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Longtime corporate attorney receives St. Thomas More Award
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: June 12, 2020
At age 90, Roetzel & Andress of counsel Duane Isham serves on several nonprofit boards, works out regularly, and until the COVID-19 pandemic started, went to his Akron law office almost daily.
He’s been an active member of the Akron Bar Association for over 50 years, serving on various committees, as a member of the board of trustees and as president of the organization.
As he prepares to celebrate his 91st birthday later this summer, Isham said slowing down isn’t in the cards.
“I have been blessed with good health, a profession that I enjoy and the chance to contribute regularly to the community,” said Isham. “While most of my time is now spent attending meetings and providing advice to the local organizations I am involved with, I do look forward to coming into the office at Roetzel, and when called upon to do so, offering counsel and advice to some of the younger attorneys.
“I try to keep my mind sharp,” said Isham. “I read four newspapers every day, play the piano and go to the golf course at least three times a week. My plan is to keep plodding along for as long as I can.”
While his calendar is on the full side, he is leaving room for one major upcoming event—the day he will be formally presented with the prestigious St. Thomas More award.
Given to a member of the legal community who has demonstrated outstanding personal integrity, community service and professional excellence, the award pays tribute to St. Thomas More, the patron saint of lawyers.
Under normal circumstances, the Cleveland Catholic Diocese would have presented the award to Isham during the Red Mass as part of the Akron Bar Association’s Law Week Celebration. However, due to the pandemic, the ceremony could not move forward as planned.
As of the publication of this story, no specific information was available as to when Isham might formally receive the award.
Isham said he was “thrilled and honored” when he learned of his selection in February.
“I am delighted to be part of the exclusive group chosen to receive this most prestigious award,” he said.
Akron Bar Association President Karen Adinolfi described Isham as an “absolute delight,” and as someone “so absolutely deserving of this award.”
Adinolfi has known Isham since she started at Roetzel & Andress in 2002.
“Duane has referred me a few matters over the years and we have worked together a few times,” said Adinolfi, a shareholder, who focuses her practice on employment law. “He is a wonderful man, who still maintains an office at the firm and is still actively involved in the community.”
Isham’s son, John, said he’s gratified to see his father’s many efforts publicly acknowledged.
“My father has done so much to help so many people without any award in mind, but the fact that he is being recognized is wonderful,” said John, an associate professor of communication and digital media, modern languages and great ideas at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. “He has been a fantastic role model for my sister Laurie and me, demonstrating how to work with and relate to other people.
“Growing up, he stressed manners, civility and honesty and he made a very conscientious effort to introduce us to culture.”
Isham’s daughter, Laurie Schueler, said her father is “the very definition of ‘service above self.’ He truly cares about Akron and has dedicated decades of effort to make it the best place possible to live and raise a family.
“We’re fortunate to have such a wonderfully positive force at work in our family and in our community,” said Schueler, senior corporate communications specialist at Akron Children’s Hospital.
A native of Akron, Isham received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and his juris doctorate from The Ohio State University.
“After I got my law degree in 1953, I was waiting to be called to the service so I taught torts at the law school for one year,” said Isham.
He then served in the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps at Perrin Air Force Base (now closed) in Texas for two years, where he prosecuted and defended military personnel in court marshal proceedings.
When he returned to Akron in 1956, he started a solo law practice in his father’s office, the late Akron Municipal Court Judge Don Isham.
“My dad was my role model for becoming a lawyer, though he did mostly divorce work,” said Isham. “He was an outstanding lawyer. I remember growing up that people would see me and recognize me as Judge Isham’s son. Everyone respected him and I know that made an impression on me.
“I think I first became interested in law at the age of ten or 12,” he said. “My dad never pushed me to be a lawyer. I had two brothers, but neither one had any interest in the law.”
A few months after starting his practice, Isham became an associate at Roetzel & Andress (then Wise, Roetzel, Maxon, Kelly & Andress), the firm where he spent his entire career.
