(Main Office)

Our firm was founded in 1952 when Harold O. Ziegler and Roger L. Metzger began practicing law together in what was then the Union Commerce Building (now the Huntington Building). Prior to that time, the two had been in the law departments of different Cleveland banks.

The shared background of the founders is reflected today in both our practice and quarters. Our clients include many of the region's leading companies, and our offices have remained at the same location in the heart of the city's historic legal and financial district.

An emphasis on the special individual continues to be the basis of our firm's success. Whether distinguished by exceptional academic achievement, unique talent, or extraordinary motivation, our partners and associates are truly capable of the firm's mission: to be quality counsel of good value.

There is a bonus in having extraordinary people work together; giving each other the advantage of their specialized skills; giving each client the benefit of multi-faceted experience; giving our practice an effective synergy.

The firm carries the highest legal ability and ethical standards rating in Martindale-Hubbell.

Statement of Practice

General Civil Practice. Trials and Appeals in all Courts. Commercial and General Litigation. Corporation, Creditors' Rights, Estate Planning, Real Estate, Probate, Taxation, International and Insurance Law.

Representative Clients:

Action Collectors
Airtron, Inc.
American Tank and Fabricating Company
Automated Valve & Equipment Co.
C.B. Richard Ellis Inc.
Dollar Bank
Dun & Bradstreet
Fidelity Home Loans Corp.
The Financial Group, LLC
Forest Corp.
Harbor Group Management Company
Hartford Insurance Co.
Heartland Home Finance Co.
Hudson Land Conservatory
Whole Health Management, Inc.
Huntington National Bank
Key Bank
Koll Bren Schreiber Realty Advisors, Inc.
Merrill Lynch Business Financial Services, Inc.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc.
Metallic Resources, Inc.
National City Bank
Nationwide Insurance Co.
Ohio Clear Title Agency, Inc.
Ohio Gear & Transmission, Inc.
Ohio Pipe, Valves & Fittings, Inc.
Pumphrey Marketing Inc.
Technitronics, Inc.
Travelers Insurance
Watts Industrial Tyres, Ltd. (U.K.)
West Creek Preservation Committee
West Environmental, Inc.
Western Reserve Historical Society
D.E. Williams Electric, Inc.
Sky Bank Asset Acceptance Corp.
Western Reserve Bank
Behringer Harvard Funds
Flight Works, Inc.
De Lage Landen Service, Inc.

Rate Information

Fixed Hourly Rates
Fixed Fees Available

Address

The Huntington Building
925 Euclid Avenue, Suite 2020
Cleveland, OH 44115-1441, (Cuyahoga Co.)

Phone

Phone: 216-781-5470
Fax: 216-781-0714
Toll Free: 800-528-3300

Website

http://www.zieglermetzger.com

Office Hours

Monday: 07:30 AM - 05:30 PM
Tuesday: 07:30 AM - 05:30 PM
Wednesday: 07:30 AM - 05:30 PM
Thursday: 07:30 AM - 05:30 PM
Friday: 07:30 AM - 05:30 PM

Firm/Affiliate Offices

Painesville, Ohio Office: The Midland Building, 10 West Erie Street, Suite 101, 44077. Telephone: 440-352-3003. Fax: 440-354-3299.

MEMBERS OF FIRM

Robert L. Metzger (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, July 8, 1937; admitted to bar, 1962, Ohio. Education: University of Michigan (A.B., 1959; LL.B., 1962). Member: Cleveland, Ohio State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Probate Law; Tax Law.Email: Robert L. Metzger

William L. Spring (Member) born Newark, Ohio, December 31, 1942; admitted to bar, 1967, Ohio and U.S. Tax Court. Education: Denison University (B.A., 1964); Case Western Reserve University (J.D., 1967). Phi Alpha Delta. Member: Cleveland, Ohio State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Estate Administration; International Estate Planning.Email: William L. Spring

Stephen M. Darlington (Member) born Lancaster, Pennsylvania, October 23, 1942; admitted to bar, 1967, Ohio. Education: Denison University (B.A., 1964); Case Western Reserve University (J.D., 1967). Phi Delta Phi. Chairman, Moot Court Board, Case Western Reserve University, 1966-1967. Elected as Ohio Super Lawyer, 2007. Special Agent, F.B.I., 1967-1970. Member: Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations. (Board Certified - Creditors' Rights Law - American Board of Certification). Practice Areas: Civil Trials; Commercial Law; Bankruptcy; Banking; Corporate Transactions.Email: Stephen M. Darlington

Richard T. Spotz, Jr. (Member) born Johnstown, Pennsylvania, February 26, 1948; admitted to bar, 1973, Ohio; 1980, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Miami University (B.S., 1970); Cleveland State University (J.D., 1973). Fellow: Ohio State Bar Foundation and American Bar Association. Member: Cleveland, Lake County (President, 1988-1989), Ohio State, and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Probate; Trusts and Estates; Tax Law.Email: Richard T. Spotz, Jr.

