Artz and Dewhirst L.L.P. Attorneys at Law Columbus Ohio

Brian S. Artz

Scot E. Dewhirst

J. Steven Martin

Thomas J. Addesa

Terrence T. Wheeler

Frank Kremer Jr.

Brian S. Artz

Brian S. Artz entered into private practice in 1980 and in 1988 co-founded the present day law firm of five attorneys in which he is a partner. He is a 1977 graduate of Ohio State University with a B.A. degree in Psychology. He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Dayton School of Law in 1980. Mr. Artz began his practice in a small law firm in Urbana, Ohio, working primarily in the areas of residential and commercial real estate, mortgage loan lending, estate planning and business representation. Upon moving to Columbus, he became affiliated with John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company and the Columbus City Attorney's Office, Prosecutor Division.

Among other affiliations, he currently serves on the legal advisory committee of The Columbus Foundation and has served on the board of trustees of the German Village Society, and is a member of the Columbus and Ohio State Bar Association. Mr. Artz works with a network of other professionals in the establishment of the new businesses and legal issues involving the management and operation of existing businesses for profit, as well as non-profit corporations and entities. Further Mr. Artz, works extensively in the area of estate planning, addressing personal and financial needs that arise during life and at death.

Additionally, Mr. Artz has an extensive background in real estate matters, involving the purchase and sale of residential and commercial real property, zoning and development of real property, and the leasing and rental of real estate for individuals and businesses. More recently, Mr. Artz has developed an interest in the conversion of multiple family properties into condominiums, and has been involved in the establishment of a number of different projects in the central Ohio area.

Areas of Practice Include:
Decedent's Estates, Guardianships, Step Parent Adoptions and Other Probate Court Related Matters.

Personal and Estate Planning, including Wills, Revocable and Irrevocable Living Trusts, General Durable Powers of Attorney, Health Care Directives including Medical Powers of Attorney and Living Will Declarations.

Business Formation and Legal Matters Relating to Establishment, Operation and Management of Businesses, including partnerships, limited liability companies, corporations for profit, as well as non-profit organizations.

Purchase and Leasing of Residential/Commercial Real Estate, Zoning Matters and Real Estate Development Issues, including the creation of fee simple dwelling units and the conversion of multiple family units to condominiums.

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Scot E. Dewhirst

Scot E. Dewhirst is a 1988 co-founder and partner in the law firm of Artz & Dewhirst, L.L.P. Additionally, he currently serves as Co-Director of the Center for Dispute Resolution at Capital University Law School where he is also Adjunct Professor of Law teaching courses in mediation, negotiation and dispute resolution. He is a 1974 graduate of the Ohio State University with a B.A. degree in International Relations. He received his Juris Doctorate from Capital University Law School in 1978.

Mr. Dewhirst was appointed by the Columbus mayor to the German Village Historic Preservation Commission in 1988. He completed 4 terms of service until 2000 when he was appointed to the Board of Commission Appeals (2000-2003) for the City of Columbus where he served as the Chair of the Commission. Mr. Dewhirst has conducted historic preservation training programs in the legal issues of architectural and zoning review, and he developed and conducted the mediation training mandated by the historic preservation ordinances of the City of Columbus.

Mr. Dewhirst has developed mediation projects in both Jamaica and Nicaragua and regularly conducts training programs throughout North America. He is approved and trained as a mediator and arbitrator in the Dalkon Shield Arbitration Program. He regularly serves as a private mediator, arbitrator and hearing officer in a wide variety of disputes. In 1996 the Columbus Community Relation Commission asked him to serve as hearing officer and issue a formal opinion in the first challenge to the city's new employment discrimination ordinance.

Previously, he was a Senior Assistant City Attorney and Executive Assistant to the Columbus City Attorney acting as the Claims Manager for the City of Columbus and attorney for the Columbus Development Department. In his position as Development Department attorney, he was legal counsel for the Columbus Development Commission, the Board of Zoning Adjustment, the Building Commission, the Graphics Commission, the Historic Resources Commission as well as 18 other neighborhood and historic review commissions. From 1979 until 1986 he was the Assistant City Attorney in the Prosecutor's Division where he directed both the criminal Intake Division and the Columbus Night Prosecutor Mediation Program.

Areas of Practice Include:
Criminal Defense, Traffic/Operating a Vehicle under the Influence (OVI), Zoning/Building/Housing, Business Representation, Mediation/Arbitration, Personal Injury, Historic Preservation Issues and Estate Planning - Wills/Powers of Attorney

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J. Steven Martin

J. Steven Martin is a 1971 graduate of Capital University with a B.A. degree. He received his M.S. degree from Xavier University in 1980. He received his Juris Doctorate in 1983 from Capital University Law School. He began his legal career in 1983 as counsel to the Director of Development of the State of Ohio. In 1985, he entered the private practice of law and served several years as special counsel to the Ohio Attorney General representing the Ohio Department of Development, the Ohio Police and Firemen's Disability and Pension Fund, and the Ohio Superintendent of Insurance. He volunteers his time and counsel to Greater Columbus Habitat for Humanity.

Areas of Practice Include:
Bankruptcy; Business Litigation; Landlord Tenant Law; Creditor's Rights, Foreclosure; Construction Law; Real Estate, Residential and Commercial

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Thomas J. Addesa

Thomas J. Addesa is a 1981 graduate of the University of Scranton with a B.S. in Public Administration. He received his Juris Doctorate from Capital University Law School in 1985 and was hired as Assistant Prosecutor for the City of Columbus, Ohio the same year. In 1990 he was appointed Assistant City Attorney in the Civil Litigation Section for the Columbus City Attorney's Office. A majority of Mr. Addesa's practice since 1998 has been in the area of domestic and family law. Mr Addesa's 16 years of litigation experience allow him to zealously advocate and protect his clients' rights.

Mr. Addesa is also an approved Adjunct Professor at Capital University Law School, located at 303 E. Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio. He periodically teaches the Mediation Clinic course at the Law School. The Clinic has offered students practical, real life court-based resolution since 1983. Tom has provided the Ohio Governor's Commission on Dispute Resolution his time and expertise and he is on the Franklin County Domestic and Juvenile Court approved list of mediators.

Mr. Addesa's primary focus with Artz & Dewhirst, L.L.P. is in litigating Family Law matters.

Areas of Practice Include:
Divorce, Dissolution; Child Custody; Mediation and Arbitration; Criminal, Traffic and OMVI; Civil Litigation; Post Decree Domestic Issues

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Terrence T. Wheeler

Terrence T. Wheeler is a 1982 graduate of The Ohio State University with a B.A. in Journalism, and he received his Juris Doctorate from OