Local Lawyers / Super Attorneys 2023

SUPER ATTORNEYS

MARCH 23, 2023

Local Lawyers / Super Attorneys

A Columbus Jewish News Advertising Special Section

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MARCH 23, 2023

LOCAL LAWYERS

Bea & Heather Sowald Sowald Sowald Anderson Hawley & Johnson

B

ea and Heather Sowald said they started the first mother-daughter law firm in the state of Ohio and decades later consider themselves fortunate to have done so. This is due, in part, to how close they are, even finishing each others sentences.

“I am the luckiest person in the world,” Heather Sowald said of working with her mother.

“No, I am,” her mother Bea quickly responded.

“No, I am,” Heather replied.

Regarding her daughter, Bea Sowald said, “I cannot imagine not having her as part of my practice.”

Their partnership started in 1980, when they founded their law firm, Sowald Sowald Anderson Hawley & Johnson, which practices family law, handling divorces, property division, while using not only litigation but also alternative dispute resolution.

Bea Sowald, who graduated from law school in 1966, had previously worked for the Legal Aid Society of Columbus.

Despite working together for decades, the duo said they have never had any conflict.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been tempted to part ways,” Bea Sowald said.

“We’ve never argued,” Heather Sowald said.

“We have very different styles.”

For instance, Heather said her mother, “loves to know everything about the subject from the beginning of time forward.”

In contrast, she said of herself, “I like to know the pertinent details that I need to know now, so that decisions can be made.”

Also, while they work side-by-side in running the firm, they do not work together on cases.

“I don’t know that we’ve really ever had cases together,” Heather Sowald said. “We’ve always pretty much maintained separate, our own separate cases.”

While they started the firm together, Heather said her mother has always been an important resource for her.

“You know in the early days when I was learning how to practice law, it was so wonderful having mom there to train me how to practice law,” she said.

Sometimes, however, this could be awkward, Heather Sowald said.

“It was sometimes embarrassing when clients would ask questions that I didn’t know the answer to and I’d have to say I have to ask my mother,” she said.

“Your partner,” Bea Sowald responded.

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About Bea

About Heather

Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Beth Jacob Congregation Undergraduate: The Ohio State University Law School: The Ohio State University

Age: 68 Hometown: Gahanna Undergraduate: Case Western Reserve University Law School: Capital University

My Favorites …

Jewish holiday: Chanukah Deli sandwich: Tuna salad Vacation: Aruba Movie I recommend: “Roman Holiday”

“Well, the first few times I said my mother and then I learned to say I’ll talk with my partner about it,” Heather Sowald replied.

Bea Sowald said she has enjoyed every moment of their time working together.

“Oh, it was just lovely having her and I was always glad she asked me any questions,” she said.

Heather Sowald responded she was fortunate to learn from her mother due to her breadth of knowledge and the respect others in the legal community had for her.

“She is just so brilliant,” she said. “It’s wonderful learning from her. It was also such a bonus to me to go into the same courts where she was practicing and so I was treated with great respect by the judges and magistrates in our court because of my mother, because they knew her and had such respect for her.”

That relationship has continued to this day.

“She’s always been a resource for me,” Heather Sowald said of her mother.

In addition to different styles and different caseloads, both women have taken somewhat different professional paths.

Bea Sowald has been a judge in both the Franklin County Domestic Relations Court and the Franklin County Municipal Court. She has also served as co-editor of the “Ohio Domestic Relations” resource book annually since 1987.

Additionally, she served as chair of both the Columbus Bar Association’s and the Ohio State Bar Association’s family law committees and their respective professional ethics committees.

Heather Sowald has focused more so on professional associations.

She said, “Me, on the other hand, I have gotten very involved in bar associations and become president of the Columbus Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Franklin County

My Favorites …

Jewish holiday: Chanukah Deli sandwich: Bagel, lox and cream cheese Vacation: Italy, in particular visiting Pompeii Show I binge watched: “Wednesday” Movie I recommend: “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once”

Trial Lawyers Association, the Women Lawyers of Franklin County, the Columbus Bar Foundation, the Ohio State Bar Foundation” and others.

“My daughter is an organization junkie,” Bea Sowald responded.

“And I tend to become president of them,” Heather Sowald replied.

Looking back on their decades together, Bea Sowald said she is happy things turned out the way they did.

“I have the distinct pleasure of not only being her mother, but having her wanting to be with me in the business and she had other options and other offers when she got out of law school ...

So, I was very happy. I was very happy about the whole thing and I still am today,” she said.

However, it does not appear the next generation of Sowald women will be joining the firm.

Heather’s daughter, Alexis B. Kaplan, is an attorney, practicing in Boston. But that’s not necessarily what her mother and grandmother wanted.

“That was my hope and goal” having her join the firm, Heather Sowald said. “She does estate planning probate which is a natural fit with our family law practice, and she is licensed in Ohio, but she and her husband found a house out there in Boston. And so, they are there.”

“We knew once they bought a house they wouldn’t come back,” Bea Sowald said.

- Stephen Langel

SUPER ATTORNEYS

MARCH 23, 2023

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LOCAL LAWYERS

Mentorship, networking helps new attorneys succeed LISA MATKOWSKY

S

tarting a legal career right out of law school is exciting but can pose challenges. However, Keith E. Golden of Golden & Meizlish in Columbus and Terri W. Meldrum, senior vice president and general counsel of OhioHealth Corporation in Columbus, said there are solutions that can help ensure a successful start to a career.

“Looking back, I think the biggest obstacle is finding a good, seasoned lawyer to train and mentor you,” Meldrum said.

“Law school does a great job of teaching you how to ‘think’ like a lawyer but doesn’t necessarily train you to do the job of a lawyer. So, finding someone seasoned in that nuance who is willing to take you under their wing and teach you how to apply your law school education to the business of being a lawyer is vitally important.“ She also said newer lawyers should try to take on as wide a variety of matters as possible, even if the area of law is not what

Golden

Meldrum

they hope to focus on permanently.

“Getting a wide array of experiences early on in your career expands your perspective such that you are able to not only give your clients good legal advice but you can provide good counsel on the bigger picture,” Meldrum said.

Golden said another challenge for new attorneys deciding whether to start a solo practice or work for a law firm, the government or a corporation.

“Unfortunately, the deciding factor may be one’s financial situation; student loans,

marital status and dependents and financial resources,” he said. “Other controlling factors may be the law school attended and class rank, which will either open doors or close them.

“In today’s legal environment starting a solo practice is a major challenge. The second challenge would be the lack of frontline hands-on experience. Today, employers are seeking experience and there are not many positions that offer an incubator environment,” Golden said.

Golden noted first year attorneys should use research and networking to their advantage.

“Many local bar associations have established programs for startup attorneys, like the Columbus Bar Association,” he said. “They provide space, equipment and an environment to work with others at a reasonable cost.”

He said many courts have mentor programs for attorneys to work with experienced attorneys to gain basic

experience, such as the U.S. District Court Criminal Justice Act program and there are apps and programs on the internet that provide tools at a reasonable cost such as virtual assistants, billing and scheduling.

“Legal research tools are also available on the internet and through the bar association,” he said. “They are quite easy to find and enroll in. In addition, seek the advice of established attorneys. The best suggestion is to find an attorney who has an excess of business and needs assistance.”

Meldrum said, “Some of being a good lawyer in the early stages of your career are about watching, listening and trial by fire. But, generally speaking, I am a firm believer that sometimes you have to ‘slow down to speed up.’ The best way to start off successfully in this profession is to take time, listen, learn and dive into any challenge.”

Lisa Matkowsky is a freelance journalist.

Bloomberg Law: 52% of lawyers are burned out NOELL WOLFGRAM EVANS

“I find a balance when I’m on vacation where I set aside time in the morning and at the end of the day to run through emails so I’m not missing anything and I’m not overwhelmed when I get back.”

A

ccording to A.C. Strip of Strip, Hoppers, Leithart, McGrath & Terlecky Co. and Scott Friedman of Friedman & Mirman Co., both located in Columbus, burnout is a problem many attorneys face.

But they said there are ways to cope, and that is important, as the legal profession lends itself to stressful situations.

“A lot of lawyers are in the high-end stress of the business where every day is time sensitive,” Strip said.

Friedman said, “It’s difficult because sometimes you can’t get days off because of the nature of your case.”

Recent research bears this out as a 2022 survey by Bloomberg Law found 52% of lawyers reported being burned out. The study found this is the highest reported number in recent years and there are several factors leading to this rise.

That stress can come from clients and employers.

Strip said many lawyers can end up internalizing the stresses of their clients. ”I work with a lot of clients who try and transfer all of their anxieties to me as their lawyer,” he said.

On the other hand, the law firms these attorneys work for can be the ones driving the stress, Strip said.

“Some firms have billing requirements that

Friedman

Scott Friedman

Strip

are a tall order,” he said. “It can be very stressful to try and bill 2,100 or 2,200 hours a year, especially when you realize how many actual working days there … are in a year.”

Regardless of the source, it is important for attorneys to find a way to deal with this, not only for themselves, but for their clients, co-workers and others, Friedman said.

“Stress is a chain across the office and people tend to take it out, oftentimes unintentionally, on their co-workers,” he said.

There are warning signs to look for, Friedman said.

“When you see someone making mistakes that they normally wouldn’t (make) that’s a big red flag,” he said.

Friedman said while lawyers may have understanding colleagues, it’s important to find someone professional to talk to.

“We’ve sent people to counseling before and we’ve paid for it because I want someone to be

the best of themselves,” he said. “We’ve even facilitated workplace tension counseling.”

Friedman said one of the first steps to reduce stress is to have self-awareness of what you’re facing.

“It’s important that we realize the levels of stress that we are under and that we might be putting on others,” he said.

Strip said he advises lawyers to get out of the system for even a short time to reset themselves.

“Take frequent getaways to decompress,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be far; you could go away for a weekend somewhere like Oglebay,” a resort in West Virginia.

