, commercial cases and cata-strophic injury and professional negli-gence,” he said. “I also do a great deal of work in the energy and environmental areas.”

In addition to being a good listener, Weiss credited his success to “the eight P’s of mediation: patience and persis-tence, patience and persistence, patience and persistence and patience and persis-

tence.”“I am the child of European Jewish

refugees who lost their own parents at Auschwitz,” he said. “As a result, at an early age, I found fairness to be a defin-ing value in my life.”

Weiss, who grew up in Erie, Pa., earned a law degree in 1972 from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, where he serves as an adjunct faculty member. He designed and teaches a seminar on mediation representation at the law school, which recently inducted him into its Society of Benchers.

His bachelor’s degree is in political science from Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y.

“I am increasingly involved in the educational aspects of mediation,” he said. “I look forward to continuing that and hopefully maintaining a robust prac-tice here in Cleveland.

“An additional goal is to re-instill a problem-solving and collaborative at-titude in law students and young lawyers in what is an increasingly contentious environment.”

Weiss and his wife, Judith Salomon, have a son, Daniel.

Name: Jerome WeissAge: 69Residence: Shaker HeightsSynagogue: Congregation Shaarey Tikvah in BeachwoodWhy I am an attorney: “Primarily to help people solve problems in a fair way. That’s always been one of the de-finers of my professional and personal life.”

Weiss

www.khwlaw.com1360 E. Ninth St., Ste. 400 • Cleveland, OH 44114

216-696-3030

Kadish, Hinkel & Weibel is a professional law firm specializing in business law, commercial litigation,

real estate and real estate tax law, proudly serving the Northeast Ohio community.

We are honored to be named2016 Ohio Super Lawyers®

Stephen L. Kadish Kevin M. Hinkel Matthew F. Kadish Dean M. Rooney


ROBERT M. WOLFF LITTLER MENDELSON PC

Passion for winning drives his careerCARLO WOLFF | STAFF [email protected]

Not every case Robert M. Wolff works on is a win for his client, though most are, and Wolff, a sea-

soned trial attorney for Cleveland firm Littler Mendelson PC, likes to win. But Wolff also knows that when he finds out a client has violated the law, the proper advice – and the right thing to do – is to counsel resolution and the correction of deficiencies in the client’s human resources practices.

A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign, Wolff has lived in Cleve-land since 1980. He did his undergradu-ate work at Oberlin College and joined Littler Mendelson in 2007 following its merger with his former firm, Duvin, Cahn & Hutton.

In the mid-1980s, he also worked as a labor lawyer for the city of Cleveland when the mayor was George V. Voinov-ich. It was during that decade that he handled a case that continues to reso-nate – both for him and more generally.

The city had to defend its affirmative action plan in a case in which white applicants claimed they were discrimi-nated against because the plan unfairly favored people of color, he said. The whites were challenging an affirma-tive action decree designed to make the racial composition of the department better reflect the community that it served, Wolff said.

“So it was a class action and we defended the city’s practice of reserving slots for minority applicants during a political climate where very, very few of these cases resulted in affirmative ac-tion hiring decrees being upheld, and we won the case,” said Wolff, who was work-ing for Duvin, Kahn & Hutton at the time. “To me that was a big deal because I personally believed in the righteous-ness of the city’s position, reserving spots in the police force for applicants of color. It was one of the few cases in the last 20 years or so where these hiring

decrees have been upheld.”Wolff also is co-chair of Littler Men-

delson’s health care industry practice.Among his achievements in that field

was winning a case for Manor Care, the nation’s largest for-profit eldercare skilled nursing company. The class ac-tion brought by some 40,000 alleged that the company forced those employees to work without compensation through their meal breaks.

His client was committed to compli-ance with wage and hour laws and he eventually won the case. “The reason it was satisfying to me is it is costly to defend these cases,” Wolff said. Many companies “write a check, thinking it’s going to be cheaper than to fight, even though they did nothing wrong. And this company said no. It was willing to invest in fighting the fight and it won. And it was the right ending.”

Name: Robert M. WolffAge: 60Residence: Shaker HeightsSynagogue: The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood and ClevelandOther Jewish affiliation: Board of directors chair, Bellefaire JCBWhy I am an attorney: “I like advocat-ing on behalf of others and I like win-ning arguments during the workday. I very rarely win an argument at home.”

Wolff

Dinn, Hochman & Potter, LLC wishes to congratulate

Michael C. Hennenberg and David C. Weiner, Of Counsel to the firm, for their inclusion as

2016 Ohio Super Lawyers for 13 consecutive yearsand

Aaron M. Minc, Of Counsel, for his inclusion as a 2016 Ohio Rising Star for 3 consecutive years.

Michael C. Hennenberg David C. Weiner Aaron M. Minc

Michael’s practice focuses on white collar criminal defense, including financial, health and tax fraud, State felony and misdemeanor offenses, expungements, post-conviction relief, professional licensing, attorney discipline, and victim of crime representation.

David’s practice focuses on commercial litigation and during his 40 plus years as an attorney he has successfully represented numerous businesses and individuals in a wide variety of litigation settings. David has been a leader in various legal organizations, including Chair of the Litigation Section of the ABA.

Aaron is highly skilled in the area of Internet Defamation. His practice is on the technological forefront of removing damaging Internet content, combating cyber-attacks and intellectual property infringement. Aaron is also a Board member of the Cleveland Jewish News.

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2016 Super LawyersGeorge Crisci, Jon Dileno, Jonathan Downes,

Michele Jakubs, Andrew Zashin, Stephen Zashin

2016 Rising StarsAmy Keating, Helena Oroz, Ami Patel,Christopher Reynolds, David Vance

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BARBARA FRIEDMAN YAKSICMcGLINCHEY STAFFORD

Lenders have keen interest in what she can doCARLO WOLFF | STAFF [email protected]

Barbara Friedman Yaksic is a puzzle fan. Not only does the McGlinchey Stafford member enjoy word

games, she’s also patient and she likes to untie knots.

When Yaksic joined the then-spanking- new Cleveland law fi rm from Benesch in 2002, she devoted her time to building the trial department for Louisiana-based Mc-Glinchey Stafford’s fi rst northern outpost.

“It was like my third child, you know? It was personally exciting for me to bring on younger lawyers and mentor them and train them and work with them on the dis-putes among the fi nancial institutions.”

Yaksic, who graduated cum laude from Indiana University in Bloomington and summa cum laude from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in Columbus, specializes in consumer fi nance, complex business litigation and commercial matters. Her background also includes litigation linked to employment, bankruptcy and real estate.

Her primary work consists of repre-senting lenders and fi nancial institutions, and one of her greatest satisfactions is satisfying both parties in a case.

She joined McGlinchey Stafford as the housing bubble was building up, so a good deal of her work in the fi rst decade of the millennium dealt with foreclosures. It still does, though the landscape has changed.

“Sometimes the most satisfying (cases) are when the homeowner is not repre-sented by a lawyer (and I) help them while still fulfi lling my obligation to zealously represent my client,” she said.

What she tries to do in prosecuting a case is cut through the underbrush, accumulating enough data to present to a judge so he or she can apprehend and act on the larger picture.

Years ago, Yaksic assembled and reviewed thousands of transactions, presenting information in an earlier case so successfully her client was awarded all the damages it sought. There was no further appeal.

Many recent cases involve contested foreclosures, and her preference is to satisfy both lender and borrower. Yaksic said, “My approach is to fi rst look and see if there’s some resolution that will keep

the homeowner in the property while still protecting the rights and interests of the fi nancial institution, avoiding unneces-sary litigation costs. When that doesn’t work, I represent the interests of my cli-ents to obtain complete relief for them.”

While contested foreclosures still permeate her practice, another large area she deals with is statutes and regulations affecting consumer fi nancing. In the past several years, especially since the establishment of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2010, the number of regulations has grown dramatically, prompting a shift from counterclaims that characterize contested foreclosures to affi rmative lawsuits initi-ated by the borrower.

“There’s so much more regulation, we’re seeing a lot more of those affi rma-tive lawsuits initiated by the borrower (as a complaint) instead of sending a counter-claim,” she said. Based on new regula-tions and statutes, there are more claims relating to loan servicing, she added.

“I like working through a problem, trying to fi nd a creative solution,” Yaksic said. “I like working with people and I like mentoring younger attorneys and seeing them grow.”

Name: Barbara Friedman YaksicAge: 59Residence: Concord TownshipSynagogue: Park Synagogue, Cleve-land Heights and Pepper PikeWhy I became an attorney: “Inspired by “To Kill a Mockingbird” and a de-sire to help people solve problems.”

Yaksic

(216) 771-8990sdglegal.net

Sleggs, Danzinger & Gill820 West Superior Ave.

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Each client is directly represented at all levels by a principal of the firm with a combined 75 years of experience. No pyramid, no associates, no on-the-job training.

Our clients deserve the very best representation, so we structured our firm to allow each client, throughout the entire process, to work directly with Messrs. SLEGGS, DANZINGER and/or GILL. Our philosophy is to work cooperatively with school district and County officials to ensure that our clients pay the lowest possible real

property tax obligations. If a fair resolution requires litigation, SLEGGS, DANZINGER & GILL have the depth of trial and appellate experience to handle the most complex valuation issues.

Whether the valuation relates to large industrial plants, apartments, shopping centers, warehouses, office buildings, vacant land or any other type of commercial property, the faces above will ensure that you receive the best counsel, legal advice and litigation expertise.

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ROBERT A. ZIMMERMANBENESCH, FRIEDLANDER, COPLAN & ARONOFF

Early Ohio Supreme Court victory sparked careerKRISTEN MOTT | STAFF [email protected]

Two years after graduating from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1991, Robert A.

Zimmerman won his fi rst major case in the Ohio Supreme Court. That success pushed him to pursue even more chal-lenging cases and tackle diffi cult issues in front of the courts.

Zimmerman, who is now a partner at Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff in Cleveland, has ample experience in the legal world. He started his career in Co-lumbus, working for former Ohio Attorney General Lee Fisher.

It was during his four-year stay at the attorney general’s offi ce that Zimmerman had the chance to argue a case before the Ohio Supreme Court.

“The issue dealt with whether certain records maintained by the Ohio Division of Securities were confi dential law-enforcement records,” said Zimmerman, who is also chair of the public law practice group and vice chair of the litigation prac-tice group at Benesch. “I argued that the records were confi dential and convinced the court that they were and got a chance to make some law in an important area very early on in my career.”

Although Zimmerman admits that it was “a little intimidating” arguing in front of seven justices just two years out of law school, the case served as an important stepping stone for Zimmerman’s career.

“You fi nd that as you have more success and are able to persuade judges and others of the validity of your opinion, you gain confi dence,” said Zimmerman, who has been named a Super Lawyer every year since 2010.

Zimmerman moved back to Cleveland during the summer of 1995 and took a po-sition with the Arter & Hadden law fi rm. After a little over a year there, he left his position to manage the political campaign of Tim McCormack, who was running for Cuyahoga County commissioner in 1996.

In early 1997, Zimmerman joined the Kahn Kleinman law fi rm. He spent the next 11½ years there and eventually be-came partner. After the fi rm was acquired by Taft Stattinus & Hollister, Zimmerman was recruited by Benesch. He began his career there in 2009.

“Every job that I’ve had has provided experiences and building blocks for what I like to think is continued success at the next job. That’s very much the beauty of

the law,” Zimmerman said. Zimmerman, who also serves on

Shaker Heights City Council, focuses his practice on two different specialties. He has a general civil litigation practice in which he does trial work in the courts on behalf of clients engaged in civil matters. He’s also a lobbyist, and as a government relations lawyer he advocates for clients in front of local and state government.

As for the future, Zimmerman, who was named a Top 100 Super Lawyer in Ohio this year, said he hopes to continue to advocate and make positive changes within the community.

“I continue to look forward to more challenging cases and issues whether I’m handling those in front of courts or in front of legislative bodies,” he said. “Most importantly, I really do want to make a positive impact for the community and I hope that my law and lobbying practice will allow me to do that.”

Name: Robert A. ZimmermanAge: 49Residence: Shaker HeightsSynagogue: Park Synagogue in Cleve-land Heights and Pepper PikeOther Jewish affi liation: Current board member of Menorah Park in Beach-wood. Past chair of the government relations committee and vice chair of the community relations committee at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and past member of the Cleveland Jewish News Board of Directors. Why I became an attorney: “I can’t say I always wanted to be a lawyer. My late father was a trial lawyer. It just seemed like it was going to be the thing that I did and that’s exactly what happened.”

Zimmerman

55 Public Square | Suite 2075 | Cleveland, Ohio 44113 | Phone: 216-241-6677

www.GoldsteinandGoldstein.net

Co. L.P.A877-552-9816

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55 Public Square | Suite 2075 | Cleveland, Ohio 44113 | Phone: 216-241-6677

www.GoldsteinandGoldstein.net

Co. L.P.A877-552-9816

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Safety from suitsJewish organizations’ board members usually in the clearED WITTENBERG | STAFF [email protected]

People who volunteer their time by serving on nonprofit boards at synagogues and other Jewish in-

stitutions are subject to legal liabilities, but there are laws in place to protect them in case they are sued.

“The law as draft-ed is intended to not put nonprofit direc-tors in harm’s way, so there’s a pretty high standard that has to be met or not met for there to be personal liability for a board member,” said Ira Ka-plan, partner and ex-ecutive chairman of the Cleveland-based Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff law firm.

Kaplan, a corpo-rate lawyer, said Ohio law states that

board members are required to perform their duties in good faith and “in a man-ner they reasonably believe to be in the best interests” of the entity they serve and “with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would use.”

A board member shall not be found to have failed to perform his or her duties unless it is proved, “by clear and con-vincing evidence,” that he or she has not met that standard, Kaplan said.

By the same token, directors who approve of or agree to unlawful distribu-tion of assets of an entity can be held personally liable for doing so, Kaplan said.

“But generally under law, board members are entitled to rely on advice and reports of the counsel offices of the entities’ accountants,” he said. “They are really protected, so even if there is an improper distribution of assets, if they have done their homework and the entities’ accountants have gone through this and have the documents, the board should not have a problem.”

Under not-for-profit law, institutions such as Menorah Park Center for Senior Living, Montefiore and Bellefaire JCB

almost always have a provision in their charter documents that directors are indemnified by the entity if they have acted in good faith in a manner not op-posed to the best interests of the entity, Kaplan said.

“So, if there is a lawsuit against a board member, generally what would happen is there would be an indemni-fication provision that would kick in and protect someone from individual li-ability as long as they have acted in good faith,” said Kaplan, whose three-year term as president of the board of direc-tors at Menorah Park ended Dec. 31.

If a director of a nonprofit board has responsibility for books and records and there is “knowing false entry,” there could be personal liability for that, Kaplan said.

“But that is really unusual, for a board member to have that responsibili-ty,” he said. “It’s usually a staff member, rather than a board member, who has that responsibility.”

Kaplan, a member of The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood and Cleveland who serves on its foundation board, said he doesn’t believe fear of

being sued dissuades many people from serving on nonprofit boards.

“There are not a lot of reported cases (of such board members being sued), so I don’t think it happens very often,” said Kaplan, who also serves on the boards of United Way of Greater Cleveland and Bellefaire JCB. “It has to be something pretty egregious, and I don’t see a lot of it.”

NoNpRofIT claImS moRE fREquENT However, according to Towers and

Watson’s 2012 Directors and Officers Liability Survey of Insurance Purchas-ing Trends, 63 percent of nonprofit respondents reported having had claims against their directors and officers li-ability policies in the past 10 years.

“Nonprofit claims are more numer-ous and frequent than for for-profit companies,” said Richard Myers, vice president of professional liability for In-surance Partners Agency Inc. in Solon.

Myers, a past president of B’nai Jeshurun Congregation in Pepper Pike, said most nonprofit boards carry direc-tors and officers liability insurance to

Kaplan

Myers

SafETY | 40

Robert JacksonFounding Partner

Jon Pinney Managing Partner

Samir Dahman Partner in Charge

Columbus

James EhrmanPartner

Sarah GabinetPartner

Robert GilmorePartner

Ari JaffePartner

Brett KrantzPartner

Alan RaussPartner

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protect their members.But there are some issues that non-

profi t directors and trustees need to be aware of, Myers said.

“If a nonprofi t becomes insolvent, a director’s or offi cer’s personal assets are exposed,” he said. “Most nonprofi ts, such as synagogues, don’t have deep staff resources or human resource departments.”

Myers said some nonprofi t boards become liable by voluntarily adopting all provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, a federal law that set new or expanded requirements for all U.S. public company boards, management and public accounting fi rms.

The act requires nonprofi ts to “pro-tect whistleblowers” and retain records of minutes and fi nances for future refer-ence, Myers said.

“If either of these provisions in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are violated, it puts directors and offi cers at risk,” he said.

Types of exposures facing nonprofi t boards, Myers said, include employment claims; breach of fi duciary duties, such as care, loyalty or obedience; confl icts of interest; government actions and enforcement and allegations of misuse of funds.

Fellow directors and offi cers can sue one another, Myers said. Others who can sue a nonprofi t board include the state attorney general; the Internal Revenue

Service, which can threaten a non-profi t’s 501(c)(3) status; donors who don’t like how their funds are being used; em-ployees; and recipients and benefi ciaries of the nonprofi t’s mission.

It’s important for nonprofi t boards to have directors and offi cers liability in-surance because it funds defense for all claims, even though most are groundless or fraudulent, Myers said.

“It also satisfi es the organization’s obligation to indemnify board members, and it encourages qualifi ed people to serve on the board,” he said.

Nonprofi t board members don’t nec-essarily think about these things until something happens, Myers said.

“Then it’s, ‘Why am I being sued? I’m just a member of a board,’” he said. “But it doesn’t matter; they are person-ally liable. Without D and O insurance, they are relying on the organization to indemnify them, and if the (nonprofi t) is small, it may not have the fi nances to do that.”

Myers believes fear of being sued is defi nitely a consideration when people think about serving on nonprofi t boards.

“But having D and O insurance will mitigate that,” he said.

“Remember that regular general liability insurance only covers claims that allege bodily injury or property damage and will exclude most other claims against directors and offi cers,” he added.

SAFETY | 39

Tucker Ellis promotes four in Cleveland Four Cleveland attorneys have been promoted to counsel at Tucker Ellis. The attorneys are: Courtenay Youngblood Jalics, who practices in the areas of products liability,

medical and pharmaceutical liability and construction litigation.Paul Malie, who focuses on business transactions, commercial banking, corpo-

rate fi nance and securities.Chelsea Mikula, who practices in the areas of business litigation and products

liability litigation.Jeff Sindelar, who represents clients in matters involving antitrust, contract

disputes, consumer class actions, copyrights, drugs and medical device products liability, medical malpractice and toxic torts.

Others promoted to counsel include Michael Adelsheim, Justin Garratt, Monee Takla Hanna, Aggie Lee, Michael Robbins, Chad Tian and Amanda Villalobos.

Six gain partnership at Tucker EllisSix Cleveland attorneys have been elected to Tucker Ellis’s partnership. The attorneys are: Susan Audley, who practices in the area of general litigation.Stephen Bittence, who advises businesses, developers and lenders in the owner-

ship, fi nancing, operation, management and development of multifamily residen-tial, offi ce, retail, single-family residential and mixed-use projects.

Sarah Bunce, a trial attorney in the areas of products liability defense and com-plex commercial litigation matters.

Anthony Petruzzi, who practices in the area of white-collar criminal defense, corporate investigations and business litigation.

Jennifer Steinmetz, who practices in the areas of medical and pharmaceutical liability.

Victoria Vance, chair of the Tucker Ellis health care group, who represents health care providers, drug and device manufacturers, insurers, reinsures and un-derwriters in claims, risk, litigation, investigatory and compliance issues.

Other attorneys elected to the partnership include Robert Cutbirth, Monica Wil-liams Monroe and Joshua Wes.

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Friedman and Nemecek open downtown Cleveland officeJULIE FAIR | SPECIAL TO THE CJN

As Ian Friedman and Eric Nemecek prepared to open their new law firm, the only disagreement the two had was whether they should have an

air hockey table in the lobby of Friedman and Nemecek L.L.C.

As the air hockey table debate is discussed, six lawyers will run the new firm, which opened its doors Jan. 1. Friedman, a member of Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood, said he plans to open another location in Chapel Hill, N.C., by the middle of the year.

The new firm, in the IMG Center in Cleveland, derived from Fried-man and Nemecek’s choice to leave the law firm of McCarthy, Lebit, Crystal and Liffman Co., LPA.

Aside from practicing criminal defense, the new firm will focus on helping companies evaluate their susceptibility to computer hacks. If a client’s personal information is re-vealed due to the hack, the company could be sued, Friedman said.

Friedman was 27 when he graduated in 1997 and opened a private practice, Ian Friedman and Associ-

ates, on West 6th Street in Cleveland. About five years later, Nemecek joined the practice.

“As a criminal firm, we handle the obvious spec-trum from OUI’s (operating under the influence) to murder,” Friedman said.

