Who I Am
Sea Year
I graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York with a third mate’s license for any ocean and any gross tonnage, a commission in the Navy, and a B.S. degree in Nautical Science. I served in the U.S. Navy Reserve and decided to attend law school. In 1975, I graduated with honors from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
I went to work for Cleveland’s largest maritime law firm. I worked on admiralty cases on the Great Lakes and other locations. I handled cases involving seamen, longshoremen, pilots, passengers, cargo, collisions, allisions, and other marine personal injury and property damage cases. I became a partner in the firm and was transferred to the firm’s Chicago office, where I handled cases involving marine causalities on Lake Michigan and Inland rivers. I am admitted to the Illinois Bar.
I returned to Cleveland in 1987. I purchased property in Ashtabula, Ohio on Lake Erie’s South Shore, where I maintain my office. I handle a variety of maritime and civil cases, and defend Coast Guard Licenses. I represent marine companies, seamen, pilots, marine workers, yacht owners, and passengers. My clients include Lakes Pilots Association, Inc., Western Great Lakes Pilots Association, Inc., and The Merchant Officers Protective Syndicate.
Associations
- Federal Bar Association (President, Cleveland Chapter, 1991-1992)
- Maritime Law Association of the United States
- International and Shipmaster's Association
- Ohio State Bar Association
- Ashtabula Bar Association
Admitted To
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in 1975
- Supreme Court of the United States in 1984
- United States District Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit in 1984
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 1986 (General and Trial Bars)
- United States District Court for the Eastern of Michigan in 1998
- United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in 2000