Friedman said, “It’s OK to take time off. No one is indispensable.”

He said time away also shouldn’t add to a person’s stress where they continually worry about what’s happening at the office.

“I find a balance when I’m on vacation where I set aside time in the morning and at the

end of the day to run through emails so I’m not missing anything and I’m not overwhelmed when I get back,” Friedman said.

This approach not only alleviates his stress levels but those of his co-workers who are dependent on his decisions to keep their cases moving, he said.

Friedman said, “after my first five years working I realized I needed to have a better work-life balance.”

Strip said after 63 years of navigating the legal system, he believes the key to avoiding burnout is a simple one.

“I think you got to have a life besides the law,” he said. “You have to have an escape valve.”

Although, he said, that’s easy enough to say, but harder to do.

Noell Wolfgram Evans is a freelance journalist.

SUPER ATTORNEYS

MARCH 23, 2023

ColumbusJewishNews.com | COLUMBUS JEWISH NEWS | 29

Zashin & Rich celebrates 40th anniversary STEVE MARK

T

he American Bar Association says there are 1.3 million lawyers in the United States. Thirty-five of them work at Zashin & Rich, which has offices in Columbus and Cleveland. There is one word that defines their collective legal spirit.

“Excellence,” co-managing partner Andrew Zashin told the Columbus Jewish News.

“We are really good at what we do.

That’s the secret. We take care of our clients, and we remain results driven. We listen to our clients carefully, and we are very clear with them from the beginning Weinfurtner about what we can achieve and get the best possible results for them.”

Zashin & Rich, celebrating 40 years of practice, started in 1981 by co-founders Robert Zashin and Lawrence Rich.

Robert Zashin retired in 1996 and died in 2010. Lawrence Rich has retired, and according to Andrew Zashin, “he is somewhere in Hawaii, I think.” Rich’s son Jonathan Rich has been an attorney at Andrew Zashin the firm since 1993.

Growing up in Cleveland, Zashin said he knew that his father hoped his son would someday become part of the family business. He joined the firm in 1993. His brother, Stephen Zashin, started working at the firm in 1997 and is co-managing partner, having founded the employment and labor division at the firm.

“My dad stood for being the best Stephen Zashin possible advocate he could be for clients in distress,” Andrew Zashin said. “He really wanted to see me follow in his footsteps. He was very proud of what he did, and his success. He wanted to see both of his sons in the field of law.”

The Zashin family tradition appears to have continued as one of Andrew’s children is a lawyer in Tel Aviv and another is entering law school.

Zashin & Rich specializes in family law and 20 years ago the firm added an international family law unit.

“There aren’t many firms in the U.S. with an international family law division,” said Andrew Zashin, who touted two cases, in 2019 and 2022, that were argued by Zashin & Rich in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Andrew Zashin, 54, lives in the Cleveland suburb of Pepper Pike and attends Chabad. His brother Stephen Zashin resides in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights and is a member of Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights and Pepper Pike.

“We really have leaders in our two respective fields, which are domestic relations, which Andrew does, and the labor and employment, which I do,” Stephen Zashin said.

“We have an incredible depth of knowledge, which gives us an advantage over other firms.”

Kyleigh Weinfurtner, an attorney at Zashin & Rich, said, “Andrew has created a family law and international family law firm that is unique. Most of our cases are complex in nature, whether that is regarding custody, assets, international legal issues or novel legal issues. Young lawyers get to work on these cases in a substantive way. This benefits not just that lawyer, but the client benefits as well. The opportunity to work on complex cases from the outset of your career is unlike any other firm that I know.

“Andrew is a selfless leader. One of his greatest attributes is his appreciation of, and dedication to, his team. Andrew cares immensely about our careers and providing whatever support

he can to assist us in achieving our individual and collective goals,” Weinfurtner said.

According to Zashin and Weinfurtner, it is that selflessness and along with the excellence of Zashin & Rich’s work that has marked the 40 year history of the firm and allowed it to be so successful to this day.

Publisher’s Note: Andrew Zashin writes a monthly law column for the Columbus Jewish News.

Steve Mark is a freelance journalist.

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MARCH 23, 2023

LOCAL LAWYERS

Lawsuit not always first option for malpractice NORA IGELNIK

A

ccording to Seth Preisler, managing partner at Chodosh & Chodosh in Bexley and Rex H. Elliott, founder and co-owner of the Cooper Elliott law firm in Columbus, medical malpractice or neglect of the elderly population is quite common.

This leads to frequent disputes, which require the right approach, legal and otherwise, to provide closure and help future families from suffering loss.

Elliott said these incidents are many times a numbers game.

“Well, the biggest risk of all is that the residents greatly outnumber the staff,” he said. “And there are very few … doctors that are on, on-site. Typically, what you have is a director of nursing and some registered nurses that are on a shift. But the vast majority of the staff are state certified aides and typically state certified aides get certified through online classes that take mere weeks to complete.”

Preisler said understaffing can lead to issues that may not technically be malpractice, but still cause harm.

“Medical malpractice is a specific legal

Elliott

Preisler

term and I believe there is a greater risk of issues and neglect that may not rise to that level,” he said. “The risks are overworked and understaffed caretakers that do not have the time or inclination to get fully apprised of the specific needs of their patients.”

Preisler said if malpractice does occur, a lawsuit may not be the first option.

“The legal recourse, after confronting the caretakers and supervisors, is to consult an attorney and have them contact the higher-ups at the entity,” Preisler said. “From there, if things don’t change, there is always the ability to file a lawsuit. The hope is the situation is just a misunderstanding and can be resolved quickly and easily.”

Elliott said families are not always looking for money when it comes to legal

recourse, as losing a loved one incites a will to find answers, not compensation. For example, he dealt with a case regarding a woman who was left unattended for over an hour in the bathroom and eventually fell and died.

“First of all, we obviously file a complaint,” Elliott said. “The reality is, in the civil system of justice, the only thing a jury can award is money. And I will tell you that I’ve never had a client, including this particular family, come into my office and say, ‘here’s what happened to our mom.

How much is this worth?’

“What they say is, we want answers.

In this particular situation, there was no charting that she had been taken to the bathroom or that she had suffered a fall. It took an investigation by the Ohio Department of Health to uncover this information. So, this family comes in and they want answers.”

However, Elliott said compensation can hold facilities accountable.

“There is a compensation component to it because without the threat of damages and being sued and having to pay a family money because they’ve lost a loved one, that’s the check and balance,” he said. “It

keeps them honest.”

If litigation becomes necessary, it is important to hire a lawyer who specializes in this type of law, Elliott said.

“First, you’ve got have a lawyer that has experience with nursing home litigation,” he said. “It’s very different than even medical malpractice litigation. There’s a nursing home Bill of Rights. “There’s certain laws that apply to ... skilled and assisted living facilities. And so, you have got to have somebody that understands the regulations and the laws surrounding these homes.”

Preisler said choosing someone who takes a holistic approach is the best way to find an attorney to handle malpractice.

“You want someone who will look at the total situation,” he said. “Many times, I have been able to improve and correct a bad situation significantly. Jumping right into a lawsuit may not always be in the client’s best interest, as litigation is stressful and time-consuming. I usually take the honey approach before I use the vinegar option.”

Nora Igelnik is a freelance journalist.

Taft expands to 800 attorneys with merger of Detroit’s Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss LYDIA KACALA

T

aft Cleveland recently expanded its reach in the Midwest by merging with the 54-year-old full-service law firm Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss of Detroit. The merger took effect on Dec. 31, 2022, and now gives Taft more than 800 attorneys in eight Midwest markets, including Columbus, and the District of Columbia.

“Taft Cleveland is very pleased to welcome Jaffe and what it means for our clients,” Adrian D. Thompson, co-partner-incharge of Taft Cleveland and the firm’s chief diversity officer, said in a statement to the Columbus Jewish News. “We are excited to increase our presence in the Midwest with such a respected firm and community leader in the Detroit market and look forward to the value it will bring for both teams as we continue our firm’s expansion.”

With the merger, Taft has grown by 125% in a six-year period, according to Jill Helfman, co-partner-in-charge at Taft Cleveland. Taft’s mergers over the past six years have provided more comprehensive resources for the firm, she said.

“With this merger, growing Taft to nine

Helfman

Thompson

offices with similar rate structures in every market, our firm has the opportunity to develop more comprehensive service offerings as we draw from a much larger talent pool,” said Helfman, who has been with the firm for 22 years. “Each of our mergers has deepened our breadth of resources and, in our view, has been highly beneficial to our clients and the communities we serve.”

Taft plans to keep those in leadership positions at Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss and some employees at the firm will be promoted to firm-wide roles with Taft.

“Local leadership is important in our Taft culture,” said Helfman, who is a member of Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights and

Pepper Pike. “The current Jaffe leadership team will continue to lead and make Detroit market decisions. Current Jaffe CEO Mark Cooper will stay in the CEO-type position of partner-in-charge of the firm’s Detroit and Southfield (Michigan) offices,” she said. “Many of the Jaffe attorneys will step into firm-wide leadership roles, serving on Taft’s Executive Committee, all other major committees of the firm and chairing practice groups.”

She said the merger comes years after Detroit became a part of Taft’s strategic planning map because the area has many connections to some of the important industries for Taft, such as the automobile industry.

“We have had the Detroit market on our strategic planning map for several years,” Helfman said. “The Detroit economy has a deep industrial base with a significant concentration in the auto industry and suppliers to that industry. It also has concentrations in health care, IT and defense.”

Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss was a target for expansion because of its reputation in the Midwest and the values it shares with Taft,

Helfman said.

“We especially like the Jaffe team,” she said. “They are, like us, focused on the same core values – client service, Midwestern values, and a loyal, collaborative culture of teamwork and hard work.”

In 2023, Taft plans to continue to strengthen, grow and search for other firms that fit well with the values it holds, according to Helfman.