He said the original merge was an attempt to be a “one-stop shop” for all of his clients’ needs. As he worked with the new firm that covered all areas of law, Friedman realized he wanted to go back to his focus on criminal defense.

“Our clients are looking forward to getting back to the smaller, more comfortable environment,” Nemecek said.

One day, Friedman passed by a familiar face in the hallway. That face turned out to be Eric Long, an old student of Friedman’s from Cleveland Marshall Col-lege of Law. Long, a member of the Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in Beachwood, realized he liked working on criminal defense cases. Soon after, Long was asked to join the firm with Friedman and Nemecek.

“There’s really no one better to practice with in the criminal realm,” Long said. “It’s a very exciting time for us.”

Julia Fair is a sophomore in the E.W. Scripps School of Jour-nalism at Ohio University in Athens.

Friedman

Nemecek

Lawyers group presents honorsSeveral lawyers were presented with awards to

recognize their service to the Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys, the profession and the larger com-munity during the organization’s annual meeting in Columbus.

Carolyn A. Taggart of Porter, Wright, Morris and Arthur LLP in Cincinnati received the Excellence in Advocacy Award, while Peter J. Hersha of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company in Columbus earned the Distinguished Contributions to the Profession Award.

Mark Kitrick of Kitrick, Lewis and Harris Co., LPA in Columbus was the recipient of the Respected Advo-cate Award, and Judge Lisa Sadler of the 10th District Court of Appeals received the Public Service Award.

Neil F. Freund of Freund Freeze & Arnold in Day-ton earned the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Natalie M. Wais of Young and Alexander Co. LPA in Cincinnati receive the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.

Lynn V. Luther of Eastman and Smith in Toledo was the recipient of the Committee Chair of the Year Award, and Michael M. Neltner, staff counsel for the Cincinnati Insurance Company in Cincinnati, was presented with the Frank Seth Hurd Member of the Year Award.

The Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys is an organization of attorneys, corporate executives and managers who devote a substantial portion of their time to the defense of civil lawsuits and the manage-ment of claims against individuals, corporations and governmental entities.

* 2016 OhiO Super LawyerS ** 2016 riSing StarS † tOp 50 CLeveLand LiSt and tOp 100 OhiO ‡ tOp 50 wOmen OhiO and tOp 25 wOmen CLeveLand

“i am very proud of the fourteen lawyers at elk & elk who have been recognized statewide for their experience, professionalism and results,” said managing partner arthur elk. “it is an honor to have our firm’s depth of talent recognized by our peers. each of these attorneys is an incredible advocate for our clients and representative of this firm.”

Elk & Elk Super Lawyers | 5 in Top 50 Cleveland & Top 100 Ohio

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FrOnt rOw (L tO r): Kevin Lenson*, amy papesh*, marilena diSilvio*†‡, phillip Kuri*†, arthur elk, david elk, James Kelley*†, John O’neil*†;BaCK rOw: william Campbell*, gary Cowan*, rob dubyak* Of Counsel, r. Craig mcLaughlin*, william price*†, ryan harrell**, matthew Carty**, michael eisner*, Kimberly young**

MayfIELd HEIgHts OffIcE6105 parkland Blvd. mayfield hts., Oh 44124440.442.6677

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Criminal defense attorneys face uphill battlesKRISTEN MOTT | STAFF [email protected]

As a criminal defense and civil rights lawyer, Terry H. Gilbert has

been involved with a myriad of cases, from drug crimes to

homicide and murder to fraud and tax crimes. After earn-ing his law degree in 1973, he was drawn to criminal law because he wanted to maintain integrity within the criminal jus-tice system.

“I felt that it was important for a crimi-nal justice system to

make sure that people charged with criminal violations had their rights protected,” said Gilbert, of Friedman & Gilbert in downtown Cleveland. “I felt that that was one of the most important areas to advance in making sure that due process and fairness is applied to everybody.”

After moving from Ashtabu-la to Cleveland, David L. Grant found himself handling many criminal cases. Now a partner at Grant & O’Malley Co., Grant covers all areas of criminal law in state, municipal and federal courts, including sex crimes, juvenile offenses and homicides.

Being a criminal defense lawyer is no easy task. Among the challenges associated with the job, bias and prejudice are often the two most difficult obstacles to overcome, Gilbert said.

“The true test of a legal system is how it treats those who are marginalized or disad-vantaged or who are perceived to be pariahs in society. If those people are mistreated then it hurts all of us,” Gilbert

said.“The biggest challenge is

the people we represent are sometimes viewed so nega-tively that it’s hard to get the system to apply the rules prop-erly. The biggest challenge is to overcome the bias and preju-dice against those people.”

Another major challenge criminal defense lawyers face is overcoming the vast resourc-es of the state.

“They’ve got all the resourc-es, including their investiga-tors and their forensic people,” Grant said. “You’re basically pitting yourself against all those resources, which has certainly been a challenge.”

For criminal defense law-yers, the media are often either a blessing or a curse. Gilbert said he values the role the me-dia can play in educating the public about any unfairness involved with a case.

“I’ve always believed in the use of the media to the extent that it doesn’t conflict with your role as a defense lawyer. I’ve always been outspoken about issues and criminal jus-tice in general, even on cases that I’ve been involved in. I think it’s an important tool because there’s so much in-formation being disseminated that you have to make sure that what’s out there is accurate,” he said.

Social media also has im-pacted criminal cases and can create problems for lawyers and their clients.

“The first thing you tell your client is not to talk about your case with anybody, not even family or friends,” Grant said. “Now with social media, people communicate about their case in many different ways long before we give them that warning. They’re on Face-book or Twitter or all different sorts of social media outlets and they’re having conversa-tions with people, which can impact their case.”

Even so, social media can sometimes be beneficial to a case. Gilbert said there have been times where he’s been able to find and uncover com-ments made online by alleged

victims, which has ultimately helped his defense.

“It cuts both ways,” he said. “Social media has hurt me in some cases, but it’s also helped me in other cases.”

Criminal defense lawyers also must develop a thick skin. Over the course of his career, Gilbert said he’s seen people call him derogatory names in the comments section of online news articles.

“People will say I’m an ambulance chaser, a scum-bag, that I represent rats and animals and that I’m a dis-service to society. I’ve had a few threats, but that goes with the turf. If you’re going to be a criminal defense lawyer you’re going to have to expect that and understand that it’s a risky occupation,” Gilbert said.

Grant said he too has received negative comments from people. About 15 years

ago Grant represented a former fireman who pleaded guilty to being a serial stalker, among other charges. During the trial, Grant said people would come up to him on the street and question how he could defend such a person.

“Any criminal defense lawyer who doesn’t receive negative comments isn’t doing his job,” Grant said. “Every-body has an absolute right to defense. I’m quite proud of what I do because I feel like I defend the Constitution.

“If it wasn’t for people who do what we do, our Constitu-tion would almost be meaning-less because no one is defend-ing it or making the state comply with the things that the Constitution requires. I think we play a vital and significant role within the criminal justice system.”

Despite all the challenges, Grant said the most rewarding

part of being a criminal de-fense lawyer is helping people resolve problems and enabling them to move forward with their life.

“I enjoy helping people who have difficulty helping them-selves and vindicating some-one who has been wrongfully accused. There’s no greater feeling than a jury coming back with a not guilty verdict when you know the state hasn’t proven its case and your client hasn’t done anything wrong,” Grant said.

For Gilbert, helping clients who have been wrongfully accused is the most important aspect of his job.

“There’s nothing better than fighting at great odds on behalf of an individual who’s being wrongfully targeted by the system and prevailing,” Gilbert said. “To me, that’s the essence of what being a lawyer is all about.”

Gilbert

Grant

O.J. case 20-year anniversary brings back memoriesKRISTEN MOTT | STAFF [email protected]

Oct. 3, 2015 marked the 20th anniversary of the O.J. Simpson verdict. Two decades ago, Simpson was found not guilty in the

deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, who were fatally stabbed during the evening of June 12, 1994.

At the time of the trial, Terry H. Gilbert, a criminal and civil rights attorney in Cleveland, served as a legal commentator in the media on the Simpson case. He also spent time collabo-rating with Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck, two lawyers on Simpson’s defense team who later co-founded the Innocence Project, a na-tional litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.

“Because of that case I got involved in the application of DNA evidence in criminal cases,” Gilbert said. “I went on to be a part of the Ohio Innocence Project to help people who were innocent get out of prison.”

Cleveland criminal lawyer David L. Grant al-ready was entrenched in his legal career during the O.J. Simpson trial, but he said the verdict changed people’s perceptions of the criminal justice system.

“There was a significant period of time where people were skeptical of the system – and unnecessarily so. I think the case was some-what of an aberration and probably shouldn’t have made people that skeptical,” he said.

The Simpson case also highlighted racism that was present in America, Gilbert said.

Mark Fuhrman, a former detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, was caught on audiotape making racial slurs. On the other side of the coin, Gilbert explained that people blamed the predominantly black jury for Simp-son’s acquittal.

“The case reminded us that we have a long way to go in fleshing out discrimination and racial bias in the criminal justice system,” Gilbert said. “And now we see 20 years later the Black Lives Matter movement and the Tamir Rice issue and all the concerns about inequality in the criminal justice system. That case was a big factor in highlighting all of that, but we still have problems so many years later.”


Elk & Elk touts family values in sports branding partnershipsCARLO WOLFF | STAFF [email protected]

Arthur M. Elk and his brother, David, view their Mayfield Heights law firm as family. So it

made sense to Elk & Elk to hook up with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital in a campaign designed to spur donations to the clinic for its efforts in quelling, perhaps even defeating, pediatric cancer.

To Arthur Elk, his firm, like the sports teams with which it partners, is all about family values. Besides the Cavaliers, Elk & Elk has entered into branding partnerships with the Cleve-land Browns, the Cleveland Indians and The Ohio State University football and basketball teams. It is the official law firm of all those teams.

“Our law firm’s attorneys and staff are big fans of our local professional and college sports teams,” Elk said. “It goes without saying that Northeast Ohio has the most loyal fans in the country.

“In my mind’s eye, sports carries on traditional family values, of being together and having fun together,” Elk added. “Because Elk & Elk is a family

law firm, I saw a connection. I saw a mutual connection between what we do in our law firm and the same values that are generated by families enjoying their sports teams.”

A good example of this type of partnership is a new campaign against pediatric cancer linking Elk & Elk, the Cavaliers and the Cleveland Clinic. The campaign came about over lunch between Arthur Elk and “Mr. Cava-lier,” Austin Carr.

“About two weeks ago, I had lunch with Austin Carr, who works for the Cavs,” Elk recalled. “Austin came up with the remarkable saying, ‘Get that weak stuff out of here,’ and when he says that now, we’re referring to pedi-atric cancer.”

