Ohio Super Lawyers, a prominent legal rating service that recognizes outstanding lawyers for their high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement, has selected nine Walter Haverfield attorneys to its 2023 Ohio Super Lawyers list. It has also selected an additional four Walter Haverfield attorneys to its Ohio Rising Stars list, which honors candidates who are either 40 years old or younger or have been in practice for 10 years or less. The names of those honored are below.

Each year, no more than five percent of lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Ohio Super Lawyers to receive recognition, and no more than 2.5 percent of lawyers in the state are recognized by the Ohio Rising Stars research team. The annual selections for both Ohio Super Lawyers and Ohio Rising Stars are made using a multi-step process, which includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

2023 Ohio Super Lawyers

Ralph Cascarilla – Criminal Defense: White Collar

Nick Catanzarite – Real Estate

Charles Daroff – Real Estate

Mark Fusco – Business Litigation

Irene MacDougall – Government Finance

Kevin Murphy – Real Estate

John Schiller – Business Litigation

Jack Waldeck – Real Estate

Gary Zwick – Tax

2023 Ohio Rising Stars

Sydney Benson – Real Estate

Ryan Coady – Closely Held Business

Josh Hurtuk – Real Estate

Sebastian Pascu – Tax

Since 1932, Walter Haverfield has served as strategic counselors to private businesses and high-net-worth individuals, delivering top-line legal services to an ever-growing client base. Today, our team of attorneys serve clients in the Midwest and across the country, focusing primarily in the areas of business services, labor and employment, real estate, tax and wealth management, hospitality and liquor control, and litigation.

U.S. News – Best Lawyers® has recognized Walter Haverfield as a national “Best Law Firm” for its land use and zoning law practice. Furthermore, the firm received 17 regional rankings ranging from real estate to litigation to education law.

Land use and zoning law focuses on public efforts to shape the use and development of private land, either through regulation or governmental incentives. Walter Haverfield earned a second tier national ranking for its land use and zoning law practice for the fifth year in a row.

Regionally, U.S. News – Best Lawyers® ranked Walter Haverfield in the top tier for the following practice areas: banking and finance law, commercial litigation, education law, land use & zoning law, litigation – labor & employment, litigation – real estate, litigation – trusts & estates, real estate law and tax law.

Firms included in the latest listing are recognized for professional excellence with consistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.

The 2023 rankings incorporate more than 8.2 million evaluations of more than 115,000 individual leading lawyers from more than 22,000 firms.

Below is a complete list of the U.S. News – Best Lawyers® rankings for Walter Haverfield. This list can also be found here.

Walter Haverfield earned 1 National Ranking in 2023:
• National Tier 2
• Land Use & Zoning Law

Walter Haverfield earned 17 Metropolitan Rankings in 2023:
• Metropolitan Tier 1 (Cleveland)
• Banking and Finance Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Education Law
• Land Use & Zoning Law
• Litigation – Labor & Employment
• Litigation – Real Estate
• Litigation – Trust & Estates
• Real Estate Law
• Tax Law

• Metropolitan Tier 2 (Cleveland)
• Construction Law
• Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Litigation – Environmental
• Mergers & Acquisitions Law

• Metropolitan Tier 3 (Cleveland)
• Bet-the-Company Litigation
• Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Litigation – Construction
• Litigation – ERISA

Since 1932, Walter Haverfield attorneys have served as strategic counselors to private businesses, public entities and high-net-worth individuals, providing creative and customized solutions that deliver outstanding results. Our track record has allowed us to sustain year-after-year growth, and in the past decade, we have doubled our size. Today, our team of nearly 90 attorneys is focused primarily in the areas of business services, real estate, intellectual property, labor and employment, education, tax and wealth management, hospitality and liquor control, litigation and public law.

June 1, 2022

Chambers USA, an affiliate of Chambers and Partners, which is the world’s leading ranking service of top lawyers and law firms, has selected Walter Haverfield’s Real Estate Group to be ranked in its 2022 USA guide for Band 3.