“I always had a corporate practice,” said Isham. “I represented a number of large clients over the years in transactional matters. I also argued cases at the court of appeals, but I was not primarily a trial lawyer.
“It wasn’t long after I made partner that I became the lead lawyer in our group,” he said. “We did not have formal titles, but I was the corporate attorney in charge.”
Roetzel & Andress shareholder Ronald Kopp said Isham was one of his early mentors at the firm.
“Duane interviewed me for the job here about 42 years ago,” said Kopp, former managing partner of the firm’s Akron office. “He was very kind and gracious to me when I first started here as a law clerk and later as a lawyer and he remains a mentor to me all these years later.
“Duane was an accomplished corporate lawyer,” said Kopp. “His clients looked to him not only for legal advice but also more broadly for business advice. He was often asked to serve on his clients’ boards. He is simply a very wise person.
“Duane has always led quietly and by example,” said Kopp, a former Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) president. “He is a former member of our firm’s management committee. He encouraged me to serve as president of the Akron Bar Association, and probably had a lot to do with my being elected.”
Kopp said Isham has received a number of awards over the years. “I have had the privilege of speaking on behalf of Duane at two such award ceremonies, including the 2005 northeast Ohio Red Cross H. Peter Berg award ceremony.
“I was delighted to hear he was chosen for the St. Thomas More award,” said Kopp. “He sets an example in life to which we all should aspire.”
A member of the Akron Bar Association for more than 60 years, Isham served on the board of trustees in the early 1970s and as president from 1974-75. He is also a former president of the Akron Bar Foundation and a member of the OSBA.
A co-founder of the Akron Roundtable, Isham became active in the community as a young attorney.
He continues to serve on the boards of the local branch of the American Red Cross and the Tuscora Park Health & Wellness Foundation.
He is also a former chair and current member of the Salvation Army board, a past president and current board member of Akron Community Foundation and a former board chair of Akron Children’s Hospital, where he remains active as a senior board member and sits on several committees.
Akron Children’s Hospital Chief Executive Officer Emeritus Bill Considine said Isham has devoted over 50 years, including serving as chair of the board on two separate occasions, to working with board members to ensure that the hospital continues to provide caring and compassionate assistance to the families it serves.
“Duane is an astute businessman and visionary, who always challenges the status quo,” said Considine. “He is a great negotiator who has used his skills to get things done for children.
“He is dependable, respectful, always prepared, takes his responsibilities seriously and knows how to bring out the best in people,” said Considine. “He has become a dear friend over the years. I’ve sought his advice and counsel on numerous occasions.”
In 2012 Akron Children’s Hospital Foundation presented Isham with a Champion for Children’s award.
“Duane was and is a deserving recipient,” said Considine.
The March of Dimes and the Salvation Army have also recognized Isham for his many years of service.
Retired Summa Health System Chief Executive Officer Albert Gilbert has known Isham since the late 1970s.
“Duane has given his support to numerous nonprofit organizations over the years, but my primary interaction with him has been in his capacity as a board member at Akron Children’s Hospital.
“He is a marvelous person, with great integrity,” said Gilbert. “We have come together to discuss various health-related issues over the years. He has always been an astute problem-solver, who is very easy to work with.”
An avid golfer, Isham is a longtime member of the Portage Country Club, where he served as president twice. He is also a former member of the Fairlawn, Firestone, Sharon and Oakmont (Pennsylvania) country clubs.
“I was fortunate enough to win club championships at Portage on two occasions,” said Isham. “I really enjoy golfing and I think it has helped me in the community because of the friendships it has created.”
As he looks back on his life, Isham said he wouldn’t change a thing.
“I am delighted at the way my life and career have worked out,” said Isham.
“I have maintained an ethical practice at a first-class law firm. I have two wonderful children. My son John comes home quite often. My daughter Laurie has two wonderful children, who I get to spend time with on a regular basis.
“Things have worked out better than I could ever have imagined,” he said.