Independence Lawyers

Eric Valente, JD, MBA, is an attorney and founding member of Valente Law, LLC. He studied business administrations and earned his MBA while attending law school at the University of Toledo. Eric began his career doing business litigation at J.W. Krueger & Associates, LLC, where he still maintains an office. Eric has always had a creative, entrepreneurial spirit, and estate planning and business counseling provides him with the opportunity to engage these interests while helping clients achieve their goals. Eric's focus areas are estate planning (Wills, Trusts, Healthcare Planning), Probate Administration and Business Law. Eric is a...

For more than fifteen years, Kristina has protected and counseled clients during the most difficult periods in their lives. She has developed a sophisticated federal and state practice with a particular focus on internet-based crimes. Her experience is regularly enlisted for complex cases involving allegations of sexual assault, and she has worked on national defense teams representing students and executives facing prosecution in the United States and abroad. Kristina is also extremely adept at working with families and defending juveniles facing prosecution, particularly when the child has a physical or mental disability.

Kristina has achieved great success protecting students and...

Ian Friedman is a partner at the law firm of Friedman & Nemecek, L.L.C., based in Cleveland, Ohio. He has earned a fierce reputation for successfully defending individuals and organizations in complex criminal and white collar matters. He is a frequent author and lecturer on matters related to criminal justice. He represents individuals and entities across the United States and has served as counsel in Europe, Asia, and South America.

Ian is the current President of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, and past-President of the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He was the first lawyer to...

Often, people feel like they need a little extra help, an extra hand to hold during their tough battles in life. That can be especially true when you're dealing with family issues or trying to stay in the country against all odds. That's why I take my responsibilities seriously. Because it's not just a job, its someone's life. And I'm glad I get to hold your hand and win our fight together. I'm licensed to practice law in the state of Ohio. I graduated with honors in both Law and Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati. I handle cases...

Mr. Doucet is a consumer and consumer finance attorney who solves complex legal problems with clear communication and creative strategies for his clients. He has deep experience in UDAAP regulations, including TILA, RESPA, EFTA, SCRA, FDCPA, ECOA, RICO, and FHA Regulations, plus some experience with CCPA, among others. He is most known for his defense of foreclosure to help people stay in their homes. His legal interests include contract drafting, FinTech, consumer-facing regulations, and strategic planning with a focus on meeting client’s objectives. He has published books including “Regulation Z of the Truth in Lending Act (integrated...

I am a trial attorney in Cleveland, Ohio. I primarily focus on real estate litigation and business litigation. I have experience with contract dispute resolution for companies large and small, and I have represented both landlords and tenants in housing matters. I have litigated cases at the trial court and appellate court levels on the State of Ohio, as well as both the Northern and Southern District Courts of Ohio and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. I have successfully moved to deny certiori before the Supreme Court of Ohio. I am focused on dispute resolution and resolving client matters as quickly...

Brenden Kelley, a seasoned litigator and dedicated attorney, is committed to delivering the highest caliber of legal representation to his clients, marked by honesty and affordability. Behind his boyish grin lies a remarkable journey that has shaped him into the lawyer he is today. Brenden’s legal lineage runs deep. Born into a family of legal professionals, he was groomed from a young age to follow in his parents’ footsteps. His father, Michael V. Kelley, was a distinguished trial lawyer known for championing the rights of Ohio Steelworkers. His mother, Lynn Arko Kelley, served as a former Cleveland Heights Municipal Court Judge...

Susan’s life work is to help students in crisis and to meet their legal needs. She handles matter ranging from special education issues, student disciplinary matters and Title IX investigations. Susan has the knowledge and experience required to navigate due process complaints and shaping of 504 Plans and Individualized Education Programs. She also handles student matters involving hazing, bullying and social media.

Susan has gained a national reputation for representing student and professors in Title IX cases. She is routinely hired as a student advisor for the campus investigation and hearing phase of proceedings and also subsequent university...

Christopher Mellino is the owner and founder of The Mellino Law Firm. He has been representing Ohioans in serious personal injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice claims for almost 40 years. His work on landmark cases, such as Moskovitz v. Mt. Sinai Medical Center (1994) and Watkins v. Cleveland Clinic Foundation (1998), has been instrumental in changing state law regarding medical malpractice and negligence. Chris has successfully recovered million- and multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts on behalf of his clients and, with every case he takes on, he strives to hold negligent parties accountable. Call our office today for a free...