When Elk asked Carr where he got that saying from, the former profes-sional basketball player said that when he was a kid, when he or a teammate would block an opponent’s shot, they’d turn that memorable phrase.

So whenever a Cavalier blocks a shot, the scoreboard at The Q flashes the news, broadcasting Elk & Elk’s dedicated website for the cause (elkandelk.com/WeakStuff). The firm, along with the Cavs and the Clinic,

also pushes the cause on social media.“I think it’s strategic alliances like

this that are focused on traditional values that allow law firms and sports teams to create attractive examples for our children,” Elk said. “It’s all about

giving back to the community – and to these sports teams. I think of our firm as a team. We have over 100 people at Elk & Elk and we work very hard every day, just like these teams do.”

Elk & Elk, Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital and the Cleveland Cavaliers have created a partnership to benefit the community.

Stone, Supler become principals at McCarthy, Lebit, Crystal & Liffman Co

Susan C. Stone and Kristina W. Supler have each been promoted to principal at McCarthy, Lebit, Crys-

tal & Liffman Co. “The firm is proud

of both Susan and Kristina’s growth,” said Kenneth B. Liffman, a manag-ing principal at the firm. “We are excited to see the continued success of both their individual practices and blended educa-tion and criminal practice.

Stone began her career with the firm in 2011. She leads the firm’s education practice and possess a strong litigation background. She focuses on education

law concerning students of all ages, including Title IX actions, academic charges of dishonesty and special edu-cation law. She also handles employment law issues and criminal defense matters.

Stone received her bachelor’s degree at Miami University in Oxford and earned her law degree rom the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland.

Supler joined the firm in 2014 in the criminal, cyber and white collar practice. She represents individuals and businesses in federal and state courts at the trial and appellate levels. She has extensive experience defending clients charged with cyber crimes, sexual offenses and fraud-related offenses, including tax fraud, health care fraud, mortgage fraud and money laundering.

Supler received her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and earned her law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Stone

Supler

CWRU law school launches video podcastsCase Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland launched a new

video podcast series and speakers bureau in an effort to make its faculty expertise available to a wider audience.

The video podcast series, “Faculty View from CWRU,” features brief expert com-mentaries on cutting-edge legal developments. The 10-minute videos will be posted every few weeks on YouTube.

Faculty participating in the law school’s faculty speakers’ bureau provide free lunchtime talks at law firms on more than 30 contemporary legal issues. Nearly a dozen law firms have hosted CWRU law faculty over the last few months. The speak-ers’ bureau is available to firms in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

CWRU law faculty members also have participated in the “Case Downtown” pro-gram at the Cleveland City Club, which features monthly breakfast continuing legal education presentations that are free to attendees.

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Dealing with dueling experts – and finding the right oneJONAH L. ROSENBLUM | STAFF [email protected]

The Tamir Rice case put a spotlight on the use of expert witnesses – even though it never went to trial.

First, the Cuyahoga County Prosecu-tor’s Office released three expert reports labeling the shooting “tragic, but reason-able.” Then, the attorneys representing Rice’s family released two expert reports of their own directly rebutting the prior reports.

It raised two questions. How often does a jury see contrasting

expert reports and witnesses? Also, what does a jury do when con-

fronted with differing explanations on a topic they’re only barely beginning to understand?

After all, per Rule 702 in the Ohio Rules of Evidence, an expert witness may only testify on “matters beyond the knowledge or experience possessed by lay persons” or to dispel “a misconception common among lay persons.” In other words, experts testify on matters jurors weren’t familiar with prior to trial, and now disagreeing professors are in charge of teaching them, so to speak.

The jury is protected to some extent

by the judge, who is often referred to as the gatekeeper, according to Michael C. Hennenberg, a criminal defense lawyer in Mayfield Heights.

Similarly, Rule 702 requires that the “witness’ testimony is based on reliable scientific, technical or other specialized information,” setting a standard, however small, that must be met by expert reports and expert witnesses.

“It can’t be one person’s theory of sci-ence,” Hennenberg said. “That’s referred to usually as junk science.”

Still, particularly with cases as com-plex as the Rice case, medical malpractice cases or white-collar crime cases, expert testimony is common, and with it, dueling expert opinions.

“When you have one expert, more often than not, you’re going to have another one, and so you have this dueling of opinion,” criminal defense lawyer Ian N. Friedman said. “Every party is going to be able to find an expert that backs their position.”

Ultimately, it comes down to the jury to decide which expert is right.

“The jury is considered the ultimate lie detector, and it falls totally within their province to believe all, part or nothing of a witness’ testimony,” Hennenberg said.

That’s why picking the right expert is so critical, and indeed requires a sensibil-ity that smacks as much of the political arena as the legal one.

For example, the term “carpetbagger,” referring to someone from out of town, is loathed in politics. It’s also something to avoid when picking an expert witness, according to Friedman.

“If you’re going to go out of town, it’s got to be for a good reason,” Friedman said.

In other words, if counsel brought in a biologist from Harvard University, who happened to be the top biologist in the country, no jury would question that. It makes sense why legal counsel went all the way to Cambridge, Mass., to find its expert. That was the top expert in the country, after all. On the other hand, if counsel picked a relatively random biolo-gist from Philadelphia, the jury might wonder why counsel couldn’t find anyone closer, and if it really turned into a desperate search for someone who would advocate counsel’s position.

“I think the juries do give great weight to good experts,” Friedman said. “If you have the wrong expert, someone who turns off the jury or makes them think that you just went and got some hired gun

who will say anything, that will really undermine your case, because that will call, really, the entire credibility of your case into question.”

That’s where picking the right expert gets even more complicated, because just like picking a winning political candidate, the smartest guy in the room isn’t neces-sarily the one that’s most likely to win. Friedman noted that he wants the “dean of their field,” someone who has all the academic recognition, but also someone who “the jury can really relate with.”

The jury, like with a political candi-date, will scrutinize everything about a witness, making presentation perhaps as important as substance. That’s why once a lawyer finds a good expert witness, he or she might go back to that same witness numerous times. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

“You’ve got to have someone who very smoothly takes complicated questions and can break it down where a jury just kind of says, ‘Oh, I get it now,’” Friedman said. “The key to all of this and to any trial really is you have to be exceptionally strategic when setting up your case and determining who is going to testify and in doing that you always have to ask yourself what is a jury going to think.”

Does ‘Law & Order’ disturb legal order? JONAH L. ROSENBLUM | STAFF [email protected]

For many Americans, their only glimpse inside a courtroom is through television shows like

“CSI” and “Law & Order.” Jury duty would be a rude awakening

then, according to local experts.“There’s a very small semblance to

what really goes on,” said Roger Synen-berg of the law firm Synenberg, Coletta & Moran, LLC.

So little semblance that Synenberg said he generally avoids such shows.

Criminal defense attorney Ian N. Friedman said he goes “a little crazy” watching the way questions are asked and testimony is elicited.

“I just think it feeds the public a com-pletely different perception and expecta-tion as to what should be presented,” Friedman said. “I guess I would be like a doctor watching one of the medical shows and the surgeon sews the person up wrong. Nobody else would notice that.”

Yet, Friedman, Synenberg and their colleagues can’t avoid that such shows exist and are reaching their potential jurors. Indeed, Friedman and Synen-berg said that lawyers directly allude to such shows when telling a jury what to expect.

“I always address TV shows like that because I have to dispel any notion that this case is going to be like that,” Fried-man said. “There’s just the little things I pick up on and it drives me nuts, but I can’t ignore it. I have to address those points in jury selection today.”

“People are starting to hold (prosecu-tors) to a higher standard based upon what they’re watching on television, and it’s a rare case where the prosecu-tor does everything they should do,” Synenberg said.

What’s an example of potentially damaging expectations created by a show like “Law & Order?”

Frequently, on such shows, a witness will break down and give a knowing glance at the defendant – or the defen-dant will fall apart on the stand. As frequent as that might be on the show, it’s not frequent in real life, according to Friedman.

“I address that on day one with my clients,” Friedman said. “There’s to be absolutely no emotion in the courtroom regardless of what someone may say about them.”

Worse yet, after watching such shows, a jury might expect a defendant to testify, and deem it suspicious when he or she chooses not to.

“In real life, (defendants testifying)

is the exception to the rule,” Friedman said. “The problem is the people have seen the defendant testify every single night during primetime, so the reason this guy isn’t testifying is he’s got to be hiding something, so you really do have to address that.”

Conversely, while television watchers see plenty of emotion on the stand, they don’t see what takes place outside of the courtroom and what a truly traumatic experience a trial is, according to Syn-enberg. Trials can tear apart plaintiffs, defendants and their respective families.

“Anybody who has been through it will know what I’m talking about,” Synenberg said. “Sometimes, (being a lawyer is) like being an oncologist, like you’re delivering bad news all the time.”

And while you can only show so much torment in an hour, an hour that typically includes the police detective work as well as the trial, much torment comes as a result of how long the crimi-nal justice system takes. Synenberg said that clients often ask him, “How much longer is this going to go?” He de-scribed one client who has already been investigated for years only to finally be indicted, ensuring further pain.

“’A Law and Order” episode show be-gins with the crime, and one hour later, ends with, 99 out of 100 times, a convic-

tion,” Friedman said. That’s quite unlike real life. Among the things that take longer

than such shows depict is the presen-tation of evidence. While Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy might suddenly whip out the gun used in the crime, in reality lawyers have to establish where that evidence came from first. The same goes for presenting experts at trial.

And then there’s the behind-the-scenes, beyond-the-courtroom work.

“For every hour in the courtroom, I figure I spend between 15 and 20 in preparation,” Synenberg said.

And while such shows usually depict a vigorous prosecution and defense, they frequently don’t reflect the impedi-ment of money, which is often near the forefront of real-life litigation.

All of which leaves a jury about to enter a courtroom very much unlike the one they might have envisioned.

“Society evolves. So does strategy in the courtroom,” Friedman said. “You have to address the current jurors, the present-day jurors, and you have to address all of their concerns and experiences. They are different today than they were five years ago, and they will be very different particularly as the advent of technology continues.”


Meyers, Roman, Friedberg and Lewis marks 20th anniversaryJULIA FAIR | SPECIAL TO THE CJN

Anne Meyers’ and Barbara Roman’s names fi rst appeared next to each other on their freshman year dorm-room door. Now, Meyers’ and Ro-

man’s name rest next to each other in the name of the now 20-year-old Cleveland-area law fi rm.

The law fi rm of Meyers, Roman, Friedberg and Lewis celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015. In those 20 years, the fi rm has changed names, locations and grew from four lawyers to 32.

