NOTE TO USERS: These descriptions of the areas of legal practice listed on this web site are intended to be general guidelines, and not hard and fast boundaries. Many areas of law overlap, and many attorneys work in multiple areas of the law. DO NOT RELY OF THESE GUIDELINES AS LEGAL ADVICE. These guidelines are only provided to assist you in your search for an attorney who can give you advice and counsel with your specific legal problem.
Arbitration—The area of law dealing with resolving cases or disputes through an informal process of presenting evidence and argument before a neutral or panel of neutrals for a decision outside the formal court system.
Immigration—The area of law dealing with citizens of foreign countries entering or living in the United States, covering such issues as deportation, naturalization, visas, green cards, applications for citizenship, etc.
Municipal—The area of law dealing with local government units such as cities, townships, and villages, and such issues as zoning, annexation, land use, contracts with local governments, employment with local government, etc.
Bankruptcy—The area of law dealing with federal protection for people and corporations that can not pay their debts, allocating and fairly distributing the debtor’s assets, handling the claims of creditors, determining priorities, and eventually obtaining a bankruptcy discharge.
Insurance Law—The area of law dealing with policies of insurance that cover losses for motor vehicle collisions, fires, flood, storms, and other forms of accidental losses, and policies of life and disability insurance.
Personal Injury—The area of law dealing with claims of physical injury to people through motor vehicle collisions, falls, and other forms of negligence.
Business—The area of law dealing with starting commercial enterprises, forming corporations and partnerships, entering into business contracts, and operating businesses for profit.
Intellectual Property—The area of law dealing with intangible assets such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and proprietary business information.
Probate—The area of law dealing with writing wills, and administering estates for deceased individuals.
Collections—The area of law dealing with obtaining payments for debts owed by others, and such issues as garnishment, attachment, and replevin.
International Law—The area of law dealing with transactions between the United States and foreign countries, and business dealings between citizens of the United States and businesses located outside the country.
Real Estate—The area of law dealing with land and buildings, including such issues as deeds, contracts for buying and selling land, mortgages, leases, liens on real estate, real estate closings, and all transactions involving land.
Construction Law—The area of law dealing with building or renovating buildings of all types, including homes, commercial buildings, and industrial property.
Labor/Employment—The area of law dealing with people working for a business, including such issues as employment contracts, hiring and firing employees, workplace discrimination, harassment on the job, disability benefits, and issues related to unions and collective bargaining agreements.
Social Security—The area of law dealing with making claims for Social Security benefits from the federal government, including such issues as old age and retirement benefits, disability benefits (SSI), and hearings before administrative law judges about Social Security claims.
Consumer Protection/Debt—The area of law dealing with claims by customers against businesses or suppliers of goods and services for problems with those items, and issue involving collection efforts by businesses against customers.
Landlord/Tenant—The area of law dealing with rented property, leases, evictions, and the conditions of rented property.
Tax—The area of law dealing with taxation by federal, state and local governments of people and businesses, including such issues as tax returns, deductions, claims for back taxes, penalties, tax shelters, and tax planning.
Criminal/DUI—The area of law dealing with charges by the state of federal government that someone has broken the law and should be punished, and the issues surrounding driving a motor vehicle after drinking alcohol.
Litigation—The area of law dealing with filing, preparing, and presenting cases for decision to a judge or jury in a state or federal court.
Traffic—The area of law dealing with motor vehicle offenses, including such cases as speeding, reckless operation, following too closely, etc.
Estate Planning—The area of law dealing with preparing wills and trusts to protect a person’s or family’s assets in advance of death.
Malpractice—The area of law dealing with failure of a professional such as an accountant, attorney, architect, dentist, or doctor to provide services at a appropriate professional level of care.
Trial & Appellate—The area of law dealing with presenting cases to a trial court, and preparing briefs and arguments before higher courts.
Family Law—The area of law dealing with marriage and divorce, dissolution, children, adoption, and pre-nuptual agreements.
Mediation—The area of law dealing with resolving cases or disputes through a discussion process with a neutral mediator, where the mediator does not make a decision on the case, but helps the parties analyze their dispute and find a mutually beneficial solution.
Workers’ Compensation—The area of law dealing with work place injuries, and presenting or defending claims for those injuries before the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation.