Page 29 - JulyAugust23 Report

MEMORIALS
Memorials honor the lives of deceased members of the local Bar. For more information, contact Leyla Shokoohe at (513) 699-1391 or lshokoohe@cincybar.org.
Kenneth J. Schneider
1937 – 2022
Kenneth J. Schneider lived life to the fullest before he passed on to his next adven- ture on November 3, 2022, at the age of 85. At his graveside, Ken’s longtime friend and client, Gerry Faust, former Notre Dame and Moeller football coach, said that he was sure Ken was already shaking hands and making deals in Heaven.
Ken was a graduate of St. Boniface in Northside, Roger Bacon High School where he was class of 1955 Valedictorian, and Xavier University where he served as Student Council President and earned Bachelor’s and MBA Degrees. Upon graduation, Ken worked in Brand Management for Procter & Gamble while going to Salmon P. Chase Law School in the evenings. After passing the Bar, he fulfilled his dream of becoming an attorney and joined the law firm which is now known as Wood & Lamping where he practiced law for close to 50 years. He was a trusted and valued advisor, counselor and mentor to many. During that time he served as the law director for Sycamore Township and for the cities of Mason, Springdale and St. Bernard.
Ken was a long-time member of the Cincinnati Bar Association where he served as a member of the Executive Committee, as Chairman of the Judicial Selection Committee and as a member of the Grievance Committee. On the state level he served for over 20 years in the House of Delegates of the Ohio State Bar Association. Ken also served as State of Ohio Chairman for the International Municipal Attorney’s Associa- tion and as an Ohio State Department of Education Hearing Officer. Ken
James B. Helmer, Jr
1950-2023
On February 3, Cincinnati lost one of its premier civil litigators, James B. Helmer, Jr., who finally succumbed to ALS after a 3-year battle. I was Jim’s law partner and friend for the past 33 years and had the privilege of working with this exceptional civil litigator who left his mark on federal and state courts across this country.
Over the past 30 years Jim Helmer was consistently recognized nationally as a top-notch litigator of complex civil cases. He person- ally agued cases before the United States Supreme Court and the Ohio Supreme Court. A graduate of Denison University (where he played varsity football), Jim attended the University of Cincinnati College of Law, graduating in 1975 as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. Jim started his legal career clerking for Judge Timothy S. Hogan of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. He then worked with some small Cincinnati law firms until hanging up his own shingle in 1983 and forming what is today, Helmer Martins Tate & Garrett, Co., LPA.
A firm believer in paying forward the benefits that he enjoyed as a lawyer, Jim consistently supported the UC College of Law. Over the past 34 years he financed and awarded the UC Law Review cash prize. He endowed a law school professorship chair over the past 31 years. Jim also
has been a steadfast member and supporter of the Cincinnati, Ohio State and American Bar Associations throughout his career.
Ken’s involvement in the legal community as well as his involvement in the Greater Cincinnati Community could fill pages. Some highlights include District Chairman of United Appeal, Board of Directors of the Blue Ash YMCA, Chairman of the Parish Council at All Saints Church and so many more.
Ken loved traveling the world and experiencing all life had to offer. At home and abroad he never met a stranger. His travels took him to Germany before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall and communism, to Ecuador where he mingled with protestors at the height of that coun- try’s economic crisis, to South Africa where he stood in Nelson Mandela’s cell on Robben Island, to China and on and on. One of the most exciting experiences and one that he was most known for at the law firm was when at age 68 as a first time bungee jumper he became the oldest person to attempt one of New Zealand’s notorious jumps.
For 64 years, Ken was married to Janet, whom he cherished. He was the proud father to Amy (Jim) Hubbard, Beth (Rick) Naylor and Emily Schneider Thompson and grandfather to nine grandchildren. Ken took every young lawyer and new employee at Wood & Lamping under his wing. He will be remembered for his generosity of spirit, gusto for life, love of travel, work ethic and devotion to family, friends and faith.
Ken loved being a lawyer and loved the practice of law!
— Respectfully submitted, Jan M. Frankel on behalf of Wood & Lamping LLP & Beth Schneider Naylor, Frost Brown Todd LLP
sponsored three scholarships for UC law students and was a generous benefactor for the construction of the new law school which bears a large classroom dedicated in Jim’s name. He also was an enthusiastic supporter and donor to the Ohio Innocence Project at the law school.
A staunch advocate for the federal False Claims Act, Jim worked alongside the Department of Justice over the past 40 years, prosecuting cases across the country on behalf of the United States against Govern- ment contractors who committed fraud. Under Jim’s leadership, Helmer Martins Tate & Garrett recovered approximately $1 billion from these contractors for the benefit of the United States. Constantly active, Jim also authored 10 books on the law, most notably, The False Claims Act, Whistleblower Litigation, which is now in its eighth edition and published by the ABA. He testified before the United States Senate and the House of Representatives in 1985, 1986, and again in 2008, in support of amendments that were enacted to strengthen the False Claims Act.
Jackie Robinson said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” Jim’s life was immeasurably important in its impact on countless law students and lawyers across this country who now stand upon his shoulders in advancing their cases. His law partners and staff are indelibly stamped with Jim’s unswerving high standards and devotion to others. I’ll forever remember and miss my dear friend and partner.
— Paul B. Martins THE REPORT | July/August 2023 | CincyBar.org 29