“Basically, we were lucky,” said Anne Meyers, the founding partner. “We started with a certain base of clients and as my clients interests got bigger, we would hire people just to make sure we had what our clients needed.”

Meyers, a member of The Temple Tifereth-Israel in Beachwood and Cleveland, was 43 when she left the Kahn Kleinman law fi rm, which since has merged with the law fi rm of Taft Stettinius and Hollister LLP. Meyers opened her fi rm with three other lawyers from Kahn Kleinman, adding Roman one year later.

“When she decided to start putting this fi rm to-

gether, she was looking for reliable lawyers she could trust, so she called me,” Roman said, pointing to their long friendship stemming from their time spent at The Ohio State University in Columbus.

When Roman, a member of Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights and Pepper Pike, joined the legal team, the fi rm was located in a building on Rockside Road. With Roman joining the team, there wasn’t enough space there, she said. When the lease ended, the fi rm moved to its current building on Chagrin Boulevard in Woodmere, where it occupies almost the whole fl oor now, Roman said.

“The growth of the fi rm is because we all grew,” Meyers said. “We all grew into and expanded our prac-tices. As we made partners in the fi rm, those partners were involved in management in important decisions.”

Those decisions, Meyers said, made her realize her start up fi rm was working, joking that she didn’t have to ask anyone for permission about the decisions.

Then, about four years ago, Meyers stepped down as managing partner. Now, a management committee runs the fi rm, she said. Meyers still practices law full time at the fi rm and is also a partner with the fi rm.

Peter Turner, current managing partner, joined the fi rm in 2006. He said a big part of his job is managing the growth of the fi rm.

“In order to serve the business, we need to have the resources, mainly people, to fi ll the need for our cli-ents,” said Turner, a member of The Temple Tifereth-Israel.

Turner added that he’s not sure if growth is in the future for Meyers Roman, but that it will continue to adapt as needed.

Scott Lewis, administrative partner, worked with Meyers at Khan Kleinman, before joining the fi rm in 2002.

The more people added to the fi rm, the greater the product is that’s delivered to the client, said Lewis, a member of Park Synagogue.

“We’ve never grown for the sake of growth,” Lewis said. “We’ve grown judiciously.”

Julia Fair is a sophomore in the E.W. Scripps School of Jour-nalism at Ohio University in Athens.

Gardner, Guliano join Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis; Steinlage becomes partners Michael B. Gardner has joined the law practice as

of counsel. Gardner has a background in energy law and served as general counsel to the largest surface coal mining company in Ohio. He will be responsible for working closely with the fi rm’s construction, en-

ergy law, and occupational safety and health practice groups.

Robert N. Guliano is starting his law career and will concentrate on the intellectual, property, civil and commercial litigation, and construction practice

areas. Rachel L. Steinlage also has been promoted to

partner. She focuses her legal practice on civil and commercial litigation and creditors’ rights and bank-ruptcy.

Trusted Advisors. Respected Advocates.SM

with special mention to Christian R. Patno who was ranked #3 in Ohio and Top 5 Cleveland, Top 10 Ohio, Top 50 Cleveland and Top 100 Ohio, as well as David A. Schaefer who was also included in the Top 50 Cleveland and Top 100 Ohio rankings.

Congratulations to our 2016 Ohio Super Lawyers® Ann-Marie Ahern, Robert T. Glickman, Kimon P. Karas, Robert R. Kracht, Kenneth B. Liffman, Christian R. Patno, Richard A. Rabb, David A. Schaefer and John S. Seich and

2016 Ohio Super Lawyers® Rising Stars™ Vincent J. Calo, Nicholas J. Celebrezze, Anne Walton Keller, Jack E. Moran and Kristina W. Supler

Ann-Marie

NickVince

Bob

Annie

KimonRob

KristinaJohnDavid

RichardChris

Jack

Ken


Evenchik, Broski partners at Frantz Ward Aaron S. Evenchik and Todd A. Broski were

elected partners at Frantz Ward LLP. Evenchik serves on the executive board of the Cleveland Hillel Founda-tion, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland community planning committee and the University Heights finance committee. He is chairman of the developers council for the Cleveland Home Builders Association.

Trial attorney group elects officersThe Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys

elected its new officers and trustees for 2016. New officers include president John J. Garvey III,

vice-president Brian D. Kerns, secretary James N. Kline, treasurer Jill K. Mercer and immediate past president James L. Mann.

Trustees elected include Thomas J Antonini; An-thony E. Brown; Thomas P. Erven; Richard M. Garner; Gary L. Grubler; Amy Mass; Mark F. McCarthy; Paul W. McCartney; Michael M. Neltner; David W. Peck; Jamey T. Pregon; Daniel A. Richards; Benjamin C. Sasse; Elizabeth T. Smith; T. Andrew Vollmar; and Natalie M. E. Wais.

The mission of OACTA is to promote fairness, excellence and integrity in the civil justice system by providing resources and education to attorneys and others dedicated to defense of civil actions.

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Maddin, Hauser adds Swedler Aaron M. Swedler has joined Maddin, Hauser Roth

& Heller. Swedler will serve of counsel and help expand the

capabilities of the firm’s health care practice and cor-porate/employment groups.

“Aaron brings a great deal of specialized legal expertise to our growing team and also aids in expand-ing our firm’s presence in Ohio,” said Steven D. Sallen, president and CEO of the firm.

Swedler received a bachelor’s degree in business from Miami University in Oxford and a master’s de-gree in business administration from Cleveland State University. He earned his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Moskowitz Firm marks five yearsSuzann Moskowitz celebrated

her fifth year of business with The Moskowitz Firm.

A Stanford-law trained attorney with more than 10 years of large firm and in-house experience, Moskowitz partners with individu-als and businesses to identify and protect their intellectual property and handle a variety of contracts, with a strong focus on trademarks

and brand identity. Moskowitz started her firm in 2010. Over the last

five years, she’s worked with more than 150 entrepre-neurs and businesses.

“Having Suzann as our legal counselor is impera-tive to our firm,” said Julia Toke, managing partner of Susie Frazier, Inc. “She understands our business demands, including tight turnarounds on trademark and copyright matters, and consistently delivers fairly priced and timely legal work.”

Moskowitz is a member of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library board of trustees and recent graduate of Cleveland Bridge Builders. She also devotes pro bono time to Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and entrepreneurial associations such as Bad Girl Ventures.

“When I hear of my clients setting up meetings with each other and not just trading business cards, I take immense pride in fostering a chain of true connec-tions,” Moskowitz said.

Moskowitz

BriefsZASHIN & RICH LAWYERS NAMED SUPER LAWYERS, RISING STARS: Six lawyers at Zashin & Rich were named 2016 Super Lawyers, including Brad E. Bennett, George S. Crisci, Jon M. Dileno, Jonathan J. Downes, Michele L. Jakubs and Stephen S. Zashin. Helena Oroz, Ami J. Patel and David R. Vance were named Rising Stars.

44 ATTORNEYS HONORED AT REMINGER: Forty-four attorneys at Reminger were selected as 2016 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars. Super Lawyers include Stephan Kremer, Shelby McMillan, D. Cheryl Atwell, Hugh Bode, Joseph Cavasinni, Andrew Dorman, Adam Fried, Martin Galvin, Marc Groedel, Gregory Guice, Thomas Kilbane, Frank Leonetti III, Franklin Malemud, Clifford Masch, William Meadows, Russell Meraglio Jr., Ronald Mingus, Richard Raymond, Christine Santoni, Michelle Sheehan, John Stalzer, Brian Sullivan, James Turek, Stephen Walters, Leon Weiss, Gregory Brunton, Warren Enders, Ronald Fresco, Paulette Ivan, Donald

Moracz, Jeanne Mullin, Laurie Avery and Thomas Prislipsky. Rising Stars include Joseph Borchelt, Anthony Catan-zarite, Brian Gannon, Jonathan Krol, Bethanie Murray, Brian Nally, Melvin Davis, Zachary Pyers, Kevin Sanislo, Matthew Schrader and David Hudson.

31 ATTORNEYS AT TUCKER ELLIS NAMED SUPER LAW-YERS: Thirty-one attorneys at Tucker Ellis LLP have been named 2016 Ohio Super Lawyers. They include Henry Billingsley, Ann Caresani, Thomas Coffey, Harry Cornett, Stephen Ellis, Robert Hanna, Jeffrey Healy, Christopher Hewitt, Laura Hong, Irene Keyse-Walker, John Lewis, Irene MacDougall, Rita Maimbourg, John McCaffrey, Mark McCarthy, Joseph Morford, Matthew Moriarty, Glenn Morrical, Carl Muller, Brian O’Neill, Thomas Ostrowski, Anthony Petruzzi, Susan Racey, Keith Raker, Dustin Rawlin, Benjamin Sasse, Patricia Seifert, Scott Stitt, Robert Tucker, Jeffry Weiler and Kevin Young.

13 AT TUCKER ELLIS HONORED AS RISING STARS: Thirteen attorneys at Tucker Ellis LLP were selected as 2016 Ohio Rising Stars. The attorneys include Karl Bek-eny, Michael Brink, Sarah Bunce, John Favret, Jonathan Feczko, Erica James, Arun Kottha, Seth Linnick, Clifford Mendelsohn, Chelsea Mikula, Erika Ostrowski, Justin Rice and Seth Wamelink.

ELK & ELK ATTORNEYS NAMED SUPER LAWYERS: Five attorneys at Elk & Elk were named to the Super Lawyers Top 100 Ohio and Top 50 Cleveland lists. The attorneys include James M. Kelley III, John P. O’Neil, Philip A. Kuri, Marilena DiSilvio and William J. Price.

BUCKLEY KING ATTORNEYS RECOGNIZED: Brent M. Buckley and Harry W. Greenfield have been named Cleveland’s Top 50 Lawyers for 2016 by Super Lawyers. Buckley is a managing partner at Buckley King and Greenfield is a partner with the firm.

Information was submitted by law firms

Dworken cy pres efforts top $27 millionDworken & Bernstein has surpassed $27 million

in cy pres distributions to charities and nonprofits in Greater Cleveland.

The firm also was named as Best Lawyers 2016 and Martindale Hubbell Top Rated Lawyers AV Preemi-nent 2016.


LOCAL LAWYERS / SUPER ATTORNEYSMEET SOME NOTEWORTHY JEWISH ATTORNEYS*

Name: Fred J. ArnoffFirm: Weston Hurd LLPSpecialty: Business law, commer-cial law, real estate, bankruptcy, employment law, estate planningYears as an Attorney: 40Years as an “Super Lawyer”: 7 Also, The Best Lawyers in America (7 years); Who’s Who in American Law (16 years)

Why I enjoy being an Attorney: A career as a lawyer is a special calling. As lawyers, we are in an extraordinary position to assist individuals, business organizations and promote the public good. Over 40 years of prac-tice, my clients have constantly challenged me with problems that are almost always different, intellectually stimulating and never boring.