Daniel A. McGowan is a Trial Lawyer and Litigation Counsel for individuals, families, foundations, endowments, and institutions. Practice exclusively in the area of advising fiduciaries and individuals in all aspects of trust administration and related court proceedings, including will and trust contests, actions to construe, modify and reform wills and trusts, breach of fiduciary duty claims, elder abuse, as well as proceedings to remove and surcharge fiduciaries. Mr. McGowan is a member of the Florida Probate Rules Committee (2020 Term); Florida Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section; Estate and Trust Law Section of the Ohio Bar; Probate and Trust...

If you are charged with a criminal offense and require aggressive representation, please contact Charlotte, North Carolina Criminal Defense Attorney Ron Frey of The Frey Law Firm, PLLC at (844) 766-3739 for a free consultation. Please visit us on the web at http://www.FreyLegal.com

David M. Benson is a long-time resident of Cleveland Heights and a practicing attorney since 1993. He has represented hundreds of Ohioans, most of them in bankruptcies on behalf of consumers and small businesses. He has extensive experience in counseling clients on the most advantageous alternatives relating to debt issues, including mortgage foreclosure defense, loan modifications, deeds in lieu of foreclosure and short sales. In addition to bankruptcy and foreclosure issues, Mr. Benson’s practice has included civil litigation arising from small business disputes, debt collection abuse, workplace injuries, disability, motor vehicle accidents and real estate matters. Mr. Benson is...

Charmaine Rozario is an Employment Immigration Lawyer in Cleveland, Ohio who practiced law in the High Court of Bombay prior to immigrating to the United States. Charmaine has led Herman Legal Group’s Business Immigration Department since 2002, representing some of the Midwest’s fastest growing and dynamic employers. Prior to joining our firm, Charmaine served as immigration counsel to one of the top 20 software companies in the U.S.

Ken is the Managing Partner of Knabe Law Firm and Greater Cleveland’s Bicycle Attorney. A Cleveland native, he has over 40 years of experience serving his community as both a prosecutor and civil litigator. He helps injured cyclists from the ground, up! An avid cyclist, Ken is a co-chair on a Vision Zero Cleveland Sub-committee, serves on the boards of the Ohio Bicycle Federation and the Ohio to Erie Trail and is a regular expert legal contributor for Bike Cleveland. Ken strengthens the local cycling community and its advocacy efforts through sponsorship of organizations like Bike Cleveland and several local...

I began practicing law in 2002. I spent over 13 years with the Cleveland firm of Gallagher Sharp, primarily as a litigator, before venturing on my own and then landing at The Gertsburg Law Firm in 2017 before choosing to restart my own practice in 2020. Before becoming an attorney, I worked as a financial manager for a small business after earning his MBA. My experience allows me to understands the challenges facing small business owners, allowing me to advise, as well as provide valuable legal information. With over 20 years’ experience in the business and legal worlds, I strive...

Peter Friedmann is an employment attorney, who represents clients in state and federal courts. Pete is licensed to practice in all Ohio state courts, as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. A 2008 graduate of Ohio University’s College of Business, Pete obtained his law degree from Capital University Law School in 2012.

Michael Hill has been described as a generational attorney for consistently obtaining 7 and 8 figure trial verdicts and settlements, including the largest verdict against a nursing home in Ohio History—a $26 million verdict in May 2023. Michael has met the stringent Super Lawyers standard, voted by his peers as one of the top 2.5% of attorneys in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Michael has been rated by the National Trial Lawyers Association as a Top 40 Under 40 trial lawyer in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 and one of the Top 100 lawyers...

Kamal H. Dari is an attorney from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He currently serves as Of-Counsel to Herman Legal Group in Dearborn, Michigan. In addition, Kamal maintains his own practice (Dari Law, PLLC) in Ann Arbor. His areas of practice are Immigration and Business Law. Kamal received his JD, cum laude, from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, and a bachelor’s degree in sport management (BA) from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. He is fluent in English and Arabic.

Goldberg Legal Co., LPA was founded to represent people in the kinds of dreadful cases they should never have to face alone. We have been helping injured victims and their families from across the US for over 30 years. Careless manufacturers, unfair employers, incompetent doctors, unscrupulous defense lawyers, and other misguided people fear Goldberg Legal, because we never lose sight of our guiding principle: to give victims – our clients – the tireless representation we’d insist on for a member of our families. If you’ve been hurt – or if a loved one has been hurt – you need legal...

