Defiance County Lawyers

William Balena is an experienced bankruptcy and traffic trial attorney. Bill is an active member of NACBA. He attends annual workshops and continuing education in the area of advanced consumer bankruptcy issues. He represents consumers in chapter 7 and chapter 13. Bill is also a former city prosecutor and is well versed in traffic defense including Ohio drunk driving (OVI, DWI, DUI) and speeding tickets.

Associate Attorney Daniel Picketts is returning to his home of Ohio after completing his Juris Doctorate at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Having left Ohio after enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in 2007, Daniel has traveled around the world gaining various skills along the way. Daniel excelled in the Marine Corps displaying a natural talent for inspiring and leading Marines. He was selected for leadership roles over his peers at every opportunity presented, including a combat meritorious promotion while deployed to Afghanistan. Daniel ended his enlistment with the rank of Sergeant, a feat rarely attained in the first four-year...

Are you seeking to file a worker’s compensation claim? Obtain counsel for this complex process by calling Charles Zamora Co., L.P.A. When you come to our firm for help, a Columbus worker’s compensation attorney will sit down with you to review your case and discuss possible solutions. Not only does our firm have more than 25 years of experience, but our lead attorney is a certified worker’s compensation specialist! Call our firm to find out how our unique qualifications can help you.

Tonya R. Coles, Esq. is a solo practitioner in Columbus, Ohio. She focuses her practice on elder law, estate planning, and probate law. Tonya is a graduate of Capital University Law School. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Ohio.

I am committed to providing you with top notch legal support. I approach every client with a focus on integrity, advocacy, and understanding. I will fight for you! I have a reputation of excellence in providing smart, sensible, and cost-effective legal and business solutions for my clients.

I started my legal career in Columbus by clerking for a prominent firm in 1996. Shortly thereafter, while working my way through undergraduate studies, I attended Capital University Law School where I graduated in the top 10% of my class. I worked for two large firms in Columbus until I settled in with a practice located in Dublin for numerous years. After wanting more freedom to handle cases the way I felt best for my clients, I decided to start my own firm. I know have the freedom to spend the time necessary to make sure...

Dedicated to helping people who have been injured due to a faulty medical device, car accident or arrested for drunk driving since 1993.

Rathbone Group handles subrogation recovery on behalf of insured and self-insured companies from responsible third parties.

Hello, my name is Jim Slater. Thank you for your interest in my law firm.

If you’re looking for a highly experienced team of lawyers and legal professionals who are focused on their clients, I can assure you that you’ve come to the right place.

Rick Zurz and I formed this law firm over 25 years ago. We each brought very unique experience and backgrounds to our firm for the benefit of our clients.

Our style of practicing law and the culture of our law firm is one that is based on intense preparation and careful planning in order to secure the outcome...

Jonathan Layman is a native of Central Ohio and a graduate of both the Ohio State University and Capital University Law School, where he was a member of the Law Review. Jonathan Layman is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and is admitted in the State of Ohio and the Federal Southern District of Ohio. His practice focuses on consumer law, landlord tenant law and other civil litigation. After graduating from the Ohio State University, he worked full-time in a law practice as an assistant and then a clerk while earning his Law degree. Jonathan Layman has...

Andrew Jaffe has been a licensed attorney since 1977. For the past seventeen years he has limited his practice to E-Commerce and Internet Law, advising and counseling his clients throughout the United States and the world on the intricacies of web related laws. Mr. Jaffe is able to help his clients wherever they reside, using local co-counsel only when needed to appear in court. Andy prides himself on providing individual representation and unparalleled service to all of his clients. While clients might be able to find another lawyer with Mr. Jaffe’s experience, the biggest difference between...

James primarily practices in immigration law. Prior to joining Wanglaw, James worked as a solo practitioner and worked with Mallory Law Office, LLC. James represented and advised individuals and entities on matters regarding business formation, estate planning, residential and commercial real estate including resolving business disputes, tax matters, finance projects, and drafting and reviewing leases, and many others. Outside of work, James enjoys playing golf and volleyball with friends, volunteering, and reading. He also speaks fluent Korean.

