Richard M. Lewis is a Jackson, Ohio attorney with over 25 years of experience. This experience includes litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and teaching. Mr. Lewis graduated from Capital Law School in Columbus, Ohio in 1982. In 1979, Mr. Lewis graduated from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
Mr. Lewis' legal experience is varied and rich. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Association for Justice, the Ohio State Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and the American Bar Association. As a member of these organizations, Mr. Lewis has held a variety of leadership roles, including serving as Vice-Chair of The Ohio Supreme Court Commission on Certification of Attorneys as Specialists, a former member of the Executive Committee of the Ohio Association for Justice, the OSBA Committee on Unjust Criticism of Judges, and past president of the Jackson County Bar Association. He was the 2007-2008 Vice-Chair, Consumer Law Section, OATL (Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers), now OAJ (Ohio Association for Justice).
During Mr. Lewis' legal career he has represented a wide variety of clients and has been part of important decisions, including counsel for the plaintiffs in Akers, et al v. Alonzo M.D., et al.
In addition to a career as legal counsel, Mr. Lewis has pursued various opportunities as a lecturer to other legal professionals on topics involving the law. Some of the issues that were addressed by Mr. Lewis are courtroom tactics for lawyers, discovery issues that arise in medical malpractice cases, and professional responsibility requirements of Ohio attorneys. Click here for a list of his professional presentations.
Mr. Lewis has also published a number of scholarly and practical articles written for Ohio trial lawyers. Some of the subjects include professional ethics, nursing home abuse, and courtroom procedure. Click here for a list of his publications.
Mr. Lewis has served as an expert witness in a number of cases, regarding legal malpractice and whether charges for attorney fees were appropriate. Click here for descriptions of other accolades.
Attorney Christen N. Finley joined the firm as an Associate Attorney effective August 2, 2009. Ms. Finley is a 1999 graduate of Chesapeake High School in Chesapeake, Ohio. In May of 2002 Ms. Finley graduated from Marshall University with a Bachelors of Business Administration, Economics. Upon graduating from Marshall University, Ms. Finley was admitted to Capital University Law School. While in law school, Ms. Finley worked as a law clerk in the Franklin County Public Defender's Office in Columbus, Ohio, as well as at the law firm of Koffel & Jump, located in Upper Arlington, Ohio. Ms. Finley graduated from Capital University Law School in 2005 with a Juris Doctorate and passed the Ohio bar exam the same year. Subsequent to the passage of the bar exam, Ms. Finley worked as a tax consultant for Ernst & Young, LLP and PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP. Ms. Finley is currently a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, Marshall University Alumni Association, and Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity. Ms. Finley enjoys running, social networking, volunteering with t he SADD organization, working with children, and pleasure reading in her spare time.
Jennifer L. Routte is an associate with the Law Firm of Richard M. Lewis, LLC. Prior to attending Capital University Law School, Miss Routte explored the fields of chemistry and biology before ultimately earning two Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Political Science from the Ohio State University. Miss Routte also worked in the construction field as a project coordinator for a commercial general contractor for eight years.
During law school, she focused her studies on litigation. She was a semi-finalist in her first year moot court competition. She continued on to win Best Oralist for her two individual rounds at the International Criminal Court Moot Competition at Pace Law School in White Plains, New York. Her team was also awarded Best Defense Brief in the same competition. She gained legal experience through externships with the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, the Ohio Attorney General's Civil Rights Division, and with the Supreme Court of Ohio's Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline.
Miss Routte is currently a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, Columbus Bar Association, American Association for Justice, Ohio Association for Justice, and Women Lawyers of Franklin County.