“We are always looking at other cities that would make sense for us and our strategic plan, including firms that would fit well with Taft in terms of size, scale, culture, sophistication and economic performance level,” she said.

Beyond Columbus, Taft has offices in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton and Delaware in Ohio, as well as Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, northern Kentucky, Phoenix, Southfield, Mich., and Washington, D.C. Lydia Kacala is a freelance journalist.

SUPER ATTORNEYS

ColumbusJewishNews.com | COLUMBUS JEWISH NEWS | 31

MARCH 23, 2023

Local firms announce 2023 Super Lawyers, Rising Stars SUPER LAWYERS Bailey Cavalieri LLC: Dan Bailey, Nick Cavalieri, Bob Dunn, Harlan Louis and Matt Schaeffer Friedman & Mirman Co., L.P.A.: Scott N. Friedman and Denise Mirman Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter: Jason Beehler, Rob Cohen, Catherine Cunningham, Lori Fuhrer, Don Gregory, Tom Hill, Todd Kegler, Mike Madigan, Dave McCarty and Chris Weber

The Law Office of Pamela N. Maggied Co., LPA: Pamela N. Maggied Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP: James D. Abrams, David J. Butler, Daniel F. Edwards, Pamela S. Krivda and David H. Thomas RISING STARS Bailey Cavalieri LLC: Chris Burch, Jennifer Immell, Chris Santagate, Chris Tackett, James Talbert and Jim Young

Super Lawyers and Rising Stars content provided by firms.

Where to place a bet in Central Ohio

W

hen gambling became legal in Ohio Jan. 1, various venues throughout the state became licensed by the Ohio Casino Control Commission to allow betting in their establishments. Such institutions are licensed by the state for a period of three years.

Here are some of those locations in Central Ohio where you can place your bet: Bowling Entertainment Group Cheers Too Chubby’s Sports Grill City Tavern Classics Sports Bar Cliffside Sports Bar D&S Lounge Donerick’s Donerick’s Pub Donerick’s Pub House Flatiron Tavern Gresso’s Half Time Tavern Hard Road Cafe Holiday Lanes HP Lanes JT’s Pizza and Pub Keystone Pub and Patio Ledo’s Tavern Mugsy’s Pub and Patio Mulligan’s Sports Pub Murphy McFlips Novak’s Tavern and Patio

Park Street Tavern Pastimes Pub and Grill Pointe Tavern Rosie’s Tavern Ruckmoor Lounge Rude Dog Bar & Grill Savor Sequoia Pro Bowl Shaker’s Public House Slapsy Maxies Sloopy’s Pub (The Place to Be) Sporting Club and Kitchen Starr Bar The Derby West Traditions Tavern

Where to find help

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 800.589.

9966 to speak to a referral specialist. In-patient treatment services are available for Ohio Veterans and Residential Gambling Treatment Programs are available nationally.

Gamblers Anonymous gamblersanonymousohio.org | ga.area10@yahoo.com 440-973-8190 Get Set Before You Bet beforeyoubet.org | info@beforeyoubet.org 800-589-9966 | Text 4HOPE to 741741 National Problem Gambling Helpline 800-522-4700 Problem Gambling Network of Ohio pgnohio.org | 614-750-9899 Recovery Resources recres.org | info@recres.org | 216-431-4131

Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP: John F. Fisher and Adam Pretty Friedman & Mirman Co., L.P.A.: Valeriya Kryvokolinska and Kelly Queen Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter: Robert Dove, Rachel Gold, Mike Schottenstein and Molly Werhan Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP: Lauren A. Kemp, Jonathan N. Olivito and Kathryn Wallrabenstein

TT Murph’s UA Pub Wayne Webbs Columbus Bowl Woodlands Backyard Woodlands Tavern Yogi’s Bar and Grill Zeno’s In addition to betting in person, there are a number of online betting sites. These sites include: BetMGM BetRivers Sportsbook Caesars DraftKings FanDuel PointsBet WynnBet

® ®

®

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MARCH 23, 2023

LOCAL LAWYERS

BUCKEYE STATE BETTING

BETTING ON THE FUTURE Ohio hopes lure of legalized gambling makes everyone a winner COURTNEY BYRNES @courtney_byrnes cbyrnes@cjn.org |

A

s the new year began, so too did legalized sports betting in Ohio with the roll out of sportsbooks and self-service gaming kiosks available at various venues and retail sites throughout the state.

After a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision struck down a federal ban on states legalizing sports wagering, Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation at the end of 2021 to allow sports gambling starting Jan. 1, joining more than 30 other states where fans can bet on sports, according to The Associated Press.

The legislation created three types of licenses overseen by the Ohio Casino Control Commission to govern mobile wagering on a phone app; gambling in sportsbooks run by casinos, racinos and professional sports teams; and bars, restaurants and other retail sites with self-service gaming kiosks. The Legislative Service Commission has estimated that sports betting will eventually become a multi-billion dollar industry in Ohio, the AP reported.

While sports gaming apps will allow adults age 21 and older to place bets just about anywhere, at anytime in the state, companies such as Caesars Entertainment, Inc. and BetMGM have also opened retail sportsbooks to allow bettors to place wagers at Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs in Columbus, the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in downtown Cleveland, MGM Northfield Park in Northfield, located between Akron and Canton, and the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

In partnership with Caesars Entertainment, the home of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers accepted its first legal sports wagers Jan. 1 at its new 10,355 square-foot sportsbook with wall-to-wall flatscreen televisions, five betting windows and 15 self-service betting kiosks. It also has an extensive food and beverage menu, and an elevated lounge-like atmosphere across two stories, according to a news release.

“It is with great pride and responsibility that we open the first sportsbook in a sports venue in Ohio.”

Nic Barlage

A Jan. 2 ceremonial grand opening marked the first time the sportsbook was operational during a Cavs home game. The event featured remarks from Caesars and Cavs representatives, appearances by Cavs legends, a ceremonial first bet by Cavs United member Brent Dohner, and a combined donation of $40,000 from Caesars Sportsbook and the Cavaliers to Seeds of Literacy, a nonprofit organization that provides free high school diploma equivalency, GED and HiSET, preparation and basic education to adults in the Cleveland area.

“The launch of legalized sports betting in Ohio and the grand opening of Caesars Sportsbook at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is a historic moment for our franchise, Northeast Ohio and the entire state,” Nic Barlage, CEO of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Rock Entertainment Group, said in the release. “It is with great pride and responsibility that we open the first sportsbook in a sports venue in Ohio. Located within the heart and fabric of downtown Cleveland and connected to the over 200 events that the FieldHouse hosts each year, this sportsbook will be an asset and amenity for our community, and we’re excited to bring it to life alongside our great partners in Caesars.”

The sportsbook at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse is one of two Caesar Sportsbook locations in Ohio with another at Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs in Columbus, which has betting windows and self-service betting kiosks. The Caesar Sportsbook app also launched to place bets and access tools to encourage responsible play, including deposit limits, spending limits, daily time limits and cool-off time limits, according to a Jan. 1 news release.

“Caesars Sportsbook is ready to offer a top-of-the-line sports betting experience to Ohioans,” Eric Hession, president of Caesars Digital, said in the release. “This launch builds on our legacy in Ohio of treating customers like royalty. We look forward to providing an added level of excitement to the sports entertainment experience, whether they use our mobile app or visit one of our new retail sportsbooks in Columbus or Cleveland.”

BetMGM launched its mobile and retail sports betting operations Jan. 1 in Ohio with the BetMGM mobile app and sportbooks at MGM Northfield Park and the Great American Ball Park. The sportsbook at the Northfield racino features an LED video wall, five betting

Brent Dohner, a Cavs United Member, places the honorary first bet at the Jan. 2 ceremonial grand opening of Caesars Sportsbook at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland as sports betting became legalized in Ohio. | Submitted photo windows and 14 kiosks, according to a news release.

Just after midnight on Jan. 1, Northfield Park accepted its first sports bet, placed by Matt Lewis for the Cleveland Browns, said Josh Lewis, director of advertising at Northfield Park, in an email to the Cleveland Jewish News.

“Sports betting has been a fantastic addition to MGM Northfield Park,” Lewis wrote Jan. 24. “With the opening of this historic venue, we welcome the opportunity to serve our new sports betting customers. As of now, the sportsbook has remained steady and the racino gaming floor remains steady as well.”

With March Madness occurring for the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, he said the racino is hopeful that people will continue to come to bet responsibly.

“We’re optimistic that the citizens of the state of Ohio are looking forward to placing bets on all of the big upcoming games and will do so responsibly,” Lewis wrote. “Thankfully, we have an extremely knowledgeable team at the BetMGM Sportsbook who are used to high volumes and are happy to take the time to walk all of our guests through placing their bets.”

To help provide responsible gambling education, BetMGM has resources such as GameSense integrated within its mobile and

desktop platforms to help customers play responsibly, the release said. The BetMGM app features a user-friendly platform allowing Ohio sports fans to customize pregame, live in-play, futures and parlay wagers. Integrated with MGM Rewards, users can redeem their gameplay for experiences at MGM Resorts properties nationwide, including MGM Northfield Park, MGM Grand Detroit, and MGM Grand Bellagio and ARIA, both in Las Vegas, according to the release.

At the Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team, BetMGM’s 6,244 square-foot sportsbook features 15 betting kiosks and three betting windows.

“Ohio is home to thousands of passionate sports fans, who now have the opportunity to enjoy first-hand the excitement and benefits of wagering with BetMGM,” BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said in the release.

As the roll-out of sports betting in Ohio continues, many bars, restaurants and retail spaces will begin to offer bets placed within kiosks, with a list of over 700 locations listed on the Ohio Lottery Commission’s website.

This story first appeared in the Cleveland Jewish News.

To read others like it, visit cjn.org.

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ColumbusJewishNews.com | COLUMBUS JEWISH NEWS | 33

MARCH 23, 2023

BUCKEYE STATE BETTING

Bet you don’t know rabbis’ thoughts on legalized gambling?

