CareersPublic Law
Leading the law of government relationships since 1932.
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Our Public Law Difference
We provide experienced counsel on a broad range of legal issues that regularly confront local government bodies, including:
- Public records
- Open meetings
- Public employment matters
- Zoning
- Economic development
- Public entity contracting
- Public rights-of-way (PROW) management issues
Many of our attorneys also serve as law directors or assistant law directors for northern Ohio communities. We have successfully argued precedent-setting cases at all levels of the state and federal court systems, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
Areas of representation include:
- Administrative law and procedures
- Awarding of contracts
- Charters and amendments
- Defense of civil rights actions
- Defense of public officials
- Eminent domain
- Environmental law
- Equal employment practices
- Legislation, regulations
- Public funding, tax abatements, and economic development
- Public improvement projects
- Real estate and construction law
- Regulatory compliance
- Zoning and land use
Experience
- Representing municipalities in litigation to establish the authority of a municipality, as a part of a council of governments, to lobby the state legislature on matters related to local self-government
- Counseling elected officials and developing municipal procedures designed to achieve the objectives of elected officials, without incurring litigation costs
- Representing a municipality in federal court to establish the legality of a minimum age to be a candidate for mayor
- Representing a municipality in a taxpayer’s action seeking to prevent the municipality from erecting a communications tower on municipally-owned property
- Representing school districts on matters where municipalities were seeking to regulate the districts’ development activities
- Representing a municipality in litigation related to a municipally-owned golf course and development of municipally owned property adjacent to the golf course
- Counseling public sector clients on the application of Ohio’s Sunshine Laws (the Public Records Act and Open Meetings Act)
- Negotiating easements with numerous private and public property owners to acquire rights to construct a $1 million public hike and bike trail in a local village under a federal grant, administered via the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)
- Advising local village on the process to construct a new $4 million police station as a design-build project and preparing all necessary agreements, proposals, and ordinances
- Negotiating purchase agreement and land reconfiguration with a large corporate landowner for a donation of land to the Cuyahoga County Public Library for the construction of a new library in the local village
- Conducting multiple eminent domain proceedings in Cuyahoga and Summit County Probate Courts to acquire right-of-way for roadway projects, facilitate economic development, and secure recreational green space
- Counseling public entities on ethics, elections, and campaign finance
- Assisting municipalities with the development and administration of comprehensive Public Right-of-Way (PROW) management ordinances
- Advising local government entities on the formation of a joint recreation district to preserve a 300+ acre property from development
- Representing public entities in zoning/land use litigation, including the defense of R.C. Chapter 2506 appeals taken from decisions of local Boards of Zoning Appeals
- Representing public entities in tort litigation involving the assertion of immunities and defenses under R.C. Chapter 2744
- Amending codified ordinances for municipal clients to comply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Ohio EPA stormwater management requirements
- Representing municipal clients in R.C. 2506 administrative appeals regarding land use and planning decisions rendered by planning commissions, boards of zoning appeals, and councils at all levels – trial court, the court of appeals, and the Ohio Supreme Court
- Defending mayor, council president, and council members at trial before the Ohio Elections Commission on a campaign violation issue
- Advising the Joint Economic Development District (JEDD) on creation and expansion issues
- Drafting Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and Development Agreements with developers for the construction of public infrastructure
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