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Longtime Akron law firm continues to gain recognition
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: March 7, 2013
A law firm does not stay in business for over 125 years without the support of its clients and the respect of others in the legal profession, and those at Akron-based Roderick Linton Belfance continue to work to achieve both.
Recently three attorneys were selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2013 edition of Super Lawyers Magazine.
“It is very rewarding any time an attorney is recognized by his or her peers,” said managing partner Lawrence Bach, who is among the honorees. “I think being selected as a Super Lawyer is a testament to one’s ability and it reflects well on what we at the firm are able to do for our clients.”
Super Lawyers magazine is published in all 50 states, and Washington D.C., listing the top 5 percent of attorneys in each state in more than 70 practice areas. Candidates are nominated by their peers or are identified by the research department during the research process. While attorneys in the same firm can nominate their colleagues, votes from those outside the firm are given more weight when selecting candidates. The nominees are evaluated based on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement.
Bach joined Roderick Linton Belfance in 1984 after graduating from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. His practice includes civil litigation, commercial law, adversary bankruptcy proceedings, employment, appellate, constitutional, municipal, consumer matters and cases involving foreign entities.
A member of the Akron and Ohio bar associations, it is his first time being named a Super Lawyer, which he said is particularly noteworthy since the firm does not make an active effort to advertise its services.
“We were founded in 1885 and we believe we are the oldest firm in Akron,” said Bach. “Our firm has a lot of talent. I am working with some of the younger lawyers to help them create opportunities for themselves.
“I am at a point in my career where I am looking to explore new challenges. When I was a law student I used to publish. I miss doing that, and one of my goals is to find issues that I deem worthy of researching and writing about,” Bach said.
Partner William Chris is also a first-time Super Lawyer. The Akron native graduated from The University of Toledo College of Law in 1984, joining the firm the following year. He has been active in the Akron Bar Association’s Certified Grievance Committee, arguing several cases before the Ohio Supreme Court, and served as bar counsel from April 2009 to September 2012.
His practice at Roderick Linton Belfance ranges from business and commercial disputes litigation to municipal and township law, personal injury and wrongful death, real estate and shareholder dispute litigation.
“It is nice to be recognized,” said Chris, who also serves as a prosecutor for the city of Hudson. “I have spent many years working in Summit, Stark and Cuyahoga counties, and it is good to know that some of my colleagues thought I was deserving of the honor.”
Christopher Esker, who specializes in civil litigation, said being named a Super Lawyer is a special honor because it is one that “attorneys typically do not seek for themselves.
“The nomination and selection system is blind,” said Esker, who is also a first-time honoree. “The colleagues responsible for nominating me may well be those with whom I’ve been in an adverse position.
“When your peers in the trenches are your reviewers, it provides a fair gauge of how you are judged by your fellow professionals,” said Esker.
A graduate of The University of Akron School of Law, the Akron native joined the firm in 2008 after a decade with another regional firm’s litigation practice group. He also served as Summit County Assistant Prosecutor and Judicial Attorney to former Summit County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mary Spicer and the late John W. Reece of Ohio’s Ninth Judicial District Court of Appeals.
“As a member of Akron ’s oldest law firm, it is important to provide the kind of client service and long-term results that allow our clients to continue to thrive, and I’m honored to be a part of that rich tradition,” said Esker.