Richard S. Koblentz
Rich is our majority partner and has been a member of the Ohio Bar since 1975. Since his admission to the bar, Rich has been engaged in the general practice of law with the emphasis on litigation. Currently, Rich devotes the greatest portion of his practice to the area of legal ethics and professional responsibility which includes, but is not limited to, attorney discipline, bar admission representation, representation in the areas of attorney conflicts of interest, disqualification of counsel, law firm formations and dissolutions, legal malpractice representation as both plaintiff and defense counsel and service as an expert witness. Rich also practices in the areas of complex and general civil litigation, criminal defense, both general and white collar, probate, real estate, small business counseling and domestic relations.
Rich has been a presenter on topics of legal ethics and professional responsibility, on well over 100 occasions, at continuing legal education seminars throughout the state of Ohio as well as several other states on behalf of a number of government and judicial bodies, law schools, bar associations and proprietary organizations. On numerous occasions Rich has appeared as a guest lecturer teaching law students at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and the University of Akron Law School.
Based upon surveys conducted with members of the legal profession, Rich has been rated “AV” and listed by Martindale Hubble in the bar register of preeminent lawyers since 1990 and, on numerous occasions, been recognized as an Ohio Super Lawyer in Cincinnati Magazine and a Leading Lawyer in Northeast Ohio by Inside Business Magazine.
For a number of years, Rich was active in the grievance process on behalf of local bar associations including serving as chairman of the Cuyahoga County Bar Association Grievance Committee from 1988 to 1990. Due to the fact that service to the local bar associations presented conflicts which, on numerous occasions, prevented him from representing his fellow lawyers, Rich withdrew from bar association grievance work in 1995.
Rich’s service to the profession and legal education includes serving as president of the Cleveland-Marshall Law Alumni Association, acting as an officer of the Cuyahoga County Bar Association, membership on the Council of Visitors at California Western School of Law in San Diego, California and service as an accreditation team member for the American Bar Association.
Rich’s community involvement has included membership on the board of the Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and service as chairman of that board for three terms, co-chair of the Friends of the Mentally Retarded (a committed for passage of the county-wide levy which funded services for the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled citizens of Cuyahoga County), membership on the Board of the Cleveland Baseball Federation (a charity which provides full funding for the summer baseball programs for Cleveland’s youth) since 1985 and service as president of the organization for 11 years, membership on the Board of Project Love (an organization which trains teenagers and teen leaders in the areas of tolerance and understanding and respecting the differences which exist within our society) and service as Vice-Chairman of that organization. Additionally, Rich has, over the years, been active in numerous other civic and charitable organizations.
Rich’s service to the community and the profession have been recognized by his being named Outstanding Alumnus of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1997 and his induction into the Shaker Heights High School Hall of Fame. He was honored by the Cleveland Baseball Federation for his service to that organization, by renaming of the Big F League for Cleveland’s 12-15 year old players to the Rich Koblentz League.
Contact Koblentz & Penvose, LLC today at 216-206-6592, or browse our website for more information about our Legal Ethics And Professional Responsibility, Attorney Bryan L. Penvose, or Of-Counsel Attorney Peter A. Russell.
