Page 11 - May June 2023 CBA Report

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023 AWARD RECIPIENTS!
JOHN P. KIELY PROFESSIONALISM AWARD
The John P. Kiely Professionalism Award recognizes a trial lawyer for possessing outstanding trial skills and demonstrating the highest degree of professionalism, civility and ethical standards in his or her daily practice. This annual award is presented to a member of the Cincinnati Bar Association by the Professionalism Committee of the CBA in honor of John P. Kiely.
RANDOLPH H. FREKING
Randolph H. Freking is a ground-
breaking litigator who is as respectful to
opposing counsel as he is to the court.
He cares deeply about his clients and
treats each client with dignity and equal
importance. He is an outstanding trial
lawyer who advocates fiercely on behalf
of clients but never at the expense of his
high professional standards. Freking has demonstrated the highest degree of professionalism, civility, and ethical standards in his daily practice.
After graduating from the Ohio State University College of Law, Freking began his career at Frost & Jacobs (now Frost Brown Todd) practicing in the firm’s labor and employment law group. In 1990, he left the security of a big law firm to represent what he perceived as an underserved community. He founded Freking & Betz (now Freking Myers & Reul), a law firm devoted to the rights of all working people, primarily the “working class.”
Freking is the author of four books, two of which are about employment law. In 2012, he self-published The Real Employee Handbook and, in 2015, he authored The ABA Consumer Guide to Employee Rights, published by the American Bar Association. He is also an avid baseball fan who is known to measure time by the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day. He is a board member and a great supporter of the Reds Community Fund. He also co-founded (with Paul Tobias) the Cincinnati Workers Rights Project to provide representation to lower wage workers. In 2001, he received the Volunteer Lawyer of the Year Award from the CBA. Freking and his wife, Sue, have been blessed with four children and six grandchildren.
Having over 38 years of practice, Freking has tried a signifi- cant number of cases and has achieved several impressive Plaintiffs’ verdicts. He has made Cincinnati a better place to work for count- less members of the Cincinnati community.
VOLUNTEER LAWYER OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor Foundation established the Volunteer Lawyer of the Year Award to honor outstanding work done on behalf of low- income clients and to recognize commitment to the mission of the Volunteer Lawyers Project.
JACK F. FUCHS
The Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor Foundation is proud to present the 2022 Lawyer of the Year Award to Jack F. Fuchs. We salute his many decades of service as a board member for the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) and as a volunteer lawyer.
Recently, Fuchs obtained two great
settlements for our clients on disability matters after filing actions in federal court. In one case, he negotiated a $17,500 settlement for the client in a short-term disability matter. In another, he negoti- ated a larger settlement for the client.
Over the last three years of service to the VLP, he has repre- sented 18 VLP clients. “Jack is extremely dedicated to getting the best outcome for his pro bono clients and has an impressive track record to prove it. We are very proud and honored to count such an experienced and knowledgeable attorney among our volunteers,” said Jessica A. Ramos, VLP Managing Attorney.
Fuchs is a graduate of the University of Chicago with a bach- elor’s degree in philosophy and a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a master’s degree in philosophy. He furthered his education at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where he participated in law review and received the Order of the Coif.
After law school, he clerked for the Honorable John W. Peck of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit for two years. Fuchs was a partner at Thompson Hine, where he worked for 34 years before retiring in 2018. He is also a Fellow of the Amer- ican College of Employee Benefits.
While at Thompson Hine, he was the firm coordinator for the Volunteer Lawyers Project, receiving case requests and distributing them to the firm’s lawyers. Additionally, Fuchs served on the Board of Trustees for the Volunteer Lawyers Foundation for the Poor for 27 years.
In recent years, he has lent his expertise to VLP clients in the areas of employment, disability claims, insurance, and consumer matters. “He is always willing to help, even the most challenging clients, and his devotion to serving pro bono clients is greatly appreciated. Today we would like to present this award to show our gratitude to Jack Fuchs,” said Rhonda Tucker, pro bono coor- dinator for the VLP.
THE REPORT | May/June 2023 | CincyBar.org 11