
Welcome to Leppla Associates
Leppla Associates has represented family and business clients in commercial and personal litigation for over 25 years. The firm also handles probate matters as well as malpractice, injury, environmental, real estate & zoning, corporate & contracting, business and land use claims in Ohio and Florida.
Announcement
Jenifer L. Wilhelm to Accept PositionWe
are proud to announce that Jenifer L. Wilhelm will be taking a position
as a Hearing Officer in the Support Enforcement Division of the Ohio
Department of Job and Family Services. We wish her well as she returns
to a career in the service of children and families.
Messages from OSBA President Gary J. Leppla: Help is here
The OSBA is committed to helping the legal profession during trying economic times
There
is no doubt that you are each observing, and often personally
experiencing, the impact of the current financial crisis. It is
apparent in your hometowns and it is all over the news. You see it in
your own finances. You hear it from your clients. The economic downturn
has affected nearly every facet of American life. Surviving the
economic crisis will not just be a challenge to government or big
business. It will require all of us doing our part.
Because the Ohio State Bar Association has always pledged to be indispensable to the lawyers of
We have a Member Service
Advisory Panel that is examining the recommendations of our recent
Future of the Legal Profession Report. This panel also met last week to
begin developing strategies to help you—and to help you help your
clients—weather this economic storm.
The leadership and staff
of your state bar association continue their commitment to being
indispensable to you in your practice in good times and in bad.
Kudos to the Court
OSBA supports efforts to strengthen the public's trust and confidence in our legal system
Americans
expect their judges to be fair and impartial, and they expect to have
access to justice through the courts. The Ohio State Bar Association
has long been concerned about the public’s perception that campaign
contributions influence judicial decisions. Over the years, very large
sums of money have been spent to secure election to judicial office,
especially at the state Supreme Court level. While it is our belief
that most judges are able to separate their judicial decision making
from any influence of campaign contributions, we are respectful of the
need to ensure the public’s trust and confidence in the judicial
system.
This week, the Supreme Court of the
H. Thomas Wells Jr.,
president of the American Bar Association, issued the statement
commending the U.S. Supreme Court for agreeing to hear the case. ABA
President Wells said:
“There are crucial
issues that beg for resolution, and it is critical that our highest
court offer guidance to the judiciary while reassuring the public of
our legal system's trustworthy stewardship and integrity. Although it
is the responsibility of judges to try cases and to set aside their own
personal proclivities in the interest of serving the law, service to
the law at times may require even the most diligent and impartial
judges to disqualify themselves to preserve public belief in an
impartial and accountable judiciary. This case offers an opportunity
for the Supreme Court to help define the factors that should guide
judges in deciding when, in the interest of justice, they should rule,
and when they should step aside.”
The Ohio State Bar Association applauds the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear the Caperton
case, to examine under which circumstance judges should remove
themselves from hearing and deciding cases before them, and to define
the factors that should guide judges in making those decisions. We join
ABA President Wells in supporting these efforts to strengthen the
public’s trust and confidence in our legal system.
Membership is indispensable
Why do you belong to the OSBA?
Perhaps
it is a bit old-fashioned for a lawyer to actually enjoy a high level
of client contact. Yet we all know we became lawyers to help clients
resolve their problems. Similarly, is it old-fashioned to enjoy the
camaraderie experienced in bar association activities?
In other respects, we
are also “Renaissance Lawyers,” because we embrace technology as it
helps us do our work as lawyers in a more efficient and immediate
manner. The tools available to us through the state bar association
help us stay involved with colleagues across the state and keep us on
top of our game. I personally know I am a better lawyer because of my
membership in the Ohio State Bar Association.
One reason we belong to the Ohio State Bar Association is because it is essential to our practice. Casemaker puts online legal research at our fingertips 24/7 at no cost beyond the basic membership dues. The Ohio State Bar Association Report
contains new cases that arrive on our desks each week—and in our e-mail
inbox even sooner. The OSBA provides us with the widest range of
top-notch CLE programs we can enjoy in the company of other lawyers in
person, through Webcasts or online at our convenience. The OSBA Web
site has a wealth of information that benefits our clients and the
public. Professional liability coverage and other insurance products
are available just for the asking. Involvement in committees and
sections gives us access to the best and brightest in every practice
area in
The OSBA is also a place
where each of us feels like we belong—we are all welcomed, respected
and supported by colleagues and staff alike. I belong to the OSBA
because its services support me in my work as a lawyer, and because of
people like you. I belong because I want to identify with all of you,
as members of a remarkable helping profession, joined together by our
one common vehicle, the OSBA. Lawyers from every size community and
practice setting find their common purposes and outlets through this
bar. It binds us together in the great state of
It is an honor to serve
as your president, and to share leadership responsibilities with a
remarkable group of professionals from every practice area and from all
corners of this great state.
Why do we belong to the OSBA?
Because the benefits are countless, the value is tremendous and OSBA
membership is indispensable to our practices. I hope you agree and you
will continue your OSBA membership. It is renewal time, and you can
either call us at (800)232-7124 or go to the Web site at www.ohiobar.org/dues to renew your membership today.

