Login | August 21, 2026
Akron legal professionals remember attorney Warner Mendenhall
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: August 21, 2026
Known for his political activism, Akron attorney Warner Mendenhall built a mission-oriented practice with a national reach representing whistleblowers in fraud cases under the False Claims Act and defending individuals in property and civil rights matters against institutions and local governments, securing victories in a number of notable cases.
Mendenhall’s unsuccessful 2009 effort to recall former Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic attracted substantial media coverage, earning him a reputation as someone who wasn’t afraid to take risks when he felt he was right, said Summit County solo practitioner Donald Hicks.
“Warner litigated many difficult, and not necessarily winnable cases over the years,” said Hicks. “He had one of the most diverse and eclectic practices that an attorney could have.
“He handled qui tam cases around the country, developing a national presence,” said Hicks. “He was truly brilliant in many ways, and he came up with some very creative arguments throughout his career.”
On June 8, Mendenhall passed away peacefully while surrounded by his family after a months-long battle with cancer. He was 64.
“Warner was dedicated to the underdog,” said Mendenhall Law Group of counsel Tom Connors. “He had a strong desire to help people and would extend himself significantly.
“He made a name for himself in municipal law, especially in the Akron and northeast Ohio areas. During Covid, he litigated a number of controversial issues such as vaccination requirements for children.
“He was well respected in the legal community and had a very good career,” said Connors. “He was a great person to work with and be around,” said Connors. “He made practicing law enjoyable.”
Born on Feb. 24, 1962 in Durham, North Carolina, Mendenhall received his bachelor’s degree in political science from The University of Akron and a master’s degree in political science from Kent State University.
From January 1992 to December 1995, he served two terms on the Akron City Council, representing Ward 5 and later Ward 2.
After earning his Juris Doctor from The University of Akron School of Law in 1998, he opened the Law Offices of Warner Mendenhall (known as the Mendenhall Law Group), which among other things, represents whistleblowers in the private and public sectors and advises citizens on local government issues ranging from elections and land use to public meetings, records and budgeting.
According to his LinkedIn profile, some of Mendenhall’s successes included a False Claims Act case involving federal block-grant fraud in Akron. He also helped organize and defend Akron’s Issue 11 campaign-finance reforms, which were approved by voters.
The profile discusses Mendenhall’s work to organize the “Save Our Sewers Committee,” which opposed efforts to privatize Akron’s public utilities. Mendenhall drafted charter language requiring a citywide vote to approve any privatization of the city’s public utilities and worked with Akron residents to pass the amendment, which was approved by voters.
It also notes that he waged an unsuccessful battle to require the city to fully fund police and firefighter healthcare benefits.
A member of the Akron Bar Association, Mendenhall founded Freedom Counsel, which his obituary said was created to assist lawyers, experts and citizens in understanding and addressing government overreach, corporate misconduct and systemic shortcomings.
From 1999-2018, Mendenhall was also a member of the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund.
Mendenhall served on the boards of East Akron Community House, WMVU-FM public radio and the West Hill Neighborhood Organization.
Donald Gallick, now an assistant public defender in the Office of the Ohio Public Defender, shared office space with Mendenhall for about five years and maintained an office in the same building for another 15 years.
“Warner was a fearless litigator, who exposed a lot of fraud,” said Gallick. “I learned a great deal from him by serving as junior counsel on several employment and whistleblower cases with him.
“He was a mentor of sorts. He always made himself available to answer questions about complex issues involving healthcare and whistleblower cases.
“I used a lot of what he taught me during the many years that I had my own practice,” said Gallick. “I feel lucky to have been able to spend so many years in his office. I think he inspired a lot of attorneys across Ohio and outside the state as well.
“The last time I saw him was at a 2019 whistleblower conference in Washington, D.C.
“At the time, I thought he would be practicing another 20 years, but unfortunately, I was mistaken.”
Jacquenette Corgan, an assistant director of law in the city of Akron’s civil division, worked for Mendenhall from the summer of 2005 to mid-2009.
“I learned a great deal from him because he handled a lot of matters dealing with government integrity and zoning laws,” she said. “He was very enthusiastic about his clients and his cases.
“He was a very good employer,” she said. “He was a genuinely nice person, who remained professional at all times. He was very respectful to opposing counsel. Even if he did not agree with the other side, he did not approach counsel with an attitude of malice.”
William Corgan, co-founder of Weisensell & Corgan, described Mendenhall as “an idealist” who had “an intense desire to make the world a better place and eliminate corruption.”
“Warner was well known in the community because of his recall effort against a former mayor,” said Corgan. “I got to know him really well after my wife Jacqi went to work for him.
“Warner was always looking for cases that helped people he felt were being taken advantage of, even when the odds were against him,” said Corgan, who focuses on civil litigation. “For example, he tried to stop a bus station from going in on Ghent Road because the community did not want it.
“He lost the case, but it didn’t discourage him,” Corgan said.
Corgan said Mendenhall loved talking about his whistleblower cases.
“He was involved in a federal lawsuit surrounding the IEL (Industrial Excess Landfill) Superfund site in Uniontown, where rubber companies, hospitals and other industrial facilities dumped hazardous waste materials in the mid-60s and 1970s,” said Corgan. “Lots of people living in the area developed cancer. People died; it is a real horrible disaster, and it continues to be a hazard.
“We remained close colleagues and became friends,” said Corgan. “I remember one time when my washing machine broke that Warner loaned me his until I could get another one. That’s the kind of friend Warner was.”
A private ceremony was held on July 5 to honor Mendenhall’s life.
He is survived by his wife, Kelly Mendenhall; children Britney (Tony) Edwards, Thomas Mendenhall and Lilly Mendenhall; grandchildren Sloane and Leo Edwards; siblings David Mendenhall, Blair (Lisa) Mendenhall and Mary (Olivier Diaz) Mendenhall; and stepmother Judy Mendenhall.
His parents Carol C. Mendenhall and Warner D. Mendenhall II preceded him in death.