Paul S. Klug (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, February 4, 1950; admitted to bar, 1975, Ohio; 1976, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio. Education: Allegheny College (B.A., cum laude, 1972); Case Western Reserve University (J.D., 1975). Member: Greater Cleveland, Ohio State and American (Member, Sections of: Real Property, Probate and Trust Law; Family Law) Bar Associations; Estate Planning Council of Cleveland. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Probate; Trusts and Estates; Business Succession Planning; Domestic Relations; Commercial Law.Email: Paul S. Klug

Stephen M. Bales (Member) born Stuttgart, West Germany, October 3, 1957; admitted to bar, 1983, Ohio and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; 1986, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; 1987, U.S. Supreme Court; 1998, 2000 U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin; 2001, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio. Education: Rockford College (B.A., cum laude, 1979); Cleveland State University (J.D., 1983). Articles Editor, Cleveland State Law Review, 1982-1983. Member: Cleveland Metropolitan, Geauga County and Ohio State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Arbitration; Commercial Law; Commercial Bankruptcy; Employment Law; Appeals; Securities Litigation; Defense Litigation; FDCPA Defense Litigation.Email: Stephen M. Bales

John E. Redeker (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, June 18, 1949; admitted to bar, 1974, Ohio; 1975 U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio. Education: Denison University (B.S., 1971); Cleveland Marshall College of Law (J.D., 1974). Member: National Association of Industrial and Office Properties; BOMA International. Member: Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Real Estate Transactions; Corporate Transactions; Succession Planning; Real Estate Law; Receiverships; Business.Email: John E. Redeker

Joseph W. Kampman (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, January 18, 1954; admitted to bar, 1980, Ohio. Education: Cleveland State University (B.B.A., 1977; M.B.A., 1980); Cleveland Marshall College of Law (J.D., 1980). Member: Cuyahoga County, Lake County and Ohio State (Probate Section) Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Estate Administration; Business Succession Planning.Email: Joseph W. Kampman

Kirk W. Roessler (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, October 29, 1963; admitted to bar, 1988, California; 1993, Ohio; 1998, Michigan. Education: Kenyon College (A.B., cum laude, 1985); Ohio State University (J.D., summa cum laude, 1988). Member: Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Corporate Law; Creditors Rights; Commercial Law.Email: Kirk W. Roessler

ASSOCIATES

Howard E. Hendershott, Jr. (Associate) born Cleveland, Ohio, November 22, 1926; admitted to bar, 1953, Ohio. Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., 1949); Case Western Reserve University (J.D., 1953). Delta Theta Phi. Member, Board of Education, Hudson Local School District, 1979-1997. [with U.S. Navy, 1944-1946]. Practice Areas: Commercial Real Estate; Estate Planning; Financial Planning.Email: Howard E. Hendershott, Jr.

Shelly R. LaSalvia (Associate) born Cleveland, Ohio; admitted to bar, 2004, Ohio; 2005, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio. Education: John Carroll University (B.S., 2000); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., 2003). Managing Editor, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Journal of Law and Health. Author: "Resolving Disputes Over Excess Frozen Embryos Through the Confines of Property and Contract Law," 17J.I. & Health 103, 2002-2003; Co-Author: Desert Palace, Inc. v. Costa, 123 S Ct. 2148, 2003; Cleveland Bar Journal, Dec. 2004; Trustee, St. Gregory the Great Endowment Board. Member: Cleveland Metropolitan and Ohio State Bar Associations. Fellow: International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation. Practice Areas: Debtor and Creditor; Bankruptcy; Financial Law; Real Estate; Business Law.Email: Shelly R. LaSalvia

Jeffrey L. Koberg (Associate) born Westlake, Ohio, March 30, 1965; admitted to bar, 1990, Ohio, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio and U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: Indiana University (B.S., 1987); Case Western Reserve University (J.D., 1990). Member: Cleveland, Ohio State and American Bar Associations; Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers; Commercial Law League of America. Practice Areas: Creditor Rights; Civil Trials; Real Estate Law.Email: Jeffrey L. Koberg

Christopher E. Soukup (Associate) born Detroit, Michigan, July 1, 1948; admitted to bar, 1975, Ohio. Education: The Ohio State University (B.A., 1970); Case Western Reserve University (J.D., 1975). Member: Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Commercial Real Estate; Land Conservation; Corporate Law; Business Law; Environmental Law.Email: Christopher E. Soukup