STEVE MARK

T

he hunt for sports gaming money is big. In 2021, according to STATISTA, sports gamblers spent $4.33 billion in the United States. That may be only a pittance of the estimated $58 billion spent in the U.S. in overall gambling in 2021, according to Forbes, but it’s still a sizable amount.

And, a significant lure.

Thirty-six states allow legalized sports betting, including Ohio, which came on board Jan. 1.

As far back as 1984, the Central Conference of American Rabbis passed a resolution on gambling, stating, “The Jewish tradition looks with disfavor upon organized gambling activity as non-productive and threatening to the social fabric of society.”

That was 39 years ago.

My Jewish Learning, a resource for many rabbis and lay leaders, notes that “While there is no explicit Jewish prohibition on gambling, the rabbis of the Talmud did not have a positive view of the practice.

“Another opinion suggests that gambling is a form of thievery. Some authorities, like the late Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, have ruled that buying lottery tickets is a form of stealing.”

That said, the current Jewish disposition on sports

Lipton

Vann

Zack

gambling depends on your denomination and personal beliefs, and the modern interpretations vary.

“Gambling in general is not allowed,” Rabbi Howard Zack of Orthodox congregation Torat Emet in Bexley, told the Columbus Jewish News. “From a halachic perspective, a Jewish perspective, there would be a narrow frame that gambling in general is not allowed. I would say a friendly game of poker where no one is gambling money would be OK. Gaming for entertainment, where money isn’t being passed, might be OK. Some opinions even say that it isn’t.

“The gambling part aside, the Talmud says very clearly that somebody who makes a living gambling is not OK to be a witness or somebody who should be trusted, because it’s not a proper way to gain profit. So, gambling for profit is something halachic Judaism would look at unfavorably.

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What some states are doing is very dangerous. People with addictive behavior can ruin families who get into too much debt. I’m not happy about the state of Ohio or any of the other states permitting sports gambling.”

For the record, Zack is a New England-bred Boston Red Sox fan. The “Curse of the Bambino,” which ended in 2004, was hard to bet against for a long time.

The views from Conservative and Reform rabbis start to meld into sometimes gray areas.

“People are going to do what they want to do no matter what a rabbi says,” Rabbi Jeremy Lipton of Beth El Congregation in Akron, a Conservative synagogue, told the CJN. “Anybody who looks at this from a traditional perspective will tell you that the rabbis didn’t look favorably upon gambling at all.

“One of the aspects is that it is considered stealing, and the other aspect is that it does not contribute to a healthy life. It’s a harder stretch to make an argument in this day and age that gambling is stealing, though the behavior that comes with habitual gambling creates a lot of pitfalls for people, so it’s something we don’t encourage anyone to do. From a Talmudic perspective, it is not prohibited, but not encouraged. So there’s a stigma that goes with it from a traditional Jewish perspective.”

RABBIS | CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

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LOCAL LAWYERS

BUCKEYE STATE BETTING

Ohio U offers online sports gambling education program BECKY RASPE @BeckyRaspeCJN braspe@cjn.org |

W

hen sports betting became legal in Ohio on Jan. 1, educators at Ohio University in Athens were two years ahead of the curve.

In May 2020, Ohio University introduced its online sports gambling education program, focused on preventing the impacts of sports-betting fraud. The three-part certification program is provided in partnership with U.S. Integrity and Cyanna Education Services, and is presented through the university’s AECOM Center for Sports Administration.

Matt Cacciato of the Ohio University sports gambling education program told the Columbus Jewish News that the university had a feeling, even then, that sports gambling was on a path to eventual legalization, and as educators, it’s “incumbent on us to stay on the cutting edge of education.”

The curriculum is divided into three courses, each covering a specific set of topics, such as introduction to game integrity, risk management, fraud prevention and game manipulation. After passing a test to demonstrate knowledge of

the material, participants earn a certificate from Ohio University.

“The problem for the timing was COVID-19 hit around the same time (we launched it), and things slowed as it did across all industries,” Cacciato said. “But, this isn’t a course to learn to gamble better.

After our launch and after COVID, we were getting good feedback and still are to this day. People who are enlisting in it, we’ve gotten a lot of good, strong testimonials.”

Over the past 2½ years, Cacciato said “it has gone well.” About 30 students enroll each year since it’s a smaller program, but he added at least a half-dozen or more have used the certificate to pivot into sports gambling management as a profession.

“A lot of our (AECOM alumni) end up going to work for professional teams and colleges, and with the course, can understand negotiations with places like BetMGM and FanDuel,” he said. “It’s been beneficial to them to understand how the industry works and the nomenclature surrounding it. A lot of people that didn’t necessarily think they’d be in sports gambling management have told us they benefited from the program.”

With sports gambling now legalized, Cacciato said they’re still trying to determine if, and how, that will affect the program.

“A lot of people that didn’t necessarily think they’d be in sports gambling management have told us they benefited from the program.”

Matt Cacciato

RABBIS | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

Lipton, who grew up in Los Angeles, is primarily a Lakers fan, although, as he says, “I’ve got to give it to the Cavs now, though.”

Rabbi Allison Vann of Reform temple Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood, takes a more forgiving – though, from a distance – outlook.

“What’s fascinating is that the ancient rabbi’s takes on gambling are usually negative, because there was a fear of the impact it might have on people’s lives and also the experience that you might be led to believe that you were buying something,

when you really weren’t buying something,” Vann told the CJN. “Now that we’re in a different world, we know that when we gamble, we are not actually purchasing something, that you are taking a chance, so I’m not as adverse as the ancient rabbis were.

“I think it’s each person’s own choice, and games can be very fun. They have to have the appropriate place in our lives, and if that’s the case, people can play them. So, there’s a populist view in play. That’s what progressive and Reform Judaism is about.

We look at questions of our time and we look at how our traditions help us about our current time. We continue to evolve. Legal

Photo / sportsgamblingeducation.com When the course was first launched, Cacciato said it was “a higher price point,” which has since been lowered to make the course more accessible.

“There is still really nothing like it,” he said. “People who gamble tend to think they know everything about the business. We’ve never looked at sports gamblers as a target market, so for the most part, those who enroll in the program are people interested in managing it. We’ve even had FBI agents

and league security individuals (take the course).”

“The fact there is a workforce that is now going to be dedicated to serving this industry, we’re looking forward to bettereducating people, which has always been part of our mission,” he said.

To learn more about the program and to register for the course, visit sportsgamblingeducation.com.

“I think it’s each person’s own choice, and games can be very fun. They have to have the appropriate place in our lives, and if that’s the case, people can play them.”

Rabbi Allison Vann sports betting has just started here.”

Vann has one caveat, and it is one that many rabbis agree on.

“We do some gaming for fundraising,” she said. “We are very clear about what we are asking for and what the expectations and

boundaries are. That’s what’s fair.”

Vann calls herself “a little bit of a sports fan,” but “this year, the Browns have been hard to root for.”

Steve Mark is a freelance journalist.

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MARCH 23, 2023

ColumbusJewishNews.com | COLUMBUS JEWISH NEWS | 35

Ohio State asks court to hear Title IX issues in Strauss abuse suits KANTELE FRANKO | ASSOCIATED PRESS

T

he Ohio State University is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider questions about the law known as Title IX in a case that affects whether more than 230 men can proceed with lawsuits against the school over decades-old sexual abuse by a team doctor, the late Richard Strauss.

The petition filed March 14 urges the high court to hear the case and review two aspects: When does the clock start ticking on the legal time limit for filing Title IX claims, which in this case are about the university’s alleged “deliberate indifference” toward sexual harassment? And does the right to bring such claims apply to people who aren’t students or employees there, such as fans attending football games or visitors touring campus?

The school argues the divided appeals court that revived the unsettled lawsuits against OSU reached the wrong conclusions on both elements.

“Together, these rulings arm virtually anyone who has visited Ohio State over the past 40 years with a potential Title IX claim today,” and that result wasn’t what Congress intended in establishing the law in 1972, the university’s legal team wrote in the petition to the high court. They maintain “the questions presented are purely legal and thus transcend the particular circumstances alleged here.”

The abuse survivors and their lawyers see it differently, accusing the university of adding to their trauma with each new round of legal appeals.

“And even though it’s on procedural grounds, to the survivors it appears that Ohio State is trying to avoid accountability for allowing them to be sexually abused,” said Steve Estey, an attorney for some of the plaintiffs seeking to take their lawsuits to trial.

The university has repeatedly offered public apologies to those Strauss harmed and has reached over $60 million in settlements with at least 296 survivors. It eventually sought to have the remaining unsettled cases dismissed, arguing that the time limit for the claims, the applicable twoyear statute of limitations in Ohio, began during the doctor’s tenure and had long passed.

Remaining plaintiffs have argued that they filed timely claims and that the clock didn’t start until allegations became public in 2018, because they didn’t have reason

before then to believe the university had enabled or covered up the doctor’s behavior.

The appeals court’s agreement with that, combined with its finding that several plaintiffs could bring such Title IX claims even though they weren’t OSU students or employees when the alleged abuse occurred, wrongly expanded the scope of Title IX in ways that are problematic and potentially very costly for all sorts of schools under that law, Ohio State contends. Its petition also says a threat of Title IX lawsuits based on decades-old allegations might deter schools from investigating such claims.

It noted that the decision from the Cincinnati-based Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals about when the clock started conflicts with conclusions from federal appeals courts elsewhere, and said that points to the need for the nation’s high court to weigh in.

“We can all agree that the underlying abuse here was reprehensible, but the Supreme Court has to resolve these fundamental legal issues for everybody going forward, without regard to the underlying allegations or facts here,” said Gregory Garre, an attorney representing OSU. In a separate statement, the university said its request to the court doesn’t question the plaintiffs’ accounts of abuse or diminish its commitment to supporting survivors.

