Attorney
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Ohio Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Clair E. Dickinson Of Counsel
Contact Information

- Area of Focus
- Industry
- Bar Admissions
Ohio Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Biography
Clair, who served a total of twelve years as a Judge on the Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals, is a member of our appellate and litigation practice groups. He is one of very few people who has both argued cases before the Ohio Supreme Court and, while an appellate judge, served as a visiting Justice on that Court. During his time as a Judge, he participated in deciding over 4000 cases and wrote the lead opinion in approximately a third of those cases. He is co-author with Judge Richard Markus of Ohio Trial Practice, a resource used by many Ohio trial lawyers.
During law school, Clair was Editor-in-Chief of the Cleveland State Law Review, and he began his career as a law clerk for The Honorable Leroy J. Contie Jr., United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio. He first joined the firm in 1983 and rejoined the firm in 2013 after his time on the bench. Clair was formerly Firm Counsel at Brouse McDowell and, at different times, Chair of the firm’s Appellate and Litigation Practice Groups. In addition to his appellate and litigation practice, he is available to serve as an arbitrator or mediator.
Clair is a former member of the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure, the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on the Rules of Superintendence, and the Board of Editors of Ohio Lawyer, a publication of the Ohio State Bar Association. He has served over ten years as a member of Summit County Council and previously was president of that body.
- Biography
Clair, who served a total of twelve years as a Judge on the Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals, is a member of our appellate and litigation practice groups. He is one of very few people who has both argued cases before the Ohio Supreme Court and, while an appellate judge, served as a visiting Justice on that Court. During his time as a Judge, he participated in deciding over 4000 cases and wrote the lead opinion in approximately a third of those cases. He is co-author with Judge Richard Markus of Ohio Trial Practice, a resource used by many Ohio trial lawyers.
During law school, Clair was Editor-in-Chief of the Cleveland State Law Review, and he began his career as a law clerk for The Honorable Leroy J. Contie Jr., United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio. He first joined the firm in 1983 and rejoined the firm in 2013 after his time on the bench. Clair was formerly Firm Counsel at Brouse McDowell and, at different times, Chair of the firm’s Appellate and Litigation Practice Groups. In addition to his appellate and litigation practice, he is available to serve as an arbitrator or mediator.
Clair is a former member of the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure, the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on the Rules of Superintendence, and the Board of Editors of Ohio Lawyer, a publication of the Ohio State Bar Association. He has served over ten years as a member of Summit County Council and previously was president of that body.
- Professional & Civic Activities
- Charles F. Scanlon Inn of Court, Counselor
- Leadership Akron (Class of 1989), Alumni Association Member
- Akron Bar Association, Member
- American Bar Association, Member
- Ohio State Bar Association, Member
- Downtown Akron Partnership, Executive Committee, Member
- Ohio United Way, Former Board Member and Chair
- Ohio Judicial College, Continuing Legal Education, Instructor
- Akron Bar Association, Continuing Legal Education, Instructor
- Franklin County Bar Association, Continuing Legal Education, Instructor
- Lorain County Bar Association, Continuing Legal Education, Instructor
- Cleveland Christian Home, Former Board Member
- Western Reserve Legal Services Corporation, Former Board Member
- Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Board of Visitors, Former Member
- Summit County Social Services Advisory Board, Former Member
- Akron Regional Development Board, Tax and Legislation Committee, Former Member
- Summit County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, Former Member
- Summit County Charter Review Commission, Former Member and Chair
- Articles & Presentations
- "World Harvest Less Than it May Appear?" Co-Author Amanda Parker, Your Coverage Advisor Vol XIII (Fall 2016)
- "If This Trailer's Rockin Don't Come Knockin" or "Why Judge Painter is Wrong about Putting Citations in Footnotes," Akron Bar Examiner (March 2009)
- "The Effect of Settlements upon Settlements," (co-author with Paul A. Rose), The Insurance Coverage Law Bulletin (April 2006)
- "Personal Injury Litigation in Ohio," Chapter 31 (Post-Judgment Motions) (1984)
- "Federal Courts, Injunctions, Declaratory Judgments and State Law: The Supreme Court Has Finally Fashioned a Workable 'Abstention Doctrine,'" 25 Cleve. St. L. Rev.75 (1976)
- Distinctions
- News
August 17, 2023The Best Lawyers in America 2024 Recognizes 24 Brouse Attorneys in 28 Practice Areas and 3 Attorneys as "Ones to Watch"
August 18, 2022The Best Lawyers in America 2023 Recognizes 27 Brouse Attorneys in 32 Practice Areas and 5 Attorneys as "Ones to Watch"
August 19, 2021The Best Lawyers in America 2022 Recognizes 28 Brouse Attorneys in 32 Practice Areas and 6 Attorneys as "Ones to Watch"
August 20, 2020The Best Lawyers in America 2021 Recognizes 28 Brouse Attorneys in 33 Practice Areas and 4 Attorneys as "Ones to Watch"
August 15, 2019Twenty-eight Brouse McDowell Attorneys Recognized in 33 Practice Areas to The Best Lawyers in America© 2020
August 15, 201825 Brouse McDowell Attorneys Recognized in 19 Practice Areas to The Best Lawyers in America© 2019
August 15, 201723 Brouse McDowell Attorneys named to The Best Lawyers in America© 2018
August 25, 2014Brouse McDowell Attorneys named to The Best Lawyers in America© 2015
- Newsletters