EDUCATION
University of Dayton School of Law, J.D. 2005
Valedictorian, magna cum laude
Notes and Comments Editor of the University of Dayton Law Review
Rollins College, B.A., 2002, magna cum laude
President of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity

ADMISSIONS
Ohio
Kentucky
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio

MEMBERSHIPS
Cincinnati Bar Association
Cincinnati Estate Planning Council
Estate Planning Section of the Cincinnati Bar Association

HONORS AND ACCOLADES
Ohio Super Lawyers, Ohio Rising Stars, Estate Planning and Probate 2011 - 2019
Ohio Bar Association's Community Service Award for Attorneys 40 and Under, 2012
Cincy Magazine, Cincy Leading Lawyers, Trusts 2018, 2019
Cincinnati Business Courier's Forty Under 40, 2012
Cincinnati Magazine Five Star Wealth Manager 2013 - 2019

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Chairperson of the...

Sherry A. Pidala is a sole practitioner and has been an attorney for over 25 years. She serves clients in most all communities of the tri-county area of Cuyahoga, Portage and Summit. Sherry provides a broad range of legal services to individual clients, families and businesses in matters of family law, including divorce, dissolution, restraining orders, custody, visitation, shared parenting plans, child support, alimony, and asset division, post decree divorce issues such as modifications, and contempt proceedings, criminal matters, DUI / DWUI's, driving under suspension, and other traffic matters, personal injury cases including auto accidents and...

Rachel is a Cleveland native who holds a B.A. from Miami University, M.S. from Syracuse University, and J.D. from Cleveland State University. She has over a decade of experience in various aspects of real estate law and litigation. She has successfully represented the interests of clients before Boards of Zoning Appeals, Planning Commissions, and City Councils; represented mortgage and other lien holders in foreclosure litigation; and represented clients in contractor, construction defect litigation and other property-related disputes. Rachel has extensive experience working with condominiums, homeowners associations, and homeowners in all aspects of community association law. She also works...

Patrick J. D'Andrea currently represents numerous landowners and small businesses in the Ohio Utica and Marcellus Shale Oil and Gas play including leases and leasing, amending existing leases, pipeline agreements and rights of way, oil and gas mineral sales, location agreements and much more. He has been involved in Business and Personal Injury cases and litigation for over 30 years. He has represented many fortune 500 companies in the Oil and Gas and Real Estate Development aspects of his business. He has litigated hundreds of business and personal injury cases. Previous: Director of Development, Summit County, Ohio, Akron City Councilman...

Ali assists clients in managing and repairing their brand reputations through the removal of defamatory Internet content.

I believe that every person should have strong legal support as well as an attorney that genuinly cares about the outcome. I have handled cases all over the United States and put myself 110% to each and every case as if it were the only case I am handling.

Hugh Berkson who is rated AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale-Hubbell®, obtained a business degree in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin in 1989, and is a 1994 graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Barristers and received both the American Jurisprudence Award, (National Mock Trial) in 1993 and the Jonathan M. Ault Mock Trial Prize for 1993-1994. Hugh later served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the CWRU School of Law, where he taught trial practice from 1995-2004.

From a career that has spanned the globe, Nancy Wagner has brought the breadth of her experience to her hometown, with a commitment to represent local families in their estate planning and probate needs. Ms. Wagner graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1995 and joined the Washington, DC, office of Fried, Frank. Her practice there encompassed a wide range of government contracts litigation and counseling as well as white collar criminal defense and investigations. From there, Ms. Wagner joined Experience Works, Inc. of Arlington, VA, as Associate General Counsel, assisting the $100M non-profit...

Brinton is personally invested in his clients’ success and thinks about how he can help his clients remove damaging content from the Internet from the moment he wakes up in the morning. He is a passionate advocate for individuals and businesses that are harmed as a result of someone intentionally abusing the Internet to cause them significant harm. He combines specialized technical knowledge of the Internet, digital investigative techniques and cutting-edge litigation skills to provide cost-effective solutions custom tailored to each client’s specific needs. Brinton works tirelessly to obtain successful results both in and out of the courtroom so that...

Manu is proud graduate of Walsh Jesuit High School in Akron, The Ohio State University, and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Formerly with Dworken & Bernstein in Painesville, and the Law Offices of Joyce E. Barrett in Cleveland, Manu has practiced in Northeast Ohio courts for nearly 20 years exclusively in the area of domestic relations and family and juvenile law. He is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, Cleveland Metropolitan, Lake and Geauga Counties Bar Associations. In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Raj is a Family Law Mediator and is trained in both Collaborative...