As the first member of my immigrant family to go to law school or even college, I chose to come to Cleveland from Brooklyn, New York because Cleveland has always been a diverse city of hard-working folks from all backgrounds. My father and my grandfather both knew what it meant to have their freedom and even their lives threatened by the Nazis in Germany and I have devoted my career to representing the " little guy," the working man or woman, the injured and the disabled against government, big business and corporations. My goal has always been to be the...

Daniel Romaine is the Co-Managing Partner and Personal Injury Department Head of the law firm of Nager, Romaine & Schneiberg Co., LPA. (aka NRS Injury Law). Dan has been the head of the firm's personal injury and automobile accident litigation departments since 2001. NRS Injury Law has offices in Cleveland, Euclid, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati and Toledo. Dan graduated magna cum laude from Kent State University in 1993 where he was a proud member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Dan received the dean's scholarship to attend Cleveland Marshall College of Law and graduated in 1996. In...

Jarman is an attorney in Cleveland, Ohio practicing in the areas of Cybersecurity & Data Privacy, Corporate Transactions, and Intellectual Property. Jarman has extensive research experience in several other areas of the law as well, and provides support on trademark litigation matters.

Patrick J. Perotti is recognized for outstanding achievements in consumer class actions and employment discrimination, locally and nationally. He is the architect of the firm’s Ohio Lawyers Give Back initiative to distribute unclaimed class action funds to charities. As an award-winning national leader in the fields of consumer class actions, employment discrimination, and wage and hour litigation; with verdicts and settlements exceeding $1 billion dollars, he is regularly selected to lead class suits in Ohio and around the country. His reputation developed from a demand for outcomes which not only offered compensation to class members but also stopped unlawful government...

Allen Tittle’s passion for personal injury law, including cases involving car accidents and medical malpractice, comes from a deeply rooted belief in justice – his success on behalf of clients is the result of a good, old-fashioned hard work ethic. “I come from a working class family where my dad was a union worker,” he says. “Nothing has ever been handed to me. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college.” In 2015, Mr. Tittle decided to branch out on his own and he opened Tittle Law, LLC. “I started my own...

I was elected in November 2012 and was seated on January 1, 2013. A lifelong resident of the Cuyahoga County area, growing up in Maple Heights until the age of 12, and moving to Lyndhurst where I reside today. I attended public school, graduating from Brush High School in 1975.
I have a daughter, Michelle, and understands how difficult raising a child can be as a single parent.
After Michelle graduated from college, I pursued a degree at Baldwin Wallace University and earned a degree in Human Services while working as a private investigator and a freelance designer in advertising.
I worked as...

A resident of Wadsworth, Ohio, Attorney Alexander L. Pal concentrates his entire practice on representing individuals who have been injured through the negligent actions of another. He is honored to serve his community by protecting the rights of its citizens and treats his clients as members of his family by providing the highest level of legal representation. He has represented victims of negligence in cases involving automobile and truck accidents, traumatic brain injuries, medical malpractice, workplace injuries and families of victims of wrongful death.

Meghan Lewallen is a partner at The Mellino Law Firm. She focuses on medical malpractice and wrongful death claims and has been a dedicated advocate for our clients since 2013. In 2016, and every year since, Meghan was selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star in medical malpractice. She was also nominated to serve on the Board of Directors of the Cleveland Academy of Trial Attorneys in May of 2019. With rich educational experience and a background in business, Meghan is able to strategize and speak up for her clients. She is passionate about holding those in power responsible for...

Maria strongly believes that every couple and family, both traditional and non-traditional, deserve the same quality legal services and the same legal protections for themselves and their loved ones. Maria specializes in estate planning, probate administration, elder law and legal services for non-traditional families.

With over seventeen years of intensive courtroom experience, Attorney Dyer has the expertise necessary to confidently and effectively represent Northeast Ohio clients in all aspects of family law including, divorce, dissolution, child custody, visitation, child support, spousal support, adoptions, modifications and restraining orders. She served as a Guardian ad Litem for minors in hundreds of cases, advocating for their best interest in custody matters. Attorney Dyer is one of a handful of lawyers certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a Family Law Specialist. Attorney Dyer strives to meet her clients’ goals in an efficient and cost-effective manner, providing personalized...

Jeff has represented individuals and business entities ranging from sole proprietorships to multi-national corporations.

Jeff held a number of positions as an attorney in both the public and the private sector including positions with small, mid-sized, and large law firms. Jeff’s practice areas cover a wide-ranging spectrum, but he primarily focuses on real estate law, commercial law, business and civil litigation matters.

Jeff was raised in Summit County, Ohio and he and his wife have resided in Strongsville, Ohio since 1992. They have four children and three grandchildren. He is an avid football fan and a...