Name: Matthew D. Besser Firm: Bolek Besser Glesius LLCSpecialty: Employment discrimina-tion and civil rights Years as an Attorney: 11Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 3Why I enjoy being an Attorney: The practice of law is about service to the community. People typically come to me because something

awful and emotionally traumatic has happened to them. The chance to make a positive, lasting impact – not only on their lives – but on the community as a whole, is tremendously fulfi lling.

Name: Seth BriskinFirm: Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & LewisSpecialty: Labor and employment lawYears as an Attorney: 20Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 5Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I en-joy the respect and credibility that I receive from being an attorney. This

reverence is commonly demonstrated in lawyer jokes like “What is the difference between a dead skunk in the road and a dead lawyer in the road?” “There are skid marks in front of the skunk.”

Name: Peter BrosseFirm: Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & LewisSpecialty: Business and real estateYears as an Attorney: 31Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 1

Name: Robert E. ChudakoffFirm: Ulmer & Berne LLPYears as an Attorney: 28 Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 4Why I enjoy being an Attorney: Being a lawyer is both challenging and gratifying. My practice area, IP litigation, presents interesting problems in a variety of technolo-gies and businesses. I enjoy the

challenge of solving complex legal issues while at the same time helping clients achieve their goals.

Name: David R. CohenFirm: David R. Cohen Co. LPASpecialty: Federal special master, mediator, arbitratorYears as an Attorney: 25Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 2Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I excel at helping parties and Judges resolve complex cases. Settling dif-fi cult disputes is how I help “bring

Justice into the world.” It is very satisfying to help parties and their attorneys conclude a lawsuit, allowing them to put their “tsuris” behind them.

Name: Michael H. DiamantFirm: Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLPSpecialty: Intellectual Property; LitigationYears as an Attorney: 45Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 12Why I enjoy being an Attorney: Be-ing an attorney provides me with the opportunity to solve problems and learn new things. I learn new

technologies and applications each time I open a case. Being a lawyer provides me with skills I can share and use in community, and enables me to assume leader-ship roles in organizations.

Name: Brandon DuberFirm: Bentoff & Duber Co., L.P.A.Specialty: Personal InjuryYears as Attorney: 10 Years Named “Super Lawyer Rising Star”: 4Why I enjoy being an Attorney: As an attorney, I take great pride in helping those who are unable to help them-selves. Whether a person is injured,

disabled, or faces criminal allegations, I enjoy taking on the challenge of helping people through their most diffi -cult times and restoring a sense of normalcy to their lives.

Think consisTency

Learn more at ulmer.com

Named the highest ranking attorney in Ohio four years in a row – Ohio Super Lawyers 2016

For the fourth consecutive year, Ulmer & Berne partner and Litigation Department Chair Michael N. Ungar has been named the highest ranking attorney in the state (out of approximately 44,000 active attorneys) on the 2016 Ohio Super Lawyers List.

In addition, Mike was selected as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the country by Benchmark Litigation (2015; 2016) named the Best Lawyers® 2016 Bet-the-Company Litigation “Lawyer of the Year” in Cleveland; and ranked in Band 1 for General Commercial Litigation alongside only six other Ohio attorneys by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

Congratulations, Mike.

Michael n. Ungar


Name: Rob DubyakFirm: Dubyak Nelson LLCYears as an Attorney: 23Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 7

Name: Mark S. EdelmanFirm: McGlinchey StaffordSpecialty: Consumer financial ser-vices compliance Years as an Attorney: 30 Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 9Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I en-joy working with corporate clients to reach creative legal solutions to their problems. Oftentimes in the

compliance area, answers aren’t black and white. It’s my job to navigate the various laws to get the client the result they seek, even if it’s not the most obvious course of action.

Name: Aaron S. EvenchikFirm: Frantz Ward LLPSpecialty: Construction, real estate and zoning, both transaction and litigation Years as an Attorney: 15Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 4Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I love helping clients accomplish goals, resolve disputes, negotiate

and allocate risk, and protect their ideas and invest-ments. My practice lets me combine my degree in civil engineering, law degree, and love of presentation to best advocate for clients in front of courts, zoning boards, arbitrators, mediators and dealmakers.

Name: Adam M. Fried Firm: Reminger Co., LPASpecialty: Trust and estate litigation Years as an Attorney: 20 Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 5Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I help my clients navigate the legal challenges posed by estate and trust litigation. I understand the emotion-al toll that these disputes can have

on both individuals and families, so I especially enjoy the reward of developing and executing legal strategies to help guide them to a successful conclusion.

Name: Joshua B. FuchsFirm: Cohen Rosenthal & Kramer LLP Specialty: Consumer class actions; financial malpractice; employment Years as an Attorney: 5Years Named “Super Lawyer Rising Star”: 1Why I enjoy being an Attorney: Each day is an opportunity to be of service and to provide a tangible benefit for

my clients.

Name: James A. GoldsmithFirm: Ulmer & Berne LLPYears as an Attorney: 35Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 13Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I enjoy working with our clients to solve both personal and tax plan-ning issues for their benefit and the benefit of multiple generations of their families. Also, helping clients

with difficult intra-family situations to minimize and resolve conflict is very satisfying and rewarding.

Name: Ira S. Goffman Firm: Rolf Goffman Martin Lang LLPSpecialty: Healthcare Law Years as an Attorney: 35 Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 13Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I love being an attorney because it is interesting, exciting, challenging and fun. It provides me with the op-portunity to be a passionate advo-

cate for clients and develop the experience, knowledge and expertise in health-care law to help solve clients’ problems in the ever-changing world of health-care law.

Name: Daniel A. GottesmanFirm: Ulmer & Berne LLPYears as an Attorney: 8Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 2Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I en-joy the thrill of negotiating and clos-ing transactions for clients, as well as the satisfaction of fostering genu-ine relationships built on trust with clients and fellow attorneys.

Rabin&Rabin Co. LPA

Mary Ann “Mickey” Rabin Julie Rabin Falck

Bankruptcy – not a failure, but a fresh start55 Public Square, Suite 1510Cleveland, OH 44113 P 216-771-8084 | F [email protected] | [email protected]

Ian Friedman and Eric Nemecek are proud to announce that Friedman & Nemecek L.L.C., have opened the doors to their new firm. The tradition of excellence within the realm of Criminal, Cyber, and White Collar defense will continue as we will be joined by a team of lawyers experienced in all facets of defense litigation. While individually formidable, our greatest strength has always been in our team approach to each case. Our wealth of resources has historically enabled us to formulate and execute the highest level defenses to complex allegations across the United States and abroad. Just as important, the attorneys at Friedman & Nemecek L.L.C., will always be committed to our civic duties within the community. We look forward to giving our time and skill to the legal community and to those in need.

Friedman & Nemecek, L.L.C.The IMG Center, 1360 E. 9th Street, Suite 650, Cleveland, Ohio 44114

P: 216.928.7700 · www.fanlegal.com


Name: Howard M. GroedelFirm: Ulmer & Berne LLPYears as an Attorney: 33Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 3Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I still get a thrill from having clients ask for my advice when faced with their most important decisions. Being my client’s “fi rst call” is a great source of pride for me and allows me an op-

portunity to be part of the project from the very beginning.

Name: Marc GroedelFirm: Reminger Co., LPASpecialty: Medical malpractice and professional liability Years as an Attorney: 37Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 7

Name: Jill Friedman HelfmanFirm: Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLPSpecialty: Family law Years as an Attorney: 28Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 13Why I enjoy being an Attorney: My family law practice enables me to assist people who are at a low point in their lives, while supporting and counseling them to reach a brighter

future. I enjoy helping people to navigate and resolve diffi cult fi nancial and emotional issues. It is an incred-ibly rewarding job.

Name: Alan N. HirthFirm: Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & LewisSpecialty: Business litigationYears as an Attorney: 42Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 2Why I enjoy being an Attorney: Being a lawyer presents me with an opportunity to try to help people resolve problems in creative ways.

I enjoy working with people and I enjoy the adversary process. Being a litigator lets me learn about many types of businesses and subjects I had never previously dealt with.

Name: Jonathan HymanFirm: Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & LewisSpecialty: Labor and employmentYears as an Attorney: 18Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 1Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I enjoy being an attorney because of the satisfaction I receive from help-

ing clients fi x their problems so they get it right the next time. We spend more time with our employees than our families, and workplace law permits the unique oppor-tunity to address the issues that arise in this relation-ship.

Name: Ron Isroff Firm: Isroff Mediation Services, LLCYears as an Attorney: 47Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 13Why I enjoy being an Attorney: Having started a mediation practice three years ago after retiring from an active trial practice, I now work with industrious attorneys and their clients in an effort to resolve

disputes. The people are gracious, the legal and factual issues are interesting, the process is challenging and resolving disputes is gratifying.

Name: William S. Jacobson Firm: Nurenberg ParisSpecialty: Medical malpractice, with emphasis on obstetrical and pediatric casesYears as an attorney: 32Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 11 Why I became an attorney: I’m drawn to medical malpractice as I enjoy solving the puzzle these cases

present. Answers are not apparent, but buried in a few thousand pages of medical records. When the docu-ments arrive, I wait until evening when the phone stops ringing, shut my door, and comb the records for clues.

Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy is pleased to announce eight attorneys have

been selected as Super Lawyers on Ohio Super Lawyers magazine’s 2016 lists and

one attorney recognized as a Rising Star.

Included are David M. Paris, Jamie Lebovitz, William Jacobson, Jeffrey Leikin, Kathleen St. John, Jonathan Mester and David Herman. David M. Paris has been included on the Top 100 Super Lawyers list since 2007, as well as Top 50 Cleveland, Top 10 Ohio or Top 5 Cleveland honors in eight of the last ten years. David M. Paris, Jamie R. Lebovitz, Kathleen J. St. John and William S. Jacobson are all celebrating their 10th year being selected to Super Lawyers.

600 Superior Avenue, Suite 1200 Cleveland, Ohio 44114 Phone: (216) 621-2300 or Toll Free: (888) 900-6075 | www.nphm.com

David Herman

William JacobsonJamie Lebovitz

Jonathan Mester

Jeffrey LeikinDavid Paris

Andrew YoungKathleen St. John

For 2016, Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy was named as a “Tier 1” “Best Law Firm” by U.S. News - Best Lawyers® for personal injury - litigation in Cleveland. It was also named a “Tier 3” for Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs. David Paris and Jonathan Mester were recognized for their outstanding service in personal injury litigation - plaintiffs. Jamie Lebovitz was recognized for aviation law; William Jacobson was recognized for plaintiff’s medical malpractice; Kathleen St. John was recognized for plaintiff’s personal injury law; and Andrew Young was recognized for plaintiffs medical malpractice litigation.


