Our Attorneys

Raymond J. Schmidlin, Sr.

Ray has resided in Ohio his entire life.  He received his law degree from Cleveland State University and his undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton.  He has been practicing law since 1965.  He is admitted to practice in Ohio, the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, the United States Supreme Court and the United States Tax Court, and is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association.

Ray has counseled and assisted numerous clients with matters involving corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, small businesses, taxes, real estate, wills, trusts, probate and estates.

Contact Information:
(440) 461-9000
Annette Samber: asamber@dsf-law.com


Robert J. Foulds

Bob received his B.A. degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1978 and his law degree from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1981. He is admitted to practice law in Ohio, the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, the United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, United States Tax Court, and the Supreme Court of the United States, and is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association. After a judicial clerkship, he entered the private practice of law concentrating in the area of civil litigation. Bob has successfully represented clients at trial in a wide variety of civil cases including personal injury, construction and property disputes, wrongful death, employer intentional torts, intellectual property, insurance coverage, insurance bad faith, admiralty, probate, professional malpractice, product liability, premises liability and contract disputes, and has significant experience assisting insurance carriers in the management of investigation of suspected fraudulent claims.

Many of our larger clients seek his opinion when evaluating and negotiating complex insurance claims and other serious litigation matters. Bob has been retained by insurance carriers and corporate clients to supervise litigation in Ohio and other jurisdictions, and to consult them on Medicare lien issues, Medicare Set-Aside arrangements and Medicare Secondary Payer Act claim reporting requirements.  Bob is a Medicare Set-Aside Consultant Certified.

Recently, Bob successfully concluded the management of an investigation on behalf of an insurance carrier which exposed an international insurance fraud scheme designed for the purpose of funding a Somalian terrorist organization. This investigation, which was featured in an article in Crain's Business News, involved several insurance carriers, as well as law enforcement agencies in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

Bob is available to serve as a mediator for parties seeking alternative dispute resolution of civil matters.

Contact Information:
(440) 461-9000
rfoulds@dsf-law.com
Tracey Shenkel: tshenkel@dsf-law.com


Raymond J. Schmidlin, Jr.

Ray is a lifelong resident of Lyndhurst, Ohio. He is admitted to practice law in Ohio, the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Florida, the District of Columbia, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Ray graduated law school at Case Western Reserve University and received a B.A., cum laude, from the University of Dayton. He is a member of the Cleveland, District of Columbia, Florida and Ohio State bar associations, and the Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys, and serves on the City of Lyndhurst Civil Service Commission.

Ray has a wide range of litigation experience involving insurance issues, personal injury, small business formation, banking, collection, construction and general civil litigation. He counsels clients regarding corporate, small business, real estate, probate & estate matters and defense of misdemeanor, DUI & traffic infractions. Ray recently assisted a corporate client with the formation of a European basketball academy.

Ray also consults clients with regard to Medicare lien issues, Medicare Set-Aside arrangements and Medicare Secondary Payer Act claim reporting requirements, and is a Medicare Set-Aside Consultant Certified.

Ray is available to serve as a mediator for parties seeking alternative dispute resolution of civil matters.

Contact Information:
(440) 461-9000
rschmidlin@dsf-law.com
Annette Samber: asamber@dsf-law.com


David B. Henderson

Dave started with the firm in 1992 after he graduated Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton in 1986. He is admitted to practice in Ohio, the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, and the United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, and is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association.

Dave is a skilled negotiator and has successfully represented many clients throughout Ohio with regard to a variety of matters including, but not limited to, insurance coverage, personal injury, property damage, commercial & residential real estate sales and leasing, contracts, appellate briefing & oral argument, criminal defense (misdemeanor level), wills & trusts, probate & estate matters and defense of misdemeanor, DUI & traffic infractions. Dave has significant experience in representing clients involved in construction-related claims, motor vehicle accidents, and small business matters, and has consulted many clients about insurance coverage and tort liability issues.

Dave consults clients with regard to Medicare lien issues, Medicare Set-Aside arrangements and Medicare Secondary Payer Act claim reporting requirements, and is a Medicare Set-Aside Consultant Certified.

Recent Accomplishments:

  • Convinced a court of appeals that a city was immune from a multi-million property damage claim brought by a commercial property owner arising out of an urban renewal project.
  • Assisted a commercial property owner with various matters, including selling a shopping center, refinancing another shopping center, creating a master lease for another shopping center, and negotiating leases with tenants.
  • Secured favorable claim settlements for numerous clients.

Dave is also available to serve as an independent mediator.

Contact Information:
(440) 461-9000
dhenderson@dsf-law.com
Katie Foulds: kfoulds@dsf-law.com


Celeste M. Manway

Celeste was born and raised in Ohio.  She began working for our firm in 1987.  She is admitted to practice in Ohio, the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, the United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.  She received her law degree and B.A. (magna cum laude) from Cleveland State University, and is a member of the Defense Research Institute, Ohio State Bar Association, Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys, and Cleveland Association of Trial Attorneys.

Celeste is extremely knowledgeable about nursing home litigation, insurance related claims, and appellate litigation.  She was appointed to a national advisory counsel on nursing home litigation by an insurance client.  That experience afforded her the opportunity to lecture at a national panel counsel meeting on the topic of the use and effectiveness of Daubert challenges for limiting or prohibiting the admissibility of testimony of opposing expert witnesses.

Celeste's practice areas include civil litigation, insurance defense, personal injury and property damage, and personal bankruptcy.

 

Contact Information:
(440) 461-9000
cmanway@dsf-law.com
Tracey Shenkel: tshenkel@dsf-law.com


Kevin P. Roberts

Kevin is a lifelong Cleveland area resident. He received his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1993 and his undergraduate degree from John Carroll University. He is licensed to practice law in Ohio and is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association. Kevin is a litigator with extensive experience in motion practice and oral argument for personal and corporate clients, especially in contract disputes, personal injury, product liability and statutory consumer violations in state and federal courts.

Kevin's areas of practice are civil litigation, arbitration, employment law, workers' compensation, contracts, product liability, personal injury and consumer law. He represents clients in contract and commercial disputes and in property damage, personal injury, and wrongful death claims, especially those arising from general commercial liability, construction/contractor liability and personal and commercial motor vehicle accidents. Kevin has extensive experience filing and defending appeals, drafting appellate briefs and participating in oral arguments, and managing an extensive pleading and motion practice with an emphasis on drafting dispositive motions in state and federal courts.

Recent Results:

  • Obtained a $550,000.00 judgment for local business in a breach of contract matter before the AAA where he managed the client throughout the process and exceeded the client's expectations;
  • Recovered a judgment of approximately $200,000.00 in a private consumer-driven arbitration based on a $6,000.00 transaction; and
  • Defended several corporations in employee intentional tort actions and won court-dismissals on liability on the trial and appellate level.

Kevin is available to serve as a mediator.

Contact Information:
(440) 461-9000
kroberts@dsf-law.com
Tracey Shenkel: tshenkel@dsf-law.com

Our Staff

Annette Samber

(440) 461-9000
asamber@dsf-law.com


Tracey Shenkel

(440) 461-9000
tshenkel@dsf-law.com


Michelle Christopher

(440) 461-9000
mchristopher@dsf-law.com


Michelle Flaim

(440) 461-9000
mflaim@dsf-law.com


Katie Foulds

(440) 461-9000
kfoulds@dsf-law.com


Vicki O'Keefe

440-461-9000
vokeefe@dsf-law.com