Jathniel Shao is a lawyer in New York, Chicago, Cleveland, and Manila. Originally from Binondo, the world’s oldest Chinatown, Jath grew up bouncing between Asia and America and speaks Hokkien, Mandarin, and Tagalog fluently. Jath received his BA from Beloit College in Wisconsin, and his JD from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he was a founding board member of the Asian Law Student Association (ALSA) and the Filipino American Lawyers Association of Ohio (FALA Ohio). At the same time, he was a law clerk here at Herman Legal Group. Prior to rejoining Herman Legal Group as Of...

I am an experienced professional bankruptcy attorney in Cleveland and Westlake, Ohio. I focus on consumer bankruptcy and small business bankruptcy, with an emphasis on putting my clients first. Since finishing law school in 2004, I've represented over 2,000 people in Cleveland bankruptcy cases. I'm passionate about practicing law, giving fair representation, and helping people to get a fresh start. I understand the complexity of all forms of bankruptcy law and I'm not afraid to dig in and look at all the provisions to find out the best way for my clients to benefit. I'll find all the provisions that...

We represent the rights of consumers in all forms of consumer rights litigation, including lemon law, breach of warranty, debt collection violations, credit reporting issues, unauthorized robocalls and telemarketing calls, consumer fraud and related issues. We also handle employment litigation, including wage and hour cases, overtime pay issues, wrongful termination, discrimination and sexual harassment. Many of the firm's cases are brought as class actions and we handle personal injury cases as well.

I have a wide variety of experience coming from my practice in many different areas of law . I have done everything from drafting deeds for my clients to representing them in adoption cases and working with them while they purchased their first homes. I have handled many cases of many different types over the years some of the very unusual to the common. They were all as important to me as they are important to you. I have had wide experience representing single individuals , married couples, retirees, students, and a large variety of small businesses, restaurants, salons,...

Certified Family Law Specialist, Gary Okin represents clients in matters of divorce, child custody, domestic violence, adoption and any other family law matters. Recognized as a Super Lawyer, Gary has consistently earned the highest ratings in the legal industry. Gary is admitted to practice before the Ohio Supreme Court and the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio. Gary is a contributor to several journals and Continuing Legal Education seminars. He is one of the first attorneys to be designated a Certified Specialist in the area of Domestic Relations Law by the Ohio State Bar Association.

Amanda Condon brings experience as an acting municipal court judge to her personal injury practice. She has earned a “Superb” AVVO rating and has been recognized as one of the top 100 trial lawyers in the U.S. Prior to joining Dworken & Bernstein in 2014, she worked at a small boutique firm specializing in personal injury. Amanda also previously served as a Magistrate in Lyndhurst Municipal Court, and from 2005 to 2012, was a prosecutor in Ashtabula County Eastern and Western County Courts. Amanda is currently an Acting Judge in Painesville Municipal Court.

This experience gives Amanda a unique perspective to...

My personal experience as the primary caregiver for my mother, who suffers from dementia, taught me the critical importance of estate planning and elder law. This journey prompted a significant shift in my legal practice, which had previously centered on different transactional law areas. Experiencing the consequences of being unprepared for life's uncertainties firsthand, I am now passionately committed to assisting individuals, families, and businesses with strategic planning. My unwavering dedication to serving my family, clients, and community ensures that their well-being remains my top priority. Contact Rhodium Law today for a free consultation. We provide bespoke legal solutions to...

Jay H. Salamon is a Principal at McCarthy Lebit. Mr. Salamon’s practice is primarily concentrated in the area of securities litigation and arbitration. His typical clients are investors who have been injured by the fraud or negligence of stockbrokers, investment advisors, life insurance agents, and other sellers of financial products and services. Mr. Salamon’s arbitration work is nationwide in scope. Mr. Salamon is also the author and regular commentator of stockmarketloss.com, the firm’s comprehensive securities arbitration website and blog.

AV Rated by Martindale-Hubble Life Member – Multimillion Dollar Advocates Forum 10.0/10.0 Avvo Rating

Matthew S. Flemming joined the Hoffman Legal Group in December 2013 after passing the Ohio State Bar Examination in November 2013. Due to his recognition within the legal community, Matthew was named an Ohio Rising Star in 2017-2023 which is an award issued to only the top 2.5% of attorneys under the age of 40 in Ohio. He was also named a Super Lawyer in 2024, which is awarded to the top 5% of attorneys who have been practicing for 10 or more years. Matthew was born and raised in Northeast Ohio, graduating from Solon High School in 2005....