But the request is sure to frustrate plaintiffs who contend Ohio State hasn’t dealt with them fairly. Meanwhile, the unsettled lawsuits remain paused for months more as the plaintiffs’ attorneys decide whether to file a response to the petition and then wait to see whether the case will be in the limited number the Supreme Court decides to hear.

The men are among hundreds of former student-athletes and other alumni who say they were abused by Strauss during his two decades at the school, and that university officials failed to stop him despite knowing about complaints as far back as the late 1970s, very early in the doctor’s two decades there. Many of them allege Strauss abused them during medical exams at campus athletic facilities, a student health center, his home and an off-campus clinic.

Strauss died in 2005. No one has publicly defended him.

To read more about this story, visit columbusjewishnews.com.

Have news tips or ideas about what we should cover?

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An introduction to some of Ohio’s law schools The Columbus Jewish News asked Ohio’s law school deans about their programs, what sets them apart, advice for prospective students and how their law school prepares students for a career in the field. All Ohio schools were asked to participate and some did not respond to requests or elected not to submit. Content is provided by law schools.

Case Western Reserve University School Of Law JESSICA BERG AND MICHAEL SCHARF Special to the CJN WHAT SETS YOUR SCHOOL APART FROM OTHERS? Case Western Reserve University School of Law is part of the top-ranked university in Ohio. We have a longstanding commitment to diversity: 23% of our students identify as a member of an underrepresented minority group, 20% as LGBTQ, and 53% as female. We are ranked fifth best in the nation in experiential education, our faculty are ranked 30th in the nation in scholarly impact, and in 2021-22, Prelaw Magazine ranked us as a “top school” in 12 specialties.

And at over $127 million, our endowment is the 32nd largest of any law school, enabling us to provide generous scholarships.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER SOMEONE LOOKING TO SELECT A LAW SCHOOL? You should select a law school that is small enough that you won’t get lost in the crowd,

Berg

Scharf

where you will get to know your professors well, and where you will have plenty of opportunities to distinguish yourself through mock trial and moot court competitions, membership on a journal, and participation in clinics and externships. You should select a law school that is committed to providing hands-on experience throughout the curriculum. And you should select a law school where there is a tradition of faculty and alumni mentorship and active engagement in assisting students in obtaining externships and jobs.

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WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE TO HELP YOUR GRADUATES OBTAIN THEIR FIRST POSITION? Because of our successful approach to bar preparation, we are regularly ranked first or second in bar pass rate in Ohio and recently had the 20th best bar pass rate in the nation. With a high bar pass rate, our recent graduates had a 94% job placement rate. Our career development office is composed of experienced attorneys who work closely with our students during all three years. Through the Mentoring Alumni Program, alums around the country meet regularly with our students, starting in the fall of their first year. And we provide grants for unpaid summer externships and post-graduate fellowships.

Jessica Berg and Michael Scharf are co-deans of the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland.

Case Western Reserve University School of Law 11075 East Blvd.

Cleveland, OH 44106 216-368-2000 case.edu/law Email – contact via website

The University of Akron School of Law EMILY JANOSKI-HAEHLEN Special to the CJN WHAT SETS YOUR SCHOOL APART FROM OTHERS? U.S. News and other publications rank Akron Law’s intellectual property law, trial advocacy and part-time studies Janoski-Haehlen programs among the best in the country.

We are nationally recognized for experiential learning. Our trial advocacy teams are consistently among the best in the country, with 23 national and regional titles.

We work to instill a strong sense of justice and social responsibility in our students.

We promote inclusion, diversity and equality through our admissions policies, Social Justice Fellows program, student organizations and community involvement.

Our law center features the latest classroom technology, plentiful study space and a beautiful commons area.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER SOMEONE LOOKING TO SELECT A LAW SCHOOL? Choosing a law school is an important decision. I strongly encourage students to visit any law school they are considering, speak with current students and sit in on a few classes to be sure that the school is a good fit. Students should also know what support

services each law school offers and what the outcomes are – employment rates, bar passage, academic success. At Akron Law, we are very proud of our 92% employment rate, our overall bar passage rates and the academic success services that we offer to all students to help them thrive in law school and beyond.

WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE TO HELP YOUR GRADUATES OBTAIN THEIR FIRST POSITION? Akron Law career services offers one-on-one career counseling for all students and alumni.

We provide resume and cover letter reviews, interview preparation, job search resources, job fairs, professional development programs and networking opportunities. We host two large on-campus recruiting programs each year.

Career Services also offers an online job search platform with curated jobs, weekly emails comprised of important events, job postings and articles, and a monthly alumni newsletter, as well as out-of-state contacts and resources for those graduates seeking to relocate. Our team is extremely invested in each graduate’s success.

Emily Janoski-Haehlen is dean of The University of Akron School of Law.

The University of Akron School of Law 150 University Avenue Akron, OH 44325 800-425-7668 uakron.edu/law lawadmissions@uakron.edu

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ColumbusJewishNews.com | COLUMBUS JEWISH NEWS | 37

MARCH 23, 2023

University of Cincinnati College of Law MICHAEL WHITEMAN Special to the CJN WHAT SETS YOUR SCHOOL APART FROM OTHERS? If you are interested in experiential education that is designed to elevate social justice, then the University of Cincinnati College of Law is the right choice for you. Home Whiteman to the Ohio Innocence Project, the Legal Access Clinic, the Indigent Defense Clinic, the Domestic Violence Clinic, the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights, the Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice, as well as the Entrepreneurship and

Community Development Clinic, and the Patent and Trademark Clinic. Every law student at UC Law has the ability to gain deep experiential experience during the law school career in a field that promotes and supports social justice. Graduates of UC Law are ready to hit the ground running to be champions for change in their communities.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER SOMEONE LOOKING TO SELECT A LAW SCHOOL? When looking for a law school, make sure that the school matches your passion. Look to their clinics and centers to make sure there will be plenty of opportunities for you to pursue your dreams for what you hope to accomplish as an attorney. You should also look at where their graduates are employed. If you want to

be in a specific location, make sure that school has plenty of graduates and contacts in that region. This will dramatically increase your post-employment opportunities.

WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE TO HELP YOUR GRADUATES OBTAIN THEIR FIRST POSITION? The Center for Professional Development provides law students and graduates with a range of services including individual career counseling, as well as access to our job platform. Law students and graduates can take advantage of professional and career development programming that includes interviewing and job search skills, practice panels and workplace etiquette programs. In addition to networking events, the Center for Professional Development offers resume and

cover letter workshops. Finally, the Center for Professional Development brings potential employers to campus where students can interview on site for jobs with law firms, government agencies, judges and other legal employers.

Michael Whiteman is the interim dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

University of Cincinnati College of Law PO Box 210142 Office: 513-556-0159 | Fax: 513-556-6265 law.uc.edu Call or chat via Microsoft Teams

Cleveland State University College of Law LEE FISHER Special to the CJN WHAT SETS YOUR SCHOOL APART FROM OTHERS? We stand out for our outstanding faculty, stateof-the art trial courtroom, learning commons, consistently high bar passage rate, national award-winning moot court Fisher teams, downtown campus a short walk away from most of Cleveland’s legal employers, hands-on experiential opportunities, and cutting-edge programs such as cybersecurity and global space law.

We are the top-ranked public law school

in northern Ohio, nationally ranked in 12 law specialties, and named a “top law school” in health, business, tax, international and criminal law by PreLaw Magazine. Our part-time program is the top-ranked program in Ohio, and our new online part-time JD program is one of the very few online JD programs in the nation.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER SOMEONE LOOKING TO SELECT A LAW SCHOOL? Look for a law school that is studentcentered and offers great value. We are there for our students every step of the way from Jump Start, a unique summer program offered to all admitted students prior to the fall semester, to a wide variety of faculty, staff, student and alumni academic support programs such as the student peer tutoring program and our bar preparation

program.

In Prelaw Magazine’s Best Value Law Schools magazine, we were ranked one of the top law schools in the nation “where graduates have excellent chances of passing the bar and getting a legal job without taking on a ton of debt.”

WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE TO HELP YOUR GRADUATES OBTAIN THEIR FIRST POSITION? We are Northeast Ohio’s most reliable legal talent pipeline. Every first-year student is matched with an alumnus who is a resource to them throughout law school and beyond.

There are more graduates of our law school in Northeast Ohio than any other law school in the nation, which enables us to offer extraordinary externship and job opportunities. Through our groundbreaking clinics, we use the city and the

world as our classroom. We also offer strategic support for entrepreneurial students through our unique solo practice incubator.

Lee Fisher is dean of Cleveland State University College of Law.

Cleveland State University College of Law Joseph C. HostetlerBakerHostetler Chair in Law 1801 Euclid Ave., LB 138 Cleveland, OH 44115 -2214 216-386-8688 law.csuohio.edu lee.fisher@csuohio.edu

University of Dayton School of Law ANDREW STRAUSS Special to the CJN WHAT SETS YOUR SCHOOL APART FROM OTHERS? Students can receive an online hybrid or traditional Juris Doctor.

We offer graduate degrees in American and transnational law, including a Master of Strauss Laws and a Master in the Study of Law, as well as a M.S.L. in government

contracting and procurement law. The law school also has collaborations with the university’s Human Rights Center and Hanley Sustainability Institute for students interested in studying the law in those areas. We are committed to inclusivity, service and justice inspired by our Catholic, Marianist heritage.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER SOMEONE LOOKING TO SELECT A LAW SCHOOL? Observe in-person or virtual classes, participate in admitted student events, talk to students and alumni about their experiences at a particular law school, definitely visit

campus and the surrounding areas, and research schools’ Standard 509 Disclosure required by the American Bar Association.

WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE TO HELP YOUR GRADUATES OBTAIN THEIR FIRST POSITION? The University of Dayton School of Law career services office is dedicated to offering students and alumni comprehensive career planning services; including but not limited to job listings, identifying career options, aligning career opportunities with individual interests and skill sets, developing successful job search techniques, individual counseling services,

resume and cover letter review, and mock interviews.