The positive client feedback that Chambers USA received about the Walter Haverfield Real Estate Group was the driving factor to achieving the ranking. “Walter Haverfield is a quality firm that prides itself on its client service,” stated one client to Chambers.

Charles Daroff, Ed Hurtuk and Irene MacDougall are among five Walter Haverfield real estate partners recognized by Chambers USA in its 2022 guide for Ohio. Client testimonials published by Chambers state that Charles Daroff is well reputed for his strong capabilities in various elements of real estate transactional work and “good to deal with.” Ed Hurtuk comes recommended for his broad capabilities in commercial real estate and finance work, where he is described as “practical, friendly and solution-oriented.” Irene MacDougall is listed as “thorough and pragmatic.”

Walter Haverfield’s Real Estate team has played an integral role in transforming Northeast Ohio by supporting billions of dollars’ worth of regional development since 2013. The group represents a wide range of clients such as the nationally known Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio. It also represents leading retailers in leasing activities throughout North America as well as developers in the acquisition, redevelopment and financing of warehouses, offices and industrial buildings.

In 2021, the group represented Industrial Realty Group (IRG) of Los Angeles and Industrial Commercial Properties (ICP) of Solon in acquiring Cleveland’s International Exposition Center, better known as the I-X Center. The team also represented ICP in acquiring land formerly known as the home of Geauga Lake Park, Six Flags and Sea World in Bainbridge Township, Ohio.

Since 1932, Walter Haverfield attorneys have served as strategic counselors to private businesses, public entities and high-net-worth individuals, providing creative and customized solutions that deliver outstanding results. Our track record has allowed us to sustain year-after-year growth, and in the past decade, we have doubled our size. Today, our team of nearly 90 attorneys is focused primarily in the areas of business services, real estate, intellectual property, labor and employment, education, tax and wealth management, hospitality and liquor control, litigation and public law.

June 1, 2022

Chambers USA, an affiliate of Chambers and Partners, which is the world’s leading ranking service of top lawyers and law firms, has selected Ralph E. Cascarilla, Charles Daroff, Ed Hurtuk, Irene M. MacDougall and Mark I. Wallach to be included in its 2022 USA guide. Cascarilla, Daroff, Hurtuk, MacDougall and Wallach are recognized in the following practice areas after Chambers USA researchers conducted numerous interviews with clients and general counsel:

Ralph E. Cascarilla – Litigation: White-Collar Crime and Government Investigations (Ohio – Band 1)

Charles Daroff – Real Estate (Ohio – Band 3)

Ed Hurtuk – Real Estate (Ohio – Band 3)

Irene M. MacDougall – Real Estate (Ohio– Band 4)

Mark I. Wallach – Litigation: General Commercial (Ohio– Band 4)

The ranking tables are compiled through an assessment of a firm’s work and opinions from external market sources, with an emphasis on client feedback. Firms and lawyers need to demonstrate sustained excellence in order to be ranked in the guide. In Chambers USA 2022, more than 8,000 law firms and 23,568 attorneys are ranked. Rankings are based on technical ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial awareness, diligence and commitment.

Since 1932, Walter Haverfield attorneys have served as strategic counselors to private businesses, public entities and high-net-worth individuals, providing creative and customized solutions that deliver outstanding results. Our track record has allowed us to sustain year-after-year growth, and in the past decade, we have doubled our size. Today, our team of nearly 90 attorneys is focused primarily in the areas of business services, real estate, intellectual property, labor and employment, education, tax and wealth management, hospitality and liquor control, litigation and public law.

 

May 17, 2022

After another law firm unsuccessfully defended its client in a battle over the rightful ownership to a commercial property in Cuyahoga County, the Walter Haverfield Litigation team took over the case and won the $6.3 million lawsuit for the defendant. The jury awarded the plaintiff nothing. The team, made up of Mark Wallach, Max Rieker, Ethan Clark and Alexandra Eckrich, preserved the clients’ financial well-being by protecting their multi-million dollar investment in the building.

Throughout the jury trial, Wallach, Rieker, Clark and Eckrich successfully represented an LLC, along with its owners and managers in the suit, which had been ongoing since 2014. Walter Haverfield’s team of attorneys demonstrated that the claims against their client were absolutely without merit, as evidenced by the jury’s quick verdict announced in less than 24 hours. The opposing party was a trustee of a family trust suing for ownership of the property. The satisfactory result for the client, who had been grappling over the dispute for nearly 10 years, is a testament to the thorough preparation and effective lawyering by Walter Haverfield attorneys.

Mark Wallach is a partner at Walter |Haverfield who focuses his practice on litigation. He can be reached at mwallach@walterhav.com or at 216-928-2939.

Max Rieker is a partner at Walter |Haverfield who focuses his practice on litigation and labor and employment law. He can be reached at mrieker@walterhav.com or at 216-928-2972.

Ethan Clark is an associate at Walter |Haverfield who focuses his practice on litigation. He can be reached at eclark@walterhav.com or at 216-658-6226.

Alexandra Eckrich is an associate at Walter |Haverfield who focuses her practice on litigation and  labor and employment law. She can be reached at aeckrich@walterhav.com or at 216-658-6234.

 

Ohio Super Lawyers, a prominent legal rating service that recognizes outstanding lawyers for their high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement, has selected 13 Walter | Haverfield attorneys to its 2022 Ohio Super Lawyers list. It has also selected an additional four Walter | Haverfield attorneys to its Ohio Rising Stars list, which honors candidates who are either 40 years old or younger or have been in practice for 10 years or less. The names of those honored are below.

Each year, no more than five percent of lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Ohio Super Lawyers to receive recognition, and no more than 2.5 percent of lawyers in the state are recognized by the Ohio Rising Stars research team.

The annual selections for both Ohio Super Lawyers and Ohio Rising Stars are made using a multi-step process, which includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

In addition, Walter | Haverfield partner, Irene MacDougall, was named to the Ohio Super Lawyers list of the “Top 25 Women” in the Cleveland area. This list includes those female lawyers who ranked highest in the 2022 Ohio Super Lawyers nomination, research and blue ribbon review process.

 

2022 Ohio Super Lawyers

Benjamin Carnahan – Business Litigation

Ralph Cascarilla – Criminal Defense: White Collar

Nick Catanzarite – Real Estate

Charles Daroff – Real Estate

Mark Fusco – Business Litigation

Ed Hurtuk – Real Estate

Irene MacDougall – Government Finance

Craig Marvinney – Civil Litigation: Defense

Kevin Murphy – Real Estate

John Schiller – Business Litigation

Jack Waldeck – Real Estate

Mark Wallach – Business Litigation

Gary Zwick – Tax

 

2022 Ohio Rising Stars

Josh Hurtuk – Real Estate

James McWeeney – Schools & Education

Sebastian Pascu – Tax

Since 1932, Walter | Haverfield attorneys have served as strategic counselors to private businesses, public entities and high-net-worth individuals, providing creative and customized solutions that deliver outstanding results. Our track record has allowed us to sustain year-after-year growth. Walter | Haverfield has doubled its size in the past decade to become a top Ohio law firm. Today, our team of nearly 100 attorneys is focused primarily in the areas of business services, real estate, intellectual property, labor and employment, education, tax and wealth management, hospitality and liquor control, litigation and public law.

November 4, 2021

U.S. News – Best Lawyers® has recognized Walter | Haverfield as a national “Best Law Firm” for its land use and zoning law practice. Furthermore, the firm received 20 regional rankings, the largest number of regional rankings in firm history. The regional rankings range from real estate to litigation to education law.

Land use and zoning law focuses on public efforts to shape the use and development of private land, either through regulation or governmental incentives. Walter | Haverfield earned a second tier national ranking for its land use and zoning law practice for the fourth year in a row.

Regionally, U.S. News – Best Lawyers® ranked Walter | Haverfield in the top tier for the following practice areas: commercial litigation, criminal defense: white-collar, education law, environmental law, land use and zoning law, litigation – land use and zoning, litigation – real estate, and real estate law.

Firms included in the 2022 listing are recognized for professional excellence with consistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.

The 2022 rankings incorporate more than 8.2 million evaluations of more than 115,000 individual leading lawyers from more than 22,000 firms.

Below is a complete list of the U.S. News – Best Lawyers® rankings for Walter | Haverfield. This list can also be found here.

Walter | Haverfield earned 1 National Ranking in 2022:

• National Tier 2
  • Land Use & Zoning Law

Walter | Haverfield earned 20 Metropolitan Rankings in 2022:

• Metropolitan Tier 1 (Cleveland)
  • • Commercial Litigation
    • Criminal Defense: White-Collar
    • Education Law
    • Environmental Law
    • Land Use & Zoning Law
    • Litigation – Land Use & Zoning
    • Litigation – Real Estate
    • Real Estate Law

• Metropolitan Tier 2 (Cleveland)
  • • Banking and Finance Law
    • Bet-the-Company Litigation
    • Construction Law
    • Litigation – Environmental
    • Litigation – Labor & Employment
    • Litigation – Trusts and Estates
    • Tax Law
    • Trusts & Estates law

• Metropolitan Tier 3 (Cleveland)
  • • Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
    • Litigation – Construction
    • Litigation – ERISA
    • Litigation – Insurance

Since 1932, Walter | Haverfield attorneys have served as strategic counselors to private businesses, public entities and high-net-worth individuals, providing creative and customized solutions that deliver outstanding results. Our track record has allowed us to sustain year-after-year growth. Walter | Haverfield has doubled its size in the past decade to become a top Ohio law firm. Today, our team of nearly 100 attorneys is focused primarily in the areas of business services, real estate, intellectual property, labor and employment, education, tax and wealth management, hospitality and liquor control, litigation and public law.

 

October 28, 2021

The Irish Legal 100, a compilation of the most distinguished U.S. legal professionals with Irish roots, has named Kevin Patrick Murphy and John N. Neal to its 2021 edition. The list includes attorneys, legal scholars and members of the judiciary who have distinguished themselves in their fields of endeavor.

Kevin, administrative partner of Walter | Haverfield as well as a partner in the firm’s Business Services Group, represents public and private companies on major real estate transactions that include construction, development, financing, leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, exchanges, zoning, and entitlements. Kevin’s practice also focuses on negotiating acquisitions, dispositions, buyouts, and joint ventures. He advises clients on structuring transactions and corporate governance matters. Furthermore, Kevin represents marijuana business owners, individuals looking to enter the legal cannabis industry, and those looking to effect change in marijuana laws and regulations.

Kevin is an Irish citizen with an Irish passport. He is the second generation in the U.S., and his family is from County Roscommon. Kevin is currently a member of both the East Side Irish American Club and the Irish American Law Society of Cleveland. He has consistently been recognized by Ohio Super Lawyers as well as by Best Lawyers in America©.

John, partner and head of the Hospitality and Liquor Control Group, focuses his practice on Ohio state and federal liquor permit licensing, and the licensing of Ohio’s new medical marijuana industry. At the same time, John has developed a diverse set of legal skills with complex commercial litigation, employment law, business organizations, insurance coverage, real estate, and business transactions. As such, he has been retained as outside general counsel by companies who need same-day answers on a variety of issues.

John’s mother is second-generation Irish ancestry on the maternal side and third generation on the paternal side. Most of his maternal side of the family comes from County Mayo. Bishop William Hughes, first cousin of John’s grandmother on the maternal side, founded Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown and officiated John’s wedding in Youngstown in 1999. John is a member of the Irish American Law Society of Cleveland and is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell®.

Since 1932, Walter | Haverfield attorneys have served as strategic counselors to private businesses, public entities and high-net-worth individuals, providing creative and customized solutions that deliver outstanding results. Our track record has allowed us to sustain year-after-year growth. Walter | Haverfield has doubled its size in the past decade to become a top Ohio law firm. Today, our team of nearly 100 attorneys is focused primarily in the areas of business services, real estate, intellectual property, labor and employment, education, tax and wealth management, hospitality and liquor control, litigation and public law.

August 19, 2021

Walter | Haverfield is proud to announce that 42 of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized in the 2022 edition of Best Lawyers®, a prominent, worldwide attorney ranking publication. Individuals are recognized by Best Lawyers® only after exhaustive peer review surveys in which leading attorneys evaluate their peers anonymously.

• Rick Amburgey – Construction Law
• Marc Bloch – Litigation (Labor and Employment)
• Ralph Cascarilla – Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense (White-Collar), Litigation (Construction, Environmental)
• Nick Catanzarite – Real Estate Law
• Sara Ravas Cooper – Litigation (Labor and Employment)
• Charles Daroff – Real Estate Law
• Sophia Deseran – Banking and Finance Law
• Nathan Felker – Banking and Finance Law, Real Estate Law
• William Hanna – Municipal Law
• Edward Hurtuk – Real Estate Law
• Todd Hunt – Land Use and Zoning Law, Municipal Law, Real Estate Law
• Eric Johnson – Education Law
• Irene MacDougall – Banking and Finance Law, Real Estate Law
• Craig Marvinney – Litigation (Insurance), Personal Injury Litigation (Defendants)
• Ted Motheral – Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Kevin Patrick Murphy – Cannabis Law, Real Estate Law
• Vince Nardone – Tax Law
• Lacie O’Daire – Trusts and Estates
• Christina Henagen Peer – Education Law
• Kathryn Perrico – Education Law
• David Ricco – Real Estate Law
• Charles Riehl – Environment Law, Litigation (Land Use and Zoning), Municipal Law, Real Estate Law
• John Schiller – Litigation (Real Estate, Trusts and Estates)
• Russell Shaw – Employee Benefits (ERISA), Litigation (ERISA)
• John W. Waldeck, Jr. – Real Estate Law
• Mark Wallach – Commercial Litigation, Litigation (Municipal)
• Gary Zwick – Tax Law

Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch

This level of award is reserved for attorneys who are early in their careers and demonstrate outstanding professional excellence in private practice. They are also recognized by peer review surveys.

• Jennifer Beer – Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law
• Namit Bhatt – Patent Law
• Benjamin Grant Chojnacki – Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
• Alexandra Eckrich – Labor and Employment Law (Management)
• Douglas Eppler – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation
• Kari Heinze – Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Joshua Hurtuk – Banking and Finance Law, Real Estate Law
• Amanda Lauer – Real Estate Law
• DeMarcus Levy – Patent Law
• James McWeeney – Education Law, Labor and Employment Law (Management)
• Sebastian Pascu – Litigation and Controversy (Tax), Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
• Miriam Pearlmutter – Appellate Practice, Education Law, Litigation (Labor and Employment)
• William Raiff – Litigation (Real Estate), Public Finance Law, Real Estate Law
• Gregory Watkins – Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Lisa Woloszynek – Education Law

Since 1932, Walter | Haverfield attorneys have served as strategic counselors to private businesses, public entities and high-net-worth individuals, providing creative and customized solutions that deliver outstanding results. Our track record has allowed us to sustain year-after-year growth. Walter | Haverfield has doubled its size in the past decade to become a top Ohio law firm. Today, our team of nearly 100 attorneys is focused primarily in the areas of business services, real estate, intellectual property, labor and employment, education, tax and wealth management, hospitality and liquor control, litigation and public law.

May 25, 2021

Chambers USA, an affiliate of Chambers and Partners, the world’s leading ranking service of top lawyers and law firms, has selected Walter | Haverfield’s Real Estate Team to be ranked in its 2021 USA guide for Ohio. Walter | Haverfield is one of 17 Ohio firms to be recognized by Chambers for its real estate group.

The positive client feedback that Chambers USA received about the Walter | Haverfield Real Estate team was the driving factor to achieving the ranking. Testimonials published by Chambers on its website state that “Walter | Haverfield is a quality firm that prides itself on its client service.”

Other considerations include the 2019 acquisition of the Cleveland-area real estate firm, Hurtuk & Daroff, as well as three Chambers-ranked Walter | Haverfield real estate lawyers: Charles Daroff, Ed Hurtuk and Irene MacDougall.

Additional client testimonials published on the Chambers’ website state that Charles Daroff is “an outstanding advocate and provides invaluable counsel, not only on legal matters, but on business issues as well.” Ed Hurtuk comes recommended for his broad capabilities in commercial real estate and finance work, where he is described as “smart, practical and deal-oriented.” Irene MacDougall is listed as a “proficient lawyer who is able to handle the most complicated financing closings.”

Charles Daroff, Ed Hurtuk and Irene MacDougall are among five Walter | Haverfield partners recognized by Chambers USA in its 2021 guide for Ohio. The other two are Ralph Cascarilla, managing partner of Walter | Haverfield, and Mark Wallach, a partner of the firm’s litigation group. Cascarilla is recognized for litigation: white-collar crime and government investigations. Wallach is recognized for litigation: general commercial.

Walter | Haverfield’s Real Estate team has played an integral role in transforming Northeast Ohio by supporting more than $2.5 billion worth of regional development since 2013. The group represents a wide range of clients from the nationally known Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio to Cleveland’s thriving theater and entertainment districts. It also represents leading retailers in leasing activities throughout North America as well as developers in the acquisition, redevelopment and financing of warehouses, offices and industrial buildings.

Since 1932, Walter | Haverfield attorneys have served as strategic counselors to private businesses, public entities and high-net-worth individuals, providing creative and customized solutions that deliver outstanding results at an exceptional value. Our track record has allowed us to sustain year-after-year growth. Walter | Haverfield has doubled its size in the past decade to become a top Ohio law firm. Today, our team of nearly 100 attorneys is focused primarily in the areas of business services, real estate, intellectual property, labor and employment, education, tax and wealth management, hospitality and liquor control, litigation and public law.

 

May 21, 2021

Walter | Haverfield partner Tim Jochim, who is a national authority on business succession and ESOPs, is joining the inaugural Public Policy Council of The ESOP Association. The ESOP Association is the largest employee ownership advocacy organization in the world and represents the interests of millions of employee owners and their companies nationwide.

During his two-year term, Jochim and the other appointed council members will help shape and guide the public policy initiatives and advocacy activities of The ESOP Association.

Tim is also an emeritus member of the Legislative and Regulatory Committee of The ESOP Association and is co-founder of the Ohio/Kentucky Chapter of the Association. He is a frequent speaker to business and trade organizations on business succession, ESOPs and corporate governance. Chambers USA, an affiliate of Chambers and Partners, the world’s leading ranking service of top lawyers and law firms, previously recognized Tim for his ERISA and ESOP practice. Tim is the author of one of the first books on ESOPs and has published a number of articles related to ESOPs, employee ownership and business succession.

Since 1932, Walter | Haverfield attorneys have served as strategic counselors to private businesses, public entities and high-net-worth individuals, providing creative and customized solutions that deliver outstanding results at an exceptional value. Our track record has allowed us to sustain year-after-year growth. Walter | Haverfield has doubled its size in the past decade to become a top Ohio law firm. Today, our team of nearly 100 attorneys is focused primarily in the areas of business services, real estate, intellectual property, labor and employment, education, tax and wealth management, hospitality and liquor control, litigation and public law.