Glen H. Garrett (Associate) born Toledo, Ohio, October 18, 1969; admitted to bar, 1995, Ohio and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; 2000, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth and Third Circuits; 2001, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio. Education: Ohio University (B.B.A., Accounting, 1992); Cleveland State University (J.D., 1995). Articles Editor, Cleveland State Law Review, 1995. Member: Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations; Ohio Academy of Civil Trial Attorneys; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Commercial Law; Banking Law; Insurance Coverage; Insurance Bad Faith; Subrogation; Civil Litigation.Email: Glen H. Garrett

Lisa J. Roth (Associate) born Norwalk, Ohio, August 2, 1972; admitted to bar, 2001, Ohio. Education: Bowling Green State University (B.A., 1993); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., 2000). Member: Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations and American Bar Association. Practice Areas: Probate; Estate Planning; Taxation; Elder Law; Real Estate; Civil Practice.Email: Lisa J. Roth

Scott A. Norcross (Associate) born Sumter, South Carolina, October 12, 1974; admitted to bar, 2001, Ohio; 2003, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio. Education: University of Miami (B.A., 1997); University of Toledo (J.D., 2000). Member: Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Commercial Law; Foreclosures; Subrogation; Criminal Law; Civil Litigation.Email: Scott A. Norcross

Lori Kilpeck (Associate) born Euclid, Ohio, July 15, 1975; admitted to bar, 2002, Ohio; 2005, Florida. Education: Cleveland State University (B.A., 1998); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., 2002). Acting Magistrate, Willoughby Municipal Court, 2003-2004. Member: Cleveland, Lake County and Ohio State Bar Associations; The Florida Bar. Practice Areas: Probate; Estate Planning; Guardianship.Email: Lori Kilpeck

Nicholas C. DeSantis (Associate) born Columbus, Ohio; admitted to bar, 2005, Ohio; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Education: Ohio State University (B.A.B.S., 2001); Cleveland-Marshall Law School (J.D., 2005). Member, Moot Court Board of Governors, 2004-2005. President, Student Bar Association, 2005. Senior Editor, Journal of Law and Health, 2004-2005. Member: Cleveland-Marshall Law Alumni Association; The Ohio State University Alumni Association. Member: Cleveland, Ohio State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Commercial Law; Real Estate; Professional Responsibility.Email: Nicholas C. DeSantis

Gina M. Bevack-Ciani (Associate) born Euclid, Ohio, April 26, 1978; admitted to bar, 2003, Ohio. Education: John Carroll University (B.B.A., 2000); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., 2003). Formerly with Cannon, Aveni & Malchesky Co., LPA. Member: Cleveland, Lake County (Member, Probate Committee) and Ohio State Bar Associations. Fellow: Lake County Bar Association; Justinian Forum. Practice Areas: Estate Planning(50%); Probate(12%); Trust Administration(13%); Guardianship(25%).Email: Gina M. Bevack-Ciani

OF COUNSEL

John J. Reidy, Jr. (Of Counsel) born Youngstown, Ohio, September 21, 1932; admitted to bar, 1957, Ohio. Education: University of Notre Dame (A.B., 1954); Case Western Reserve University (LL.B., 1957). Member: Cleveland and Lake County Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Estate Administration; Probate; Trusts; Taxation.Email: John J. Reidy, Jr.

LEGAL SUPPORT PERSONNEL

Margaret E. Mendenhall born Fairmont, West Virginia, February 23, 1950; Education: West Virginia University (B.S.N., R.N., 1973); Case Western Reserve University (M.N.O., 1995). Client Care Manager. Practice Areas: Elder Care Assistance; Care Giver Education/Advocacy; Crisis Intervention.Email: Margaret E. Mendenhall

P. Thomas Austin born Indianapolis, Indiana, October 10, 1926; Education: Central Michigan University; Miami University (B.S., 1947); University of Michigan (M.B.A., 1949); American College (M.S.F.S., 1986); Cambridge University, Cambridge, England. CPA, 1952. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Compensation Planning; Tax Planning.Email: P. Thomas Austin

Timothy Resor born Elyria, Ohio, July 17, 1955; Education: Academy of Court Reporting-Paralegal Division (A.A., 1989); Cleveland State University (1989-1995). Enrolled Agent, IRS. Practice Areas: Estate and Trust Accounting; Preparation of Income Tax Returns (Individual and Fiduciary); Federal and State Estate Tax Returns.Email: Timothy Resor