Name: Rachel Kabb-EffronFirm: Kabb Law FirmSpecialty: Elder LawYears as an Attorney: 17Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 2Why I enjoy being an Attorney: The best part about being an elder law attorney is helping seniors navigate long-term care maze. Our holistic practice incorporates care and legal

and financial aspects of aging and allows for different puzzles to solve every day. Providing more dignity for an elder and peace of mind is incredibly rewarding.

Name: Ronald L. KahnFirm: Ulmer & Berne LLPYears as an Attorney: 42Why I enjoy being an Attorney: Helping clients navigate a complex and ever-changing area of the law and find creative solutions to ac-complish desired objectives.

Name: Mark D. KatzFirm: Ulmer & Berne LLP Years as an Attorney: 41Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 11Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I enjoy being involved early with a client in advising how to proceed with a certain course of action. When there is no advanced contact and then the client gets in trouble,

I switch hats and attempt to undo what wouldn’t have occurred had my advice been previously sought.

Name: Grant Keating Firm: Dworken & Bernstein Co., L.P.ASpecialty: Business law and com-mercial litigationYears as an Attorney: 10

Name: Joshua A. KlarfieldYears as an Attorney: 10Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 5

Name: James N. KlineFirm: Ulmer & Berne LLP Years as an Attorney: 31Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 5Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I am privileged to work with dedi-cated, smart, caring professionals. It provides a wonderful opportunity to learn new things about the law, products, services and our com-

munity while meeting a variety of people including colleagues, clients, witnesses, experts, judges and even opponents in working to resolve complex disputes.

Ohio Medical Malpractice & Personal Injury Attorneys

Mishkind Kulwicki Law Co., L.P.A. is proud to announce that Howard Mishkind and David Kulwicki were selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers for 2016 in the practice areas of plaintiff personal injury and medical malpractice. Mr. Mishkind has achieved this recognition for 11 years in a row and Mr. Kulwicki for the past five years.

Mishkind Kulwicki Law and Mr. Mishkind and Mr. Kulwicki, individually, have been recognized by Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Plaintiff Medical Malpractice Law, as well as Plaintiff Personal Injury Litigation.

Mention you saw us in the Cleveland Jewish News. Call for a free no-obligation

consultation

23240 Chagrin Blvd. | Suite 101 | Commerce Park IV | Beachwood, OH 44122 P: 216-595-1900 | F: 216-595-1633

www.mishkindlaw.com

Howard D. Mishkind, Esq. [email protected]

David A. Kulwicki, Esq. [email protected]

Mishkind Kulwicki Law Co., L.P.A. is proud to announce that Howard Mishkind and David Kulwicki were selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers for 2016 in the practice areas of plaintiff personal injury and medical malpractice. Mr. Mishkind has achieved this recognition for 11 years in a row and Mr. Kulwicki for the past fi ve years. Mishkind Kulwicki Law and Mr. Mishkind and Mr. Kulwicki, individually, have been recognized by Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Plaintiff Medical Malpractice Law, as well as Plaintiff Personal Injury Litigation.

Mention you saw us in the Cleveland Jewish News. Call for a free no-obligation consultation.

Ohio Medical Malpractice & Personal Injury Attorneys

Mishkind Kulwicki Law Co., L.P.A. is proud to announce that Howard Mishkind and David Kulwicki were selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers for 2016 in the practice areas of plaintiff personal injury and medical malpractice. Mr. Mishkind has achieved this recognition for 11 years in a row and Mr. Kulwicki for the past five years.

Mishkind Kulwicki Law and Mr. Mishkind and Mr. Kulwicki, individually, have been recognized by Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Plaintiff Medical Malpractice Law, as well as Plaintiff Personal Injury Litigation.

Mention you saw us in the Cleveland Jewish News. Call for a free no-obligation

consultation

23240 Chagrin Blvd. | Suite 101 | Commerce Park IV | Beachwood, OH 44122 P: 216-595-1900 | F: 216-595-1633

www.mishkindlaw.com

Howard D. Mishkind, Esq. [email protected]

David A. Kulwicki, Esq. [email protected]

Howard D. Mishkind, [email protected]

David A. Kulwicki, [email protected]

ResolvingComplex Disputes

For More Than20 Years

DAVID R. COHEN

Mediator, Arbitrator,Federal Special Master

216.831.0001 · Cleveland, Ohiowww.NeutralArbiter.com


Name: Keith KrausFirm: Dworken & Bernstein Co., L.P.ASpecialty: Business and real estateYears as an Attorney: 31Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 1

Name: Jack Landskroner Firm: Landskroner Grieco Merri-man, LLC (Team LGM)Specialty: Personal injury and con-sumer class action litigation Years as an Attorney: 24Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 13Why I enjoy being an Attorney: When everyday people are harmed by the wrongful or deceptive acts

of others, it is my legal representation that can be the sole basis of hope to give them a voice and provide them with accountability and a just remedy. A job does not get much better than that!

Name: Anthony J. Lazzaro Firm: The Lazzaro Law Firm, LLCSpecialty: Employment law (wage and hour)Years as an Attorney: 11Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 2Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I started my firm in 2006 to represent employees who are paid improper-ly. When I’m able to recover wages

for an entire group of employees and their employer eventually changes its unlawful practices, I feel like I’m taking small steps to repair the world – or at least the workplace.

Name: Jamie Lebovitz Firm: Nurenberg ParisSpecialty: Representing cata-strophically injured and families of wrongful death victims arising from transportation disasters involving aircraft, trucks, trains and automo-biles; as well as security negligence and unlawful use of force.Years as an Attorney: 33 years

Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 11 yearsWhy I Became an Attorney: At a young age I knew a career in law was my chosen profession. I was raised to help others who were less fortunate. I combined my interests in the law with my passion for righting those who’ve been wronged to represent folks who’ve suf-fered traumatic injuries or unimaginable loss.

Name: Jeffrey Leikin Firm: Nurenberg ParisSpecialty: Personal injury/medical negligenceYears as an Attorney: 31Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 8 Why I Became an Attorney: To become part of an honorable pro-fession that fulfills my desire, and goal, to reach out and help others

in need of assistance, and receiving back the satisfac-tion of knowing that I have accomplished that goal. Cleveland ■ Akron ■ Lorain County ■ 216-830-6830 ■ www.brouse.com

Congratulations to Marc and Irv on being selected as 2016 Ohio Super Lawyers.

Marc was also selected as a 2016 Top 50 Cleveland Super Lawyer and Top 100 Ohio Super Lawyer.

Marc B. MerklinManaging Partner,

Business Restructuring, Bankruptcy & Commercial

Irving B. Sugerman Partner,

Real Estate & Litigation

Collective Experience.Individual Excellence.

Buckingham Congratulates its 2016 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars!

Gregory P. AmendJustin S. Greenfelder

Andrew S. Haring

Joshua D. NolanAndrew J. Pullekins

Jon R. Stefanik

2016 Super Lawyers 2016 Rising Stars

Top 100: 2016 Ohio Super LawyersPete Cahoon, John Hill, Dirk Riemenschneider and John Slagter

Top 50: 2016 Cleveland Super LawyersPete Cahoon, Dirk Riemenschneider and John Slagter

Top 50: 2016 Women Ohio Super LawyersMarietta Pavlidis

Top 25: 2016 Cleveland Women Super LawyersMarietta Pavlidis

2016 Top Lists

Peter T. CahoonSteven A. DimengoDavid L. DrechslerJoseph J. FeltesBarry Y. Freeman

Nicholas T. GeorgeJeffrey A. Halm

Stephen M. HammersmithJohn F. Hill

David J. HrinaPatrick J. Keating

David Kern

David J. LindnerRobert W. Malone

Matthew H. MatheneyPatricia A. Pacenta

Marietta M. PavlidisJohn L. Reyes

Dirk E. RiemenschneiderSusan C. RodgersMark J. Skakun III

John P. SlagterRonald F. Wayne

David W. Woodburn

Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs LLC • A Northeast Ohio Business Law FirmAkron • Canton • Cleveland

bdblaw.com


Name: Joel Louis LevinFirm: Levin & Associates Co., L.P.A.Specialty: Legal and accounting malpractice, securities fraud and complex litigation Years as an Attorney: 32Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 7Why I enjoy being an Attorney: Through a fog of corruption, infl u-ence, sloth and bias, one can view

a legal system that relieves pain, corrects inequities and fi nds justice. My practice – recovering funds from breaches of trust and fi nancial incompetence from bankers, lawyers, accountants and advisors – lifts that fog suffi ciently to provide satisfaction as a lawyer.

Name: Scott LewisFirm: Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & LewisSpecialty: Mergers and a acquisi-tions; general business; franchising and trademarkYears as an Attorney: 31Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 2Why I enjoy being an Attorney:

I derive satisfaction from working with aspiring and established business owners and guiding them through the lifecycle of the business, from inception through sale/transition to the next generation of leadership. As an experienced business attorney I advise, support, educate and challenge the client, and to create value added beyond the documentation.

Name: Kenneth B. Liffman Firm: McCarthy, Lebit, Crystal & Liff-man Co., LPASpecialty: Real estate and con-struction, corporate, business and fi nanceYears as an Attorney: 37Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 13Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I

have a business background. I enjoy creating value and doing something positive. I do different things every day. I help clients achieve their goals, fi nancially and otherwise. I get to work with very smart lawyers and a great team. We are involved in the community and help numerous organizations.

Name: Franklin C. MalemudFirm: Reminger Co. LPASpecialty: Trust and estate litigationYears as an Attorney: 18Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 1Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I have a passion for solving complex problems. I fi nd it very rewarding to help, through zealous and compas-sionate advocacy, families in my

community address and solve the problems commonly present in trust, estate, wealth transfer, and inheritance claim disputes.

Name: Jack S. MalkinFirm: Jack S. Malkin, Esq.Specialty: Small business and consumer law Years as an Attorney: 30-plusYears Named “Super Lawyer”: 2Why I enjoy being an Attorney: My decision to become a lawyer was made at a very early age. I wanted to help people and be able to speak

for them when necessary. It is essential that an attorney not only be a strong advocate, but also be accessible, communicate well, and get positive results.

Name: Bruce P. MandelFirm: Ulmer & Berne LLPYears as an Attorney: 39Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 9

Name: Dale H. Markowitz Firm: Thrasher, Dinsmore & DolanSpecialty: Real estateYears as an Attorney: 40Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 1

Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I enjoy being an at-torney because it is challenging and gives me opportu-nities to work with and assist clients in avoiding legal problems and achieving their desired goals.