G. Nicholas Mineff, an alumnus of St. Edward High School, holds a Psychology and Law and Society degree from Hood College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Dayton School of Law. He gained notable experience interning at the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office and clerking for Judge Barbara Gorman. Known for his personalized client attention, Nick is a committed community partner and belongs to several legal associations, including the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association.

Michael has been helping injury victims since 1996. In 2021, he left the large firms to open his own practice, and provide more individual attention for his clients. Michael prides himself on making a difference in the lives of those who have been victims of negligence. The Law Offices of Michael L Eisner, LLC provides "concierge level service" to its clients. In 2009, Michael won the largest reported automobile accident injury verdict in Franklin County.

Tara is a native of Oxford, Ohio with strong ties to the community. She received her BA degree from Miami University in 1996. After a year of post-college work in Atlanta, Georgia, Tara returned to Cincinnati to work for the Mercy Health System in public relations. She went to law school at Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Northern Kentucky Law Review. She authored a law review article on the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was published in the Southern Illinois University Law Review. She then spent three years...

After graduating New England School of Law, magna cum laude, Kristine clerked for a year with the Massachusetts Superior Court, and then joined the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney primarily in the Appellate Unit. During her 4 year tenure at the District Attorney’s Office, Kristine argued more than 60 cases before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and Massachusetts Appeals Court. Kristine then spent 2 years as Agency Counsel for the Massachusetts Parole Board where she specialized in civil litigation and employment law. An experienced litigator, Kristine has a general practice representing both individual and business...

Born and raised in Licking County, Attorney Seth Smith earned his Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. He went on to graduate from Campbell University School of Law in Raleigh, North Carolina. On return to Ohio, Seth interned in the Licking County Prosecutor’s Office where he discovered his passion was actually for criminal defense. Since pursuing private practice, Seth has represented numerous clients charged with felonies, misdemeanors and federal crimes. Seth also regularly practices in Franklin County Domestic Relations and Licking County Domestic Relations court representing clients in complicated custody battles, divorces, and other family issues....

David Lash has been a lifelong resident of the Cleveland Heights/Beachwood, Ohio area. He graduated from Cleveland Heights High School and attended college at Ohio University, majoring in psychology. After graduation from Ohio University, David worked his way through Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and became a licensed attorney November 4, 1977. David has been practicing law for more than 33 years. He developed a robust general law practice assisting clients with their legal concerns. His principal areas of practice include foreclosure defense, bankruptcy, divorce/custody/domestic relations, personal injury, and criminal/traffic/municipal court law. He also does...

Matt was born in Ironton, Ohio and graduated from Dawson-Bryant High School in Coal Grove, Ohio. After graduation, he attended Miami University (Ohio) and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in German and Business. Matt received his Juris Doctor degree from Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. While attending law school, Matt worked as a law clerk for a workers’ compensation firm in Columbus. Matt received his license to practice law from the Ohio Supreme Court in 2010. Immediately thereafter, Matt returned to Ironton in order to work with his father, David Spears. Matt is a Cincinnati Reds and Cincinnati...

BANKRUPTCY, FAMILY LAW and ESTATE PLANNING Law Firm with offices throughout Northeast Ohio. We have helped thousands of clients with over a decade of experience. We offer free consultations, affordable payment plans, evening and weekend hours. Call our caring and friendly office today to let us start you on the path to the "Fresh Start" you deserve! Member: Akron, Canton, Cleveland-Metropolitan, Mahoning and Ohio Bar Associations and BBB. Call Us Today at 866-529-9010 OR visit our website OhioAttorneyNow.com .... We Can Help!

I strive to provide cost efficient, effective representation in a wide array of practice areas primarily involving civil litigation and appeals in state and federal courts, investigations of insurance claims, and providing insurance coverage opinions. My goal is to zealously represent clients providing "outside the box" solutions and high quality representation performed in a professional and ethical manner. I am licensed to practice in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. My experience includes advising or representing clients on law or in litigation in the following areas: construction; construction defects; architects, engineers and design professional errors and omissions; hospitality liability, insurance defense; insurance...

Willis Legal Services, LLC was founded by Jay S. Willis and is located in Portsmouth, Ohio. Mr. Willis was Magistrate in Scioto County Domestic Court for over a decade until his appointment as Judge by the Governor of the State of Ohio to complete the unexpired term upon the retirement of his predecessor. Mr. Willis returns to the private practice of law with a wealth of judicial experience which will greatly benefit any client regardless of the nature of the legal issue. Willis Legal Services, LLC is a general practice law firm with a focus toward Family Law,...