Lucas County Arbitration & Mediation Lawyers

I am a business lawyer, and I have been helping businesses resolve the many legal issues they face, both common and extraordinary, since 1990.

My clients range from startups to middle market companies to Fortune 500 companies. I combine an extensive business and legal education with a wealth of hands-on experience to create solutions that are innovative, yet practical and cost-effective. I particularly enjoy tackling issues that are out of the ordinary. Rather than telling my client something can’t be done, I find alternatives, and assess risks so my client can make an informed business decision.

Brian Smith provides aggressive, experienced, and effective legal representation to every person served, so they feel confident that their rights are protected, their interests are served, and their results are maximized.

Mr. Smith uses his trial and negotiation skills in a successful practice where he has developed expertise in representing men and women in felony and misdemeanor criminal matters, OVI/DUI cases, and unemployment appeals. He strives to provide personalized representation, making each and every case and client his most important case.

Mr. Smith offers flat fees and payment plans whenever possible for criminal and DUI/OVI cases. He also understands...

Jeff Heck has extensive legal experience handling all types of injury, wrongful death cases & insurance claims, as well as civil commercial litigation & labor and employment matters. He is a court-trained Mediator, serving for the Richland County Court of Common Pleas, as well as a private Mediator/Arbitrator in numerous cases .

Jeff has his roots in North Central Ohio. He grew up in the Mansfield area, graduating from Malabar High School and The Ohio State University where he was a 4 year member/Squad Leader of The Ohio State University Marching Band. He graduated with Honors from The University of Florida...

With more than twenty years experience as a trial lawyer representing plaintiffs who have been injured by the misconduct or negligence of another, or who suffered a workplace injury, Mr. Sivinski concentrates his practice in personal injury, wrongful death, criminal defense, products liability, asbestos-related injuries and labor law and has tried in excess of 50 cases to verdict, including five multi-million dollar verdicts. Mr. Sivinski's reputation as a skilled and sophisticated litigator has enabled him to negotiate settlements in excess of $100 Million Dollars for injured clients. Mr. Sivinski has also achieved national recognition for his widespread work on...

A U.S. Navy veteran, Jonathan Stender represents individuals and management in a wide spectrum of labor, employment and workers’ compensation matters. He has been recognized as a Super Lawyer Rising Star. Jonathan is strong proponent of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). In 2014, he was selected to join the Mediation and Arbitration Panel of NAM (National Arbitration and Mediation), one of the country’s most highly regarded providers of ADR services.

Jonathan graduated cum laude with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Russian Language and Literature and Political Science/International Relations from the University of Washington in 1994. He received a Juris Doctor degree from...

Ben Calkins is an honors graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School.After law school, Mr. Calkins clerked for a Federal Judge before joining one of the World's largest law firms, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey.Mr. Calkins has also worked at and been a partner in several of the other most prominent old style law firms.

Ben Calkins started listening to the clients and to their many complaints about old style law firms.Mr. Calkins was committed to complete and total client satisfaction from the start of his legal career and recalls, with some pride, a client at his first...

John J. Ready is a Certified Specialist in Family Relations Law, a charter member of The Center for Principled Family Advocacy, a member of the Cuyahoga County Guardian Ad Litem Program, and a frequent lecturer on continuing legal education topics. John J. Ready & Associates is a result-oriented firm that understands the nature of the financial, emotional, and relationship issues that arise during, and after, the termination of the marriage and offers a variety of services, including mediation, collaborative divorce, parent coordination, arbitration, and litigation to achieve realistic and optimal goals for their clients. Mr. Ready is admitted...

Cara Santosuosso is an accomplished lawyer with a strong courtroom presence and excellent litigation skills in the areas of family law, especially custody disputes, employment issues and other civil and criminal matters. Previously, Ms. Santosuosso was associated with another prominent area litigation firm, after serving as a judicial attorney in the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals where she worked on cases dealing with administrative law, torts, labor and employment, product liability, medical malpractice, criminal law and a host of other legal matters. Ms. Santosuosso also served four years as an assistant prosecuting attorney with the Office of the...

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...

Jerry Weiss received his undergraduate degree from Syracuse University and his Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University. His strong reputation as a Cleveland mediator is based in large measure on a previous law practice that emphasized civil litigation in a variety of cases including representation of parties in antitrust, RICO/fraud, general commercial, civil rights litigation, tort and injury and other complex issues and subjects. He is the first lawyer in Cleveland, Ohio to have dedicated his practice entirely to ADR and mediation-related activities. He has successfully mediated a broad range of state and federal disputes. Jerry has been a...

Tom Cardone focuses his law practice in the areas of construction, real estate, and business law. Within these core practice areas, Tom assists clients with a variety of deals and disputes. As a litigator, Tom has experience handling disputes involving, among other matters, breach of contract, property rights, construction liens & construction defects, residential landlord-tenant & commercial leasing issues, business collections, and general business and commercial disputes. Although disputes often result in litigation, Tom recognizes the value of alternative dispute resolution and assists his clients with pre-trial negotiation, mediation, and arbitration when appropriate. Tom also counsels his clients through a variety of...

Through excellent and comprehensive analysis, counseling and advocacy, Richik anticipates, identifies and addresses his clients' legal, compliance and business issues and disputes before they become complicated (and expensive) problems and create operational and reputational risk. He is one of "The Best Lawyers in America®" and has been an "Ohio Super Lawyer" since 2005 with recognized expertise in: contracts, commercial law, sales and trade practices, business torts, professional negligence and malpractice, financial services law, corporate governance and compliance and risk management. Richik's clients include public and private entities of all sizes: small and minority-owned businesses, sports and media...