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Longtime Akron law firm rebranded
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: December 2, 2019
A new player has entered Akron’s legal market and if the name sounds familiar there’s a reason.
The law firm of Gertz & Rosen was formed in mid-October and is the successor of Goldman & Rosen, which had been a force in the community for over 25 years.
In 2018 Goldman & Rosen merged with Canton-based Day Ketterer, then one of Ohio’s oldest law firms. But the merger was short-lived with Day Ketterer dissolving on Oct. 1, leaving its former attorneys and employees to figure out the next logical step.
For Gary Rosen and the other Goldman & Rosen lawyers working at Day Ketterer, the most obvious choice was to rebrand.
“Most of us had been practicing together for many years,” said Rosen. “What happened with Day Ketterer was very unfortunate. The firm had a long and distinguished history of service.
“However, we decided it was important that our clients continue to have continuity of service with no interruptions, which we achieved by rebranding.”
In addition to Rosen, there are eight lawyers working at the firm--seven partners (including Rosen) and two of counsel attorneys.
Gertz & Rosen handles family law, bankruptcy, Social Security disability, business transactions and litigation.
Name partner Marc Gertz began working at Goldman & Rosen in 1991.
“At the time of the upheaval at Day Ketterer, we took great care to let our clients know what was going on,” said Gertz. “There was a good deal of legal work involved in rebranding, but our clients did not experience any bumps in the road in terms of service.”
While the website and email addresses have changed, Gertz & Rosen remains at 11 S. Forge St., the same place it was located when it did business as Goldman & Rosen and while a part of Day Ketterer.
“We are very lucky because we were able to stay in the same offices when we merged with Day Ketterer and that made the changeover a bit easier for everyone,” said Rosen.
Born in Akron, Rosen has spent his entire legal career in the community.
Rosen received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Tufts University in Boston and his juris doctorate from The George Washington University Law School.
The family law attorney started his career at Blakemore, Rosen & Norris, later serving as chief prosecutor for the city of Akron, before returning to Blakemore.
In 1990, he joined Goldman & Rosen, the firm created by his father, Bernard Rosen, and Sam Goldman.
Gertz, also an Akron native, received his juris doctorate from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. He began his career as an associate under Jerome Holub, the standing Chapter 13 bankruptcy trustee.
He has continued to focus on bankruptcy and creditors’ rights cases and has been a Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee for 42 years. Prior to joining Goldman & Rosen he was a partner at Brown, Eshelman & Henretta.
Other partners at Gertz & Rosen include Joshua Lemerman, Dianne Newman, Debra Shifrin, Peter Tsarnas and Colin Skinner. Attorneys Stacey Hackenberg and George Tsarnas are both of counsel at the law firm.
Shifrin, Newman and Skinner were not part of Goldman & Rosen. All three joined Day Ketterer in 2018.
Born and raised in New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Skinner received his juris doctorate from The University of Akron School of Law.
After serving as a judicial attorney for Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Patricia Cosgrove, Skinner worked for several law firms, including Oldham Kramer and Oby, Kramer, Skinner.
“I am very pleased to be associated with this group of attorneys, who have great reputations in the community,” said Skinner, who focuses on business litigation and real estate.
Shifrin and Newman have been partners since 1996 after being chief competitors in representing the disabled before the U.S. Social Security Administration.
“Dianne and I are very excited to have joined Gertz & Rosen and look forward to continuing to practice law together,” said Shifrin.