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Mahoning bar association president discusses goals
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: September 27, 2018
From reinvigorating the Lawyer Referral Service to increasing respect for the legal profession—those are some of the goals attorney Gregg A. Rossi wants to achieve during his tenure as president of The Mahoning County Bar Association.
Rossi took the reins from past president Tracie Schmidt on June 25 after being sworn in during the annual election banquet at the Youngstown Country Club.
“I have been a member of The Mahoning County Bar Association since I first became licensed in 1990,” said Rossi. “Membership has led to long-lasting relationships with legal professionals, making friends and is a great source of referrals.
“I believe all lawyers should be members of the bar association in the communities where they practice.”
Schmidt, who has known Rossi for years and worked alongside him at the bar association, said his “contributions to The Mahoning County Bar Association, the community and his profession are second to none.
“I feel that his knowledge of the profession and the legal community, his past bar association experience and service and the mutual respect among him and his colleagues will all help further our organization,” said Schmidt, a partner at Friedman & Rummell Co., who focuses on matters ranging from probate and estate planning to business and employment law.
Born in Youngstown, Rossi grew up in Boardman and graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School.
The youngest of five children, Rossi was exposed to the law at an early age by his father former Professionalism Award winner and plaintiff personal injury and domestic relations attorney Daniel L. Rossi.
“I went to accident scenes with my dad as a young boy and I watched him interview witnesses,” said Rossi. “He was my inspiration to go into the law because I saw how much good he did and how many people he helped.”
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in 1987, Rossi obtained his juris doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
“I went to work for my father right after I passed the bar exam and I have been at the same firm since then,” said Rossi. “My first jury trial was in January 1991 and it was an OVI refusal case. The jury found my guy not guilty.
“I’ve handled nearly 100 jury trials since then.”
His father retired from the firm in 2011.
“I’ve had a few different associates since then but right now I am alone at the firm,” said Rossi.
He recently changed the name to Rossi & Rossi Co. He plans to bring his nephew and godson James Melfi into the practice. Melfi is a 3L at Capital University Law School in Columbus.
“Two of the three associates (Anthony Donofrio and Thomas Wright) who have worked here over the past 29 years have gone on to become judges, so that bolds well for others who work here.”
Rossi, who followed in his father’s footsteps by handling plaintiff personal injury and domestic relations matters, has had his share of impressive wins over the years.
In March 2018, a jury awarded his clients $1 million in a medical malpractice case.
Rossi was counsel for Virginia Johnston and her two adult sons who sued NorthStar Anesthesia, an anesthesiologist and a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) in connection with the death of Robert “Rusty” Johnston.
Robert Johnston, the former owner of Rusty’s Southside Grill, died in December 2011 after having hip surgery.
Rossi argued that NorthStar, the anesthesiologist and the CRNA failed to maintain Johnston’s airway properly, which led to cardiac arrest, brain injury and his eventual death. After a five-day trial, the jury found the anesthesiologist and the CRNA negligent and awarded the family $1 million in compensatory damages.
In addition to his practice, he’s devoted a large amount of time to The Mahoning County Bar Association. He is a former chair of the Young Lawyers Committee (now Banquets/Young Lawyers Committee), a current member of the Inquiry and Lawyer Referral committees and a former member of the Continuing Legal Education Committee.
Rossi has served as a trustee and secretary-treasurer of the bar association and is a former president of The Mahoning County Bar Association Foundation.
“I relinquished my position of secretary-treasurer to become president-elect,” Rossi said.
Rossi is also a former Cardinal Mooney Alumni Association board member and remains very involved in the Wolves Club of Youngstown, a business and professional men’s social organization, which works to provide undergraduate scholarships and financial assistance to local students attending Youngstown State University.
In addition to working to boost membership at the bar association, Rossi said he is trying to increase funding for the bar association’s Lawyer Referral Service in order to make it more efficient.
“I want to restore professionalism to the legal profession by encouraging attorneys to be more respectful of the process and one another,” said Rossi.
Former bar association president Jamie Dietz has known Rossi since they were 14.
“Gregg is my best friend,” said Dietz, a partner at Friedman & Rummell Co. “He is extremely hard working and very committed to his clients and the bar association. I have referred a number of clients to Gregg over the years and he has served them very well.
“We have served together on the bar association and I am confident Gregg will provide solid leadership at the helm,” he said. “Gregg wants to increase attorney involvement with the bar association and I think his commitment makes him a good role model for younger attorneys.”
“I’ve had a very satisfying and successful career and I plan to continue to help people for many years to come,” Rossi said. “I love the practice of law and I want to do my part to elevate the profession through my work as an attorney and at the bar association.”