Mentor Lawyers

I am dual certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation, and as a Specialist in Elder Law by the Ohio State Bar Association. I am one of twenty-three attorneys with this dual certification. I devote my practice to those issues uniquely affecting the elderly, the disabled and their families. Having been raised by a parent with early onset Parkinson's Disease, and having witnessed a grandparent spend over sixteen years in a nursing facility suffering from Alzheimer's, I gravitated early in my career towards the practice of elder and disability law. I established my Law...

Jon D. Axelrod is the founder of Axelrod Law Offices in Willowick, and he has shaped the firm to reflect his deepest values. Mr. Axelrod believes that attorneys should provide effective legal direction while giving compassionate care to the client. He understands that legal decisions carry a great deal of distress and pressure, whether the client is considering bankruptcy, undergoing a divorce, or is accused of a crime. His primary aim is to provide peace of mind to his clients. Our firm accomplishes this through our personal relationship with each client and our devotion to providing the strongest legal care...

Paulette F. Balin has been practicing law since 1978. She was raised in Timberlake, OH and went to Laurel School in Shaker Heights. In 1975 she graduated magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She received her law degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1978, and passed the Ohio Bar in 1978 and Florida Bar in 1980. Paulette first opened her practice in Cleveland, Ohio in 1980. She has broad experience and success in handling Social Security Disability, SSI, and Long-Term Disability cases. Her legal experience covers cases addressing a large...

I’m from a family that helps those who need help. I know that I could be the one that needs help, so I treat others as I would want to be treated, the Golden Rule. I believe in helping those that meet me halfway. So, if you do your part, I will do mine. This goes for people who need disability benefits & those in trouble with their taxes. I can help both groups of people, and the team of disability lawyers in our firm will always give you our best! I have been working in disability...

I started practicing disability law because I enjoy fighting for the little guy and I can relate to how a person's health can derail an entire family. I come from a solidly blue-collar background and did not even know what a lawyer was when my uncle was in a terrible accident in 1993 that left him permanently disabled. I remember how confused we all were when the government denied his application for Social Security Disability benefits after many months of waiting. It was pretty clear to our family that a person who could not walk to the bathroom without severe...

Attorney Heather Moseman grew up in the Midwest and applies the values learned there to the practice of law. She aims to make sure that the legal problems that are presented to her are solved in the most cost-effective and straightforward way possible. Heather obtained her undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy from Southwest State University in Marshall, Minnesota. She applied her degree in the service of the chronically disabled, chronically mentally ill and for senior citizens for seven years in both Chicago, Illinois and the Cleveland area. In 2000, Ms. Moseman determined to help people on a...

Tim Misny is an experienced Ohio personal injury lawyer. For over 30 years, Mr. Misny has worked to fight for his personal injury and medical malpractice clients to obtain fair compensation.

Attorney Hector G. Martinez, Jr., is the principal of the law firm, The Martinez Firm. He attended The Ohio State University (B.S. in Business Administration - 1993) and Case Western Reserve University School of Law (J.D. -1997). His practice focuses on criminal defense, with an emphasis on drunk driving defense. Mr. Martinez is N.H.T.S.A. certified, having attended the N.H.T.S.A. Standardized Field Sobriety Testing course in 1999. He is a member of the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Lake County Bar Association. He is a frequent lecturer on Ohio Traffic Laws, as well as...

Aggressive pursuit of personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice cases. "AV" rating (highest rating possible) by Martindale Hubbell Legal Directory.

Experience Magistrate, Lake County Domestic Relations Court March 1992 - December 31, 2002 Magistrate, Ashtabula County Common Pleas Court July 1997 - December 1998 Acting Judge, Painesville Municipal Court March 2008 - continuing Education Bachelor of Business Administration, Kent State University, 1983 Juris Doctor, Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University, 1989 Admitted to practice before the Courts of the State of Ohio, the Federal District Court and the United States Supreme Court. Professional Organizations Lake County Bar Association Ohio State Bar Association Ohio Womenâs Bar Association Family Law Committee, Lake County Bar Association Ohio Association of Domestic Relations Judges (former member) Ohio Association...

Life-long Clevelander. Passionate about my family. Have spent my entire career trying to help guide other families through rocky times, whether with divorce/dissolution or child support; or through probate. Also, over a decade of experience drafting carefully executed and individualized Estate Planning documents for individuals and families.

David was selected as an Ohio Super Lawyer for the years 2012, 2013 & 2014. David E. Nager is the managing partner of Nager, Romaine & Schneiberg Co., L.P.A. He has been in private practice since 1990. His primary areas of practice include workers' compensation, personal injury and medical malpractice. He has successfully argued thousands of cases before every level of the Industrial Commission of Ohio. He has handled hundreds of cases before various courts throughout Ohio. He has successfully argued cases on the State Appellate level, as well. He has obtained compensation for thousands of injury victims totaling tens...

Joshua J. Strickland’s practices primarily in real estate and business transactions. He represents small and medium size businesses, real estate developers, landlords and non-profits in all of their business needs. He has been recognized as a Super Lawyer Rising Star. Josh focuses his practice in the areas of general business including formation, mergers and acquisitions, financing, employee relations, commercial transactions, intellectual property, construction development, and sales. His residential and commercial real estate practice includes sales, leasing, zoning, land use, oil and gas, environmental law and real estate, eminent domain and taxation.

Erik L. Walter is a bold advocate for business clients in the areas of environmental law, oil and gas, commercial transactions, zoning and litigation for both individuals and corporations. He sits on numerous nonprofit boards in the community. Prior to joining Dworken & Bernstein Co., L.P.A., Erik was a shareholder with the law firm of Knaggs, Harter, Brake & Schneider, P.C. located in Lansing, Michigan. Prior to joining Knaggs, Harter, Brake & Schneider, P.C. in 1999, Erik served for nearly three years as the law clerk for the Honorable William E. Collette in the Ingham County Circuit Court located...

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...

Stacy Stefanik’s main focus is workers’ compensation, both administratively and in litigation. She also has extensive experience handling Social Security disability claims and unemployment matters. She has represented clients at the administrative level, in court and on appeal and has tried cases in Common Pleas court, argued before the Court of Appeals, and briefed cases in the Court of Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court.

Stacy graduated from Calvin College in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a minor in Japanese. She received her Juris Doctorate from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and was admitted to practice law...

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...

Since 2005, Nicole Fiorelli has successfully represented numerous clients in consumer class action and wage and hour litigation. She has taken on the government and large national corporations in cases in Ohio and throughout the United States. She handles a wide range of claims including minimum wage and overtime violations, consumer fraud and statutory violations, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment.

A few of Nicole Fiorelli’s career highlights include:

Obtained a six-figure verdict against a national fitness club chain that failed to pay overtime to some of its employees and ultimately negotiated a favorable settlement for the class;
Defeated summary judgment...

As a family law practitioner, Anna Parise helps clients through divorce, child support, spousal support, and custody. Highly rated in peer reviews throughout her career, she is active in bringing family law legal services to those who cannot afford it. Anna’s legal practice includes domestic relations, divorce, family law, child support, spousal support, and custody. Anna is also frequently appointed by trial courts in Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Lake Counties as guardian ad litem to protect the interests of children. Formerly with a small boutique firm specializing in labor law, Anna joined Dworken & Bernstein Co., L.P.A. in 2005 becoming partner...