Andrew Strauss is the dean of the University of Dayton School of Law.

University of Dayton School of Law Keller Hall, 300 College Park Dayton, OH, 45469 937-229-3555 lawinfo@udayton.edu udayton.edu/law/index.php

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Tod H. Friedman

Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Schottenstein Property Group and Value City Furniture/American Signature Furniture

N

either Tod Friedman, the executive vice president and chief legal officer of Schottenstein Stores Corporation, or his mother, Kay Friedman, may have known what being an attorney entailed when he was a child. Yet, Friedman said his mother saw in him the potential to be a great lawyer and his mother’s intuition put him on the path to law and inspired his career.

“She probably knew me better than I knew myself,” Friedman said. “I was raised as a kind of an analytical thinker and somewhat of a problem solver. And she thought that the legal profession would be a nice fit for me. Obviously, I had no idea what the legal profession entailed, and since I’m the first lawyer in the family, neither does she. But, for some reason, she had this intuition that perhaps I would be a good lawyer someday.”

Friedman said his family has continued to influence his work and his life.

“I was born and raised in a faith-based family,” he said. “My parents were rooted in Judaism. I was rooted in Judaism. My parents

encouraged me to get educated in the Jewish religion and so it’s become part of the fabric of my life.”

Friedman said one of the things he appreciates about working for the Schottenstein corporation is their commitment to Judaism.

“The Jay Schottenstein family is deeply committed to their religious faith and they inspire me to also become more entrenched in Jewish study and provide me opportunities to do it, which I really appreciate,” he said.

As chief legal officer, Friedman has a range of responsibilities and practices a wide variety of law, covering topics ranging from corporate work to real estate, human resources, import/ export law and more.

“There’s not an area of the law that I don’t touch on a monthly basis,” he said.

These wide-ranging responsibilities, which include managing the company’s legal team, make for a dynamic experience, Friedman said.

“You wake up every morning and you don’t know what’s going to be happening that

day,” he said. “I could be sitting at my desk this morning and traveling somewhere else by the end of the day …. This is a very dynamic and entrepreneurial company. And you, as an attorney and as chief legal officer, you have to keep up with those demands.”

Friedman said he enjoys his work, especially the people who he works with, calling his interactions with co-workers the most satisfying aspect of his job.

“The team members here at the company are fabulous to work with, the other lawyers and my business partners are super smart, super entrepreneurial, super resilient,” he said.

Friedman said he also enjoys addressing the challenges that come up each day.

“Not everything falls into place,” he said.

“So, you have to be resilient and you have to be able to pivot and be able to understand the nuances of the business to be able to provide the best legal advice and guidance.”

- Stephen Langel

Jodie K. Meizlish

J

maturity helped her in law school.

That experience “made a huge difference,” she said. “I believe I was more mature and able to handle the stress in a much better fashion than perhaps somebody who went straight through” school.

Meizlish eventually entered family law where she said she applied her drive to help others by assisting families through difficult times.

“I helped a lot of people,” she said. “I believe in my heart that I did a lot of good things for a lot of real good people in their very difficult times of need.”

Meizlish said she cares deeply about her clients but has learned through the years the importance of setting professional boundaries.

“You can’t take in everybody’s pain and everybody’s suffering,” she said.

Meizlish said she explains to clients those boundaries are important for both of them, especially as she needs to bill clients for each conversation, even ones not related to legal counsel.

However, Meizlish said she has trouble taking her own advice. For example, she had trouble

Age: 60 Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Temple Beth Jacob in New Albany and Temple Israel in Columbus Undergraduate: The Ohio State University Law school: Syracuse University

My Favorites …

Jewish holiday: Passover Deli sandwich: Corned beef sandwich Vacation: Anywhere with the family Show I’ve binge watched: “Grey’s Anatomy” Movie I recommend: “Forrest Gump”

About Jodie ...

Age: 67 Hometown: Reynoldsburg Synagogue: Temple Beth Shalom in New Albany Undergraduate: Kent State University Law school: The Ohio State University

Golden & Meizlish Co., LPA

odie K. Meizlish said she has always wanted to help people and this desire to make a difference in other people’s lives has played an important role in her career.

“I’m kind of a social worker personality,” she said.

While Meizlish said her legal career has helped her make a difference, she did not start on that path immediately after college.

“I was intimidated by all those very smart people and particularly the women who were going” to law school, Meizlish said.

Instead, she spent the first five years of her career as a teacher in Cleveland and working as a salesperson in her father’s adhesives business, Marcy Adhesives.

Meizlish said her time working improved her confidence and made her ready to pursue a law career.

“I think I just had to come to the decision on my own (to attend law school) and then wasn’t intimidated by anybody,” she said. “At that point, I think I had grown up quite a bit.”

Meizlish said her work experience and

About Tod ...

My Favorites …

Jewish holiday: Purim Deli sandwich: Lean corned beef sandwich on rye Vacation: Italy for son’s wedding in 2019 Show I’ve binge watched: “The Wire” Movie I recommend: “My Cousin Vinny” and “Moonstruck”

sleeping one night recently because she was thinking about her client and what challenges they were facing.

“So, as much as I tried to draw that professional boundary, I don’t think I was very successful at it” as “I spend my free time worrying about (my clients),” she said.

Another lesson Meizlish has learned during her career is how to strike a balance between advocacy and civility.

“You can be courteous and aggressive at the same time or courteous and assertive for your client in the same way,” she said.

Meizlish said, for her, this included connecting with opposing attorneys who seemed aggravated when they arrived at court and asking them to take five minutes before starting to decompress, take a breath, get coffee and relax.

Doing so had a profound effect and led to more productive, less contentious discussions, she said.

“This one particular man, it calmed him down completely,” she said. “I think it had a really positive effect on our working together and it was in the benefit of both of the clients.”

- Stephen Langel

SUPER ATTORNEYS

MARCH 23, 2023

ColumbusJewishNews.com | COLUMBUS JEWISH NEWS | 39

Robert H. Cohen

About Robert Age: 71 Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Congregation Tifereth Israel Undergraduate: Miami University Law School: University of Cincinnati

Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP

R

obert Cohen said he always wanted to be an attorney and believes his goal was very much a product of the times he grew up in.

“I started college in the late ‘60s, early ‘70s and we were going to save the world,” he said.

“Law seemed like the appropriate place to do that. I thought a legal career could help me make a difference in people’s lives for the better. To be honest with you, I’m not sure I considered anything else.”

However, it took a chance encounter to put him on the path to immigration law, which he has practiced for more than 40 years.

“I was two years out of law school and opened up my own office,” Cohen said. “I was practicing and my specialization at that point was whatever walked in the door, and an immigration case walked in the door and it turned out to be a very high profile case. There was a lot of news coverage. The Washington Post, The New York Times, in addition to local coverage, and I got a reputation for being an immigration lawyer. And, so, I’ve been doing it (for) 44 years now.”

He declined to provide further details about the case due to client confidentiality.

Cohen said helping people immigrate to the United States is how he realized his dream of “saving the world.”

He said, “You’re making a real, serious difference in people’s lives when they come to the

United States. That’s a life-altering experience. It literally helps people change their life.”

Cohen said he works frequently with highly trained foreign professionals, helping doctors, engineers, experts in cutting-edge technology and others immigrate to America. But he also does pro bono work helping individuals who are facing threats in their home countries. This includes his work with refugees from the war in Afghanistan.

“These are individuals who had a connection to the U.S. military, who helped the military in Afghanistan and now are fleeing the Taliban,” Cohen said. “For them, it’s really a matter of life and death, and I think our country has an obligation to people who helped us and who are now in great danger. And so, we’re helping to hold our government to that obligation.”

The work is challenging and time consuming.

“The bureaucracy is incredibly complex,” he said. “The frustrating part of this practice is the push back that you get. There’s a lot of hoops to jump through.”

Cohen said this means immigrants can wait more than a decade to get a green card.

“And that makes no sense to anybody,” he said.

Cohen said the task has only gotten more difficult over the past few years.

“It’s very easy to make a fatal mistake and then find yourself in a situation where a series of

My Favorites …

Jewish holiday: Passover Deli sandwich: Corned beef on rye Vacation: Trip to Israel, coming up in May Show I’ve binge watched: “Outlander” Movie I recommend: “Tootsie”

very harsh laws” that prevent immigration come into play, he said.

Cohen said things became more difficult for immigrants when former President Donald Trump and his administration came into power in 2016. The administration’s interpretation of the laws and other efforts to make immigration more difficult changed the fundamental nature of his work, Cohen said.

“We found ourselves, for the first time, filing lawsuits,” Cohen said. “We’re not litigators, we’re administrative law lawyers. In order to hold the government to its responsibility, we found ourselves in federal court quite frequently.”

Cohen said his inspiration for his work is driven in part by his Judaism and the Jewish experience through the years, including the time leading up to the Holocaust.

“I think the Holocaust and the concern that Jews have always had with fearing persecution

Steven Loewengart Fisher & Phillips

C

oming from a family of doctors and lawyers, the path seemed clear for Steven Loewengart to become a lawyer. But on his way, he took a detour to follow his musical ambitions.

In high school, he played piano and began studying voice. After switching from the College of Arts and Sciences to music at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., Loewengart continued on for a master’s degree before launching his musical career in Switzerland, Germany, France and Holland. When his father fell ill, he returned to the United States and made the decision to apply to law school.

“What I decided to do – I was still very young – is to get some career insurance because the life of an artist in the United States is completely different from that in Europe,” he said. “In Europe, I was a city employee and then a state employee, and here you kind of are fed to the wolves.”

He applied to the University of Cincinnati College of Law in his hometown and met his wife in his first year. By the second year, they had welcomed their first child into the world.

In his life and career, Loewengart said he tries to abide by the teachings of the Old Testament and the scriptures, particularly following the Golden Rule, which has served him well.

“I’m a first-generation American,” Loewengart said. “My parents were Nazi refugees from Germany on both sides, and as part of my career, I sang in Germany for seven years and never really experienced antisemitism there. But I’m increasingly alarmed at the rise of antisemitism coming forth here in the United States now.”

In 2013, Loewengart started the Columbus office of Fisher & Phillips, a national labor and employment boutique firm, which kept quite busy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm started a COVID-19 task force to help clients keep abreast of the ever-changing regulations, Supreme Court cases, courts of appeals and lower court cases surrounding vaccinations and

in whatever land that they’re in has made a (difference),” he said. “I don’t know that I think about it every day, but it certainly does have an impact.

“One of the things that I find I do regularly is advocate for immigration reform and immigrants as best I can. I recently had a letter to the (Columbus Dispatch) where I made the point that the crisis on the southern border is not a crisis on the southern border, it’s a humanitarian crisis, and we have an obligation to help those people who are fleeing for their lives from very bad situations,” Cohen said.

“Sealing the border is not the right response.

It wasn’t an appropriate response in 1939. We sealed the border, right? That’s how 11 million people died in the Holocaust.”

- Stephen Langel

About Steven Age: 69 Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Temple Beth Shalom Undergraduate: Northwestern University Law School: University of Cincinnati

My Favorites …

Jewish holiday: Chanukah Deli sandwich: Corned beef with egg salad Vacation: Italy and Antarctica Show I’ve binge watched: “Better Call Saul” Movie I recommend: “There Will Be Blood”

Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance.

During his law career, he has also helped the Ohio legislature pass employment law reforms on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce through the Ohio General Assembly, testifying in support of Amended House Bill 103: Employment Intentional Tort and other labor-related legislation.

“I think what I’m most proud of is just (being) able to serve the business community

and reach resolution of some pretty highly dramatic situations dealing with employees and management,” Loewengart said. “It’s an area where emotions run very high, and so I kind of pride myself on being cool-headed, tough when I need to be, but most of the time a conciliator and somebody who tries to find some kind of common ground so cases can be resolved.”

– Courtney Byrnes

40 | COLUMBUS JEWISH NEWS | ColumbusJewishNews.com

MARCH 23, 2023

Eric Zagrans

About Eric ...

Age: 69 Hometown: Powell Synagogue: Congregation Tifereth Israel in Columbus Undergraduate: University of Notre Dame Law School: Harvard Law School

Zagrans Law

A

rguing a case in front of the United States Supreme Court is the pinnacle of any trial or appellate lawyer’s career, but what made that accomplishment personally meaningful for Eric Zagrans was having his children in attendance.

It was one of the three goals he set for himself on the onset of becoming a lawyer, and he accomplished it in 2005.

“The first time my children had the chance to see me as a lawyer in a courtroom was appearing before the United States Supreme Court,” Zagrans said. “That was a real thrill for me.”

As an attorney with a private practice, he said this was a rare, but extraordinary experience to make a presentation to the Supreme Court justices. Zagrans has offices in Columbus and Solon.

Another goal he set was to become a member of the American Law Institute, the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to

clarify, modernize and improve the law, according to its website. He became an elected member in 1987 and a life member after 25 years in 2012.

Zagrans, who followed in his father’s footsteps in becoming a lawyer after first wanting to be an astrophysicist, said his last goal was to be appointed as a federal judge.

He has been a lawyer for 45 years, starting out as a law clerk to a federal judge, then worked for three large law firms, one international professional services firm as associate general counsel, and becoming a law professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, before opening his own firm in 1994.

He recalls asking a respected lawyer in Baltimore as a law clerk about the benefits of having a private practice, to which he responded, “Eric, every day when I looked to find out the answer to why something was done the way it was done or wasn’t done the way it should have been done, the

Local Lawyer Listings Mitchell J. Adel Firm: Cooper, Adel, Vu & Associates, LPA Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Temple Beth Tzedek Undergraduate University: Ithaca College Law School: Capital University Law School Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover First job as a teenager: Sales associate at Champs Sports If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: An events planner

Leon D. Bass Firm: Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP Hometown: Columbus Undergraduate University: Michigan State University Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Sukkot If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A musician or photographer

LOCAL LAWYERS

My Favorites …

Jewish holiday: Pesach, because its observance is centered around family.

Deli sandwich: A vegan Reuben at Chicago Diner Vacation: Montego Bay Show I’ve binge watched: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Movie I recommend: “Twelve Angry Men”

only person that I have to look to is the one who is looking back at me in the mirror.”

“That is the challenge and that is the satisfaction of having your own firm,” Zagrans said. “And I always remembered that comment that he made to me when I was just starting out.”

Another guiding principle that has stuck with him since he was a law student came from Judge David Bazelon, whom he

respected and admired, as he would tell law clerks asking for advice on cases that the person needed a writ of rachmanus, the Yiddish word for “compassion.”

“That’s what the law should be,” Zagrans said. “It should be the rules, it should be the law, but it should also be blended with or sprinkled with principles like rachmanus.”

– Courtney Byrnes

Attorneys included in this section completed a questionnaire that was emailed to attorneys and/or firms. The questionnaire was also available at columbusjewishnews.com. Some opted not to answer all of the questions and some were edited for brevity. Compiled by Stephen Langel.

When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: SCUBA diving or playing mandolin in Grassinin (a bluegrass band)

David A. Bressman Firm: Bressman Law Hometown: Dublin Undergraduate University: University of Dayton Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Jerusalem Day If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A professional schnorrer When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Harassing my children

Jedidiah Irving Bressman Firm: Bressman Law Hometown: Westerville Synagogue: Temple Beth Shalom Undergraduate University: Indiana Institute of Technology Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Chanukah

If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A Professional Bowler like Joel Greff When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Smoking a cigar and enjoying a Bourbon

Gwen Silverberg Callender Firm: Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio Hometown: Clintonville Undergraduate University: University of Wisconsin - Madison Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover First job as a teenager: Concession stand at a movie theater If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: Cooking in my own food truck on a beach somewhere

Robert Garrett Cohen Firm: Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter Hometown: Liberty Township Undergraduate University: University of Michigan

Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover First job as a teenager: Construction work If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: In the art business

Robert H. Cohen Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Congregation Tifereth Israel Undergraduate University: Miami University Law School: University of Cincinnati Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover First job as a teenager: Newspaper delivery for Columbus Citizen Journal When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Riding my bicycle

SUPER ATTORNEYS Jacob Dobres Firm: Fishel Downey Albrecht & Riepenhoff LLP Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Temple Beth Shalom Undergraduate University: The Ohio State University Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Chanukah First job as a teenager: Dana Salvage Company, my family’s scrap metal business, in my hometown of Cleveland Central Ohio restaurant I always recommend: Giuseppe’s Ritrovo

Arthur M. Elk Firm: Elk + Elk Hometown: Orange Synagogue: Park Synagogue Undergraduate University: Case Western Reserve University Law school: Cleveland State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover – Great time to enjoy family and appreciate the importance of freedom and liberation First job as a teenager: My family’s automobile store, cleaning and detailing cars Central Ohio restaurant I always recommend: I enjoy all the Cameron Mitchell’s Restaurants especially Ocean Club at Easton and The Avenue in Dublin

Jeffrey D. Fish Firm: Buck & Fish, Ltd. Hometown: Pickerington Undergraduate University: The Ohio State University Law School: Capital University Favorite Jewish holiday: Rosh Hashanah First job as a teenager: My father’s salvage yard If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A golf instructor teaching children the game

Leon Friedberg Firm: Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP Hometown: Bexley Synagogue: Temple Beth Shalom Undergraduate University: DePauw University Law School: Capital

MARCH 23, 2023 University Favorite Jewish holiday: Yom Kippur First job as a teenager: Cleaning display cases in a jewelry store If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: What I am, a musician

Scott Friedman Firm: Friedman & Mirman Co., L.P.A. Hometown: New Albany Synagogue: Temple Israel Undergraduate University: Miami University Law School: Capital University Favorite Jewish holiday: Rosh Hashanah First job as a teenager: Painting houses If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A rock & roll star

Tod Friedman Firm: Schottenstein Property Group and Value City Furniture/ American Signature Furniture in Columbus Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Beth Jacob Congregation and Temple Israel Undergraduate University: The Ohio State University Law School: Syracuse University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover First job as a teenager: Bag boy at Martin’s Kosher Food Market If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A home builder

Sandra Mendel Furman Firm: Sandra Mendel Furman Dispute Resolution Services Hometown: Bexley Undergraduate University: Brandeis University Law School: Capital University Favorite Jewish holiday: Sukkot First job as a teenager: The Rib Cage fast food restaurant and babysitter Central Ohio restaurant I always recommend: Akai Hana

ColumbusJewishNews.com | COLUMBUS JEWISH NEWS | 41 Nelson E. Genshaft Firm: Strip Hoppers Leithart McGrath & Terlecky, LPA Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Congregation Tifereth Israel Undergraduate University: University of Pennsylvania Law school: Case Western Reserve University Favorite Jewish holiday: Simchat Torah First job as a teenager: Corn dog concession at county fair If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A journalist or fiction writer

Rachel Gold Firm: Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter, L.P.A. Hometown: Bexley Synagogue: Beth Jacob Congregation and Temple Israel Undergraduate University: Indiana University Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Rosh Hashanah If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A yoga instructor When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Watching anything on Bravo TV or spending time with friends

Ken Goldberg Firm: Strip Hoppers Leithart McGrath & Terlecky, LPA Hometown: Dublin Synagogue: Temple Beth Shalom Undergraduate University: The College of William and Mary Law School: Capital University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover First job as a teenager: Worked at a fruit and vegetable stand When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Streaming movies/shows

Scott Goldberg Firm: Scott Goldberg, Attorney-at-Law Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Congregation Tifereth Israel Undergraduate University: University of Michigan Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover

First job as a teenager: A Little League Umpire If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A sportswriter

Keith E. Golden Firm: Golden & Meizlish, Co. LPA Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Temple Beth Shalom Undergraduate University: The Ohio State University Law School: Capital University Favorite Jewish holiday: Yom Kippur First job as a teenager: Worked at pony ride in mall When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: At the hockey game

Robert R. Goldstein Firm: Robert R. Goldstein, Attorney at Law Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: The Torah Center Undergraduate University: Case Western Reserve University Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Purim First job as a teenager: Roadie for bar mitzvah/wedding band, later featured in “The Goldbergs” TV show If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A late night talk show host/stand-up comedian When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Playing poker

Andrew Grossman Firm: Grossman Law Offices Hometown: Bexley Synagogue: Congregation Torat Emet Undergraduate University: University of Kansas Law School: Capital University Favorite Jewish holiday: Tu B’shevat If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A travel writer When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Near a beach or on a tennis court

42 | COLUMBUS JEWISH NEWS | ColumbusJewishNews.com Jill Helfman Firm: Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP Hometown: Solon Synagogue: Park Synagogue Undergraduate University: University of Michigan Law school: Case Western Reserve University Favorite Jewish holiday: Rosh Hashanah First job as a teenager: Counselor in training at the Akron Jewish Center Day Camp If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A psychologist

Eric J. Hoffman Firm: Hoffman Law Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Beth Jacob Congregation Undergraduate University: The Ohio State University Law school: Capital University Favorite Jewish holiday: Purim First job as a teenager: Rolling drums at Hoffman Container Corp.

