Login | August 02, 2025
Buckingham attorneys recognized by Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: February 28, 2013
As Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs prepares to celebrate its 100-year anniversary the firm’s lawyers continue to receive peer recognition in their fields of expertise.
This year 27 attorneys have been selected for inclusion in the 2013 edition of Super Lawyers Magazine and 30 attorneys were named to Best Lawyers in America, including five partners that were listed as “Lawyer of the Year.”
In addition, 11 Super Lawyers honorees also received special recognition for being included in the publication for at least 10 consecutive years and partner John Hill was named to both the Top 100 Ohio 2013 Super Lawyers and Top 50 Cleveland Ohio Super Lawyers lists.
Hill, who joined the firm last fall, has also been previously listed in Best Lawyers in America. It’s the third time he was selected to the Top 100 Ohio Super Lawyers list and his second time appearing in the Top 50 Cleveland listing.
“As the firm reaches this century-long milestone, these honors further demonstrate our longstanding commitment to client service and excellence in the practice of law,” said Managing Partner John Slagter.
“It’s very nice to see that your peers, who often contest you in court and in the marketplace, respect your work,” said Hill. “I take it as some validation that you are doing things in the right way. The people at Buckingham encourage and support that wonderfully.”
Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs was founded in Akron in 1913. Today the full service law firm has offices in Akron, Canton, Cleveland, and Boca Raton, Florida.
Slagter credits the firm’s expansion and 100 years in existence to outstanding client service, the ability to adapt with the times, and dedication to delivering value to its clients.
“We recognize that the practice of law has changed dramatically over the years as a result of both technology and the economy,” said Slagter. “We are adapting our services to ensure we are successful for another 100 years.”
Super Lawyers magazine is published in all 50 states, and Washington, D.C., listing the top five 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, and are evaluated based on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. While attorneys in the same firm can nominate their colleagues, votes from those outside the firm are given more weight when selecting candidates.
The 2013 Super Lawyers from Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs’ Akron office include Peter Cahoon, Steven Dimengo, Nicholas George, John Hill, Patrick Keating, David Kern, Robert Malone, Patricia Pacenta, Marietta Pavlidis, Patrick Weschler and David Woodburn. The Canton Super Lawyers are Joseph Feltes, Jeffrey Halm, and Mark Skakun III. In Cleveland, David Drechsler, Barry Freeman, David Lindner, Dirk Riemenschneider, Ronald Wayne, and Slagter were selected as 2013 Super Lawyers.
Cahoon, Dimengo, George, Malone, Pacenta, Weschler, Halm, Skakun III, Riemenschneider, Wayne and Slagter were also recognized for having appeared in Super Lawyers for at least ten consecutive years.
Super Lawyers Rising Stars are chosen by the most recent group of Super Lawyers, who nominate attorneys they have personally observed in action, either as opposing or co-counsel, or through first-hand courtroom experience. To qualify as a Rising Star, a lawyer must be under the age of 40 or practicing for less than 10 years.
The firm’s Super Lawyers Rising Stars include Akron attorneys Matthew Duncan, Amy Friedmann, Joshua Nolan, and Jon Stefanik II. In addition, Justin Greenfelder was chosen in the Canton office, as were Cleveland attorneys Michael Matasich and Anthony Vacanti.
Best Lawyers is the country’s oldest legal peer-review publisher, and only a single lawyer in each practice area within a designated metropolitan area is awarded the “Lawyer of the Year” honor.
While a total of 30 Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs attorneys made the Best Lawyers listing this year, five received the distinction of 2013 “Lawyer of the Year,” including Akron partners Cahoon (Criminal Defense: White Collar), Cathy Godshall (Employee Benefits Law), Keating (Litigation – Bankruptcy) Skakun (Litigation – Patent), and Slagter (Litigation – Real Estate) from the Cleveland office.
The other attorneys listed as Best Lawyers in America in 2013 are Ronald Allan, Robert Briggs, William Caplan, Steven Dimengo, William Dowling, Nicholas George, Stephen Hammersmith, David Kern, James Kraus, Frederick Lombardi, Robert Malone, Patricia Pacenta, John Reyes, Susan Rodgers, Patrick Weschler, Philip Wiese, and David Woodburn in Akron; Ralph Amiet, Joseph Feltes, and Jeffrey Halm in Canton; and Gerald Chattman, David Drechsler, David Lindner, Dirk Riemenschneider, and Ronald Wayne in Cleveland.
“I believe one reason our peers consistently recognize our attorneys is because our attorneys limit their practice to matters in which they have significant experience,” said Slagter. “We make sure that the attorney assigned to the case has the experience necessary to handle the case. If we get a call about a case in which we do not have experience, we will refer it to an outside firm.”