Name: Stephen A. MarkusFirm: Ulmer & Berne LLPYears as an Attorney: 36Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I enjoy being an attorney because it is challenging and gives me op-portunities to work with and assist clients in avoiding legal problems and achieving their desired goals.

Congratulations and Best Wishes

to all 2016 Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers and Rising Stars.


Name: Daniel L. MesseloffFirm: Jackson Lewis P.C.Specialty: Labor and employment lawYears as an Attorney: 14Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 6Why I enjoy being an Attorney: Be-ing an attorney allows me to help clients resolve legal and business problems they may have while

also allowing me to be creative and thoughtful in both coming up with solutions and in devising arguments to a court.

Name: Jonathan Mester Firm: Nurenberg ParisSpecialty: Medical malpractice, nursing home litigation, and com-plex personal injuryYears as an Attorney: 18 Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 16 Why I Became an Attorney: I be-came an attorney because I enjoy competing, being challenged and

working hard. I have continued to practice exclusively in the representation of people who have suffered serious injury or the death of a loved one because of the satis-faction I receive in helping people.

Name: Howard D. Mishkind Firm: Mishkind Kulwicki Law Co. L.P.A,Specialty: Medical negligence and catastrophic personal injury includ-ing serious truck and car collisionsYears as an Attorney: 35Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 11Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I enjoy protecting interests of those

injured due to negligence. Whether a medical mis-take occurred or a catastrophic accident caused injury or death, it is frequently diffi cult to know where to turn, whom to trust and whether the injury was preventable. I enjoy making sure individuals responsible are held accountable.

Name: Susannah Muskovitz Firm: Muskovitz & Lemmerbrock, LLCSpecialty: Labor and Employment Years as an Attorney: 31Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 11Why I enjoy being an Attorney: It is my passion to represent labor unions and individuals in employ-ment matters. I primarily work with

teachers, fi refi ghters, law enforcement offi cers, nurses, university professors and electrical workers. I have been an OSBA certifi ed specialist in labor and employ-ment law since 2002, the fi rst year of the designation.

Name: Gary OkinFirm: Dworken & Bernstein Co., L.P.ASpecialty: Family law, divorceYears as an Attorney: 38Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 12

Name: David M. Paris Firm: Nurenberg ParisSpecialty: Personal injuryYears as an Attorney: 37 Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 10Why I Became An Attorney: I repre-sent injured people; many are mi-norities. One client, a truck driver, lost his leg in a towing accident in southern Ohio. The client despaired

of getting justice from a conservative Judge and 12 white jurors … until they came back unanimously in his favor. It underscored why I’m a lawyer.

Name: Scott Perlmuter Firm: Title law Specialty: Professional malpractice, consumer litigation, personal injuryYears as an Attorney: 8Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 5Why I enjoy being an Attorney: It sounds trite, but I truly enjoy taking on those most challenging cases where others are unwilling to get

involved and fi ghting on behalf of my clients who need my help the most. Being an attorney affords me the opportunity to help my clients solve their most diffi cult problems.

Name: Howard RabbFirm: Dworken & Bernstein Co., L.P.ASpecialty: Bankruptcy and estate planning Years as an Attorney: 29Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 1

Name: Mary Ann (Mickey) Rabin Firm: Rabin & Rabin Co. LPASpecialty: BankruptcyYears as an Attorney: 37Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 9Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I earned my law degree 22 years after my college degree. For 25 of the past 37 years I have practiced with my daughter Julie Rabin Falck.

We are problem solvers for clients in fi nancial trouble. It is satisfying to help them through diffi cult periods in their lives.

Name: Mel ResnickFirm: Dworken & Bernstein Co., L.P.ASpecialty: Business law and com-mercial real 3stateYears as an Attorney: 49Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 2

Name: Jodi B. RichFirm: Ulmer & Berne LLPYears as an Attorney: 15Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I enjoy real estate law for the chal-lenges, the relationships that I have developed with clients and the ability to see the projects that I have worked on right here in Northeast Ohio.

Name: Barbara RomanFirm: Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & LewisSpecialty: Divorce and family lawYears as an Attorney: 38Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 5Why I enjoy being an Attorney: As a divorce and family law attorney, I get a hands-on opportunity to assist fami-lies going through major upheaval in

their lives. Divorce can be a disruptive life event but with re-spect, careful listening, creative thinking and true concern, that transition can be easier my clients and their children.

Name: Peter A. RomeFirm: Ulmer & BerneYears as an Attorney: 31Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 8Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I’m a passionate dot-connector and love to help businesses grow.

Name: Irving Rosner Firm: Dworken & Bernstein Co., L.P.A.Specialty: Worker’s compensation Years as an Attorney: 36Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 1

Name: Michael A. Saltzer Firm: The Skolnick Weiser Law FirmSpecialty: Personal injury-plaintiffYears as an Attorney: 27Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 3Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I enjoy being an attorney because it allows me an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people who couldn’t fi ght these battles by

themselves while providing an intellectually challenging career.

Name: Patricia A. ShlonksyFirm: Ulmer & Berne LLPYears as an Attorney: 31Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 11Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I en-joy working in an area that benefi ts most employees and employers and that keeps me educated about the legislative process. I especially like the intellectual challenge and

changing nature of the practice area.

Name: Eric M. SimonFirm: Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLPSpecialty: Health and life sciencesYears as an Attorney: 29Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 2Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I have devotedly serviced the regula-tory and business aspects of health care law for nearly three decades. The health-care terrain is a compli-

cated journey through physician, hospital, long-term care and physician groups. I fi nd it as adventuresome as the winding and fast-paced terrain of my other avoca-tion – motorcycle riding.


Jeremy--40

Name: Jeremy S. SosinFirm: Sosin Law LLCSpecialty: Commercial real estateYears as an Attorney: 19Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 3Why I enjoy being an Attorney: Being an attorney is a privilege and one I enjoy most when I am able to help my clients by assessing their risks and collaborating with them to

develop and execute a plan to reach their goal.

Name: Scott SperoFirm: Bentoff & Spero Co., LPASpecialty: Plaintiff’s personal injury, wrongful death and medical mal-practiceYears as an Attorney: 26Why I enjoy being an Attorney: It is an honor and a privilege to help people and families at a time when the help is most needed.

Name: Roger SynenbergFirm: Synenberg, Coletta and Mo-ran LLCSpecialty: White collar criminal defenseYears as an Attorney: 39Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 11Why I enjoy being an Attorney: It is a privilege to have people count on your counsel during their most

trying times. I enjoy helping people in my practice and I am grateful and blessed to be a lawyer.

Name: Peter TurnerFirm: Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & LewisSpecialty: Civil litigationYears as an Attorney: 34Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 9Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I enjoy working with people to solve their civil legal disputes, both busi-

ness and personal. While the process of dispute resolu-tion in our system of civil justice can be very stressful, it can also be a source of great satisfaction when conclud-ed properly and fairly.

Name: Michael N. Ungar Firm: Ulmer & Berne LLPYears as an Attorney: 31Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 12Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I am never bored. Every new case seems like an adventure. I learn new things, meet new, interesting peo-ple and confront new challenges. I also appreciate the opportunities

to give back to the community, including as a trustee of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.

Name: Mark WallachFirm: Thacker Martinsek LPASpecialty: Business Litigation Years as an Attorney: 41Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 13Why I enjoy being an Attorney: When I enjoy being an attorney, it’s because I feel as though I’ve made a business dispute come out right. Whether that means I’ve

brought about a good settlement, or won a victory in court, doesn’t matter as much as knowing that I’ve made a difference for my client.

Name: Mark I. Wachter Firm: Wachter Kurant, LLCSpecialty: Litigation and alternative dispute resolutionYears as an Attorney: 38Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 2Why I enjoy being an Attorney: While I am always an advocate for my clients, my greatest satisfac-tion comes from assisting clients

to resolve disputes through win/win resolutions, often involving creative solutions that can preserve relation-ships between the parties. The parties conserve resourc-es, terminate their dispute, and hopefully are able to work together in the future.

Name: Jerome F. Weiss Firm: Mediation IncSpecialty: Alternative dispute resolutionYears as an Attorney: 44Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 8Why I enjoy being an Attorney: Nationally recognized as an astute problem-solver in highly en-trenched and complex disputes, I

know how important it is for disputants to get out of the trunk of the litigation vehicle and take control. Helping people and institutions pivot forward with business and productive life without confl ict is profoundly gratifying.

Name: Leon A. WeissFirm: Reminger Co., LPASpecialty: Trust and estate litigation Years as an Attorney: 50Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 13Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I en-joy solving problems with a frame-work of rules; the law provides that opportunity. I enjoy the challenge the adversary process provides

as well as the sense of accomplishment that process allows for when matters are brought to conclusion. I en-joy the environment in which I perform my daily work.

Name: Peter H. Weinberger Firm: Spangenberg Shibley & Liber LLPSpecialty: Litigation; medical mal-practice; personal injuryYears as an Attorney: 41Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 12Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I am honored to pursue justice on

behalf of those who have suffered a serious injury or loss of a loved one. Many of my clients are referred to me by other lawyers in the Cleveland legal community, refl ecting my personal commitment to providing the best legal representation possible.

Name: Frederick N. WidenYears as an Attorney: 34Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 13Why I enjoy being an Attorney: I enjoy helping people with achiev-ing their business and personal objectives and solving and resolv-ing issues related thereto.

Name: Barbara Friedman YaksicFirm: McGlinchey StaffordSpecialty: Civil litigation, with an emphasis in the areas of consumer fi nance, commercial and complex business litigationYears as an Attorney: 35Years Named “Super Lawyer”: 8Why I enjoy being an Attorney: Like many others, reading “To Kill

A Mockingbird” inspired me to become an attorney. Al-though my practice is nothing like Atticus Finch’s, I enjoy helping people and companies resolve their disputes.

Name: Andrew A. ZashinFirm: Zashin & Rich Co., L.P.A.Specialty: Domestic relations law Years as an Attorney: 22-plusWhy I enjoy being an Attorney: We are a unique CLE legal asset. We have amongst the largest family law practices in Ohio, more cer-tifi ed specialists, listed “Best Lawyers” than any other similar

practice. We also routinely handle international family law matters, routinely trying cases in federal courts and have published in leading law legal journals.

Name: Larry W. Zukerman, Esq.Firm: Zuckerman, Daiker & Lear Co., L.P.A.Specialty: Criminal defenseYears as an Attorney: 30Why I enjoy being an Attorney: The practice allows me to fi ght for my clients rights and help them maneuver through the legal system

to win in court or prevent them from being criminally charged. Proactive, innovative and aggressive work many times vindicates the client and saves them from the embarrassment of formal criminal accusation.

* Attorneys included in this section completed a questionnaire that was emailed to attorneys and/or fi rms by the Cleveland Jewish News. Some opted not to answer all questions.

local lawyers, super attorneys

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