Central Ohio restaurant I always recommend: Saba Middle Eastern Grill

Jordan D. Hoffman Firm: Hoffman Law Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Beth Jacob Congregation Undergraduate University: The Ohio State University Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover First job as a teenager: Worked at the JCC snack bar When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Riding my bike and drinking an IPA, but not at the same time

Russell J. Kutell Firm: Frost Brown Todd LLP Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Temple Beth Shalom Undergraduate University: University of Pennsylvania Law School: Georgetown University Favorite Jewish holiday: Rosh Hashanah

Kimberly Land Firm: Bailey Cavalieri LLC Hometown: Bexley Undergraduate University: University of Dayton Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Purim First job as a teenager: Fence painter at the family farm If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A yoga instructor

Joseph Lipps Firm: Bailey Cavalieri, LLC Hometown: Bexley Synagogue: Temple Israel Undergraduate University: University of Michigan Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A history professor When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: At the pool with our kids

Harlan Louis Firm: Bailey Cavalieri, LLC Hometown: New Albany Synagogue: Temple Beth Shalom Undergraduate University: Miami University Law School: University of Dayton and University of Florida Favorite Jewish holiday: Rosh Hashanah First job as a teenager: Stocking shelves at Bettman’s Pharmacy If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: Unemployed

Steven Loewengart Firm: Fisher & Phillips LLP Hometown: Dublin Synagogue: Temple Beth Shalom Undergraduate University: Northwestern University Law School: University of Cincinnati Favorite Jewish holiday: Rosh Hashanah If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A shrink When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Listening to music, reading, riding my bike

MARCH 23, 2023

Pamela Maggied Firm: Pamela N. Maggied Co., LPA Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Congregation Tifereth Israel Undergraduate University: Ohio University Law school: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Purim - I love hamentaschen First job as a teenager: Moving scrap metal around my father’s junk yard and babysitting When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Reading a book

Jodie K. Meizlish Firm: Golden & Meizlish, Co., LPA Hometown: Reynoldsburg Synagogue: Temple Beth Shalom Undergraduate University: Kent State University Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Purim First job as a teenager: Clerk at a bookstore If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: An interior designer

Ronald R. Petroff Firm: Petroff Law Offices, LLC Hometown: New Albany Synagogue: Temple Beth Shalom Undergraduate University: Vanderbilt University Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Yom Kippur First job as a teenager: Jewelry delivery boy If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: Working in front office of a professional sports team

Larry Pliskin Firm: Law Office of Larry Pliskin Hometown: Bexley Synagogue: Temple Israel Undergraduate University: University of Pennsylvania Law School: Boston University Favorite Jewish holiday: Tu b’Shevat First job as a teenager: Worked at the Bexley Public Library If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A photographer

LOCAL LAWYERS Sarah Pollyea Firm: Sarah Pollyea Law, LLC City: Gahanna Synagogue: Congregation Tifereth Israel Undergraduate University: Indiana University Law School: Case Western Reserve University Favorite Jewish holiday: Chanukah. There’s something about lighting the candles of a beautiful menorah every night that adds to the magic of the holiday season.

First job as a teenager: Camp Counselor at JCC day camp in the 1990s. I still remember many of the songs Central Ohio restaurant I always recommend: Any of the Cameron Mitchell restaurants are always my go to

Frederic Portman Firm: Agee Clymer Mitchell & Portman Law Undergraduate University: The Ohio State University Law School: The Ohio State University If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: Retired When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: On the golf course

Seth D Preisler Chodosh & Chodosh Hometown: Bexley Synagogue: Congregation Tifereth Israel Undergraduate University: Miami University Law School: Case Western Reserve University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover First job as a teenager: Working with my dad, pulling up and installing carpeting If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: An engineer When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: On a walk around Bexley with my wife and daughter

Josh Sanders Firm: Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP City of residence: Granville Synagogue: Temple Israel Undergraduate University: Ohio Wesleyan University Law School: Capital University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover

SUPER ATTORNEYS

MARCH 23, 2023

ColumbusJewishNews.com | COLUMBUS JEWISH NEWS | 43

Maine motorists appeal to keep naughty vanity license plates DAVID SHARP | ASSOCIATED PRESS

A

Maine vegan whose custom license plate contains the word “tofu” is one of the motorists caught in a state crackdown on vulgar tags.

Car owners across the United States can pay an extra fee to customize license plates, sparking If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A football coach When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Taking a walk with my wife and dog

Michael L. Schottenstein Firm: Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter Hometown: Bexley Synagogue: Congregation Tifereth Israel Undergraduate University: Syracuse University Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover First job as a teenager: Worked as a maintenance assistant at Markpoint Development If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A sportscaster

Terry Sherman Firm: Terry Sherman Trial Lawyer Hometown: Bexley Synagogue: Congregation Agudas Achim Undergraduate University: Ohio University Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Rosh Hashanah First job as a teenager: Worked as a paper boy When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Working out

Jodi R. Smilack Firm: Grossman Law Offices Hometown: Columbus Undergraduate University: University of Michigan Law School: University of Illinois Chicago Favorite Jewish holiday: Chanukah First job as a teenager: Snack bar at the Bexley pool Central Ohio restaurant I always recommend: The Top

creativity and personality but causing headaches for state officials who have to decide what’s acceptable.

Maine had for several years allowed people to put just about any combination of letters and numbers on their vehicle plates, including words and phrases that other states would ban. But the state decided to change course and this year

Lee Smith Firm: Lee M. Smith & Associates Co., L.P.A. Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Congregation Tifereth Israel Undergraduate University: Ohio University Law School: University of Dayton Favorite Jewish holiday: Rosh Hashanah Central Ohio restaurant I always recommend: Lindey’s

Beatrice K. Sowald Firm: Sowald, Sowald, Anderson, Hawley & Johnson Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Beth Jacob Congregation Undergraduate University: The Ohio State University Law School: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Chanukah First job as a teenager: Worked in a glove factory, tacking gloves If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A United Nations ambassador

Heather Sowald Firm: Sowald, Sowald, Anderson, Hawley & Johnson Hometown: Gahanna Undergraduate University: Case Western Reserve University Law School: Capital University Favorite Jewish holiday: Chanukah First job as a teenager: Typist If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: An artist

recalled 274 plates it deemed inappropriate.

Some people are fighting back.

So far the state has rejected all of the appeals, including one brought by the vegan whose license plate referenced tofu.

The state concluded the license plate “LUVTOFU” could’ve been seen as a reference to sex instead of admiration for bean curd. The

David Stein Firm: Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP Hometown: New Albany Synagogue: Congregation Tifereth Israel Undergraduate University: The Ohio State University Law School: Capital University Favorite Jewish holiday: Pesach First job as a teenager: Bag boy at Martin’s Kosher Food Market When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: On a beach.

A.C. Strip Firm: Strip, Hoppers, Leithart, McGrath & Terlecky Co., LPA Hometown: Blacklick Synagogue: Temple Beth Shalom Undergraduate University: The Ohio State University Law school: The Ohio State University Favorite Jewish holiday: Purim – brings back great memories If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A travel agent When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Building large model ships, four feet in length

Beatrice Wolper Firm: Emens Wolper Jacobs & Jasin, LPA Hometown: Columbus Undergraduate University: University of Arizona and University of Cincinnati Law School: Northern Kentucky University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover First job as a teenager: Librarian If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A geologist or artist

motorist insisted there was no mistaking his intent because the back of his car had several tofu-related stickers.

“It’s my protest against eating meat and animal products,” Peter Starostecki, the disappointed motorist, said after a zoom session with a hearing examiner for the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Benjamin S. Zacks Firm: Zacks Law LLC Hometown: Columbus Synagogue: Congregation Beth Tikvah and Congregation Tifereth Israel Undergraduate University: University of Arizona and The Ohio State University Law School: Capital University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover First job as a teenager: Sales clerk at Schottenstein’s Department Store If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: In business, CEO of start-ups, if retired, poet, painter and philosopher

Eric Zagrans Firm: Zagrans Law Firm LLC Hometown: Powell Synagogue: Congregation Tifereth Israel Undergraduate University: University of Notre Dame Law school: Harvard University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover First job as a teenager: Playground supervisor for my hometown’s parks and recreation department If I weren’t an attorney, I’d be: A college or university professor, president or football coach

Andrew Zashin Firm: Zashin & Rich Synagogue: Chabad Worldwide Undergraduate University: Brown University Law School: Case Western Reserve University Favorite Jewish holiday: Passover First job as a teenager: Law clerk at Zashin Law Firm When I need to unwind, you’ll find me: Playing with my dog.

Central Ohio restaurant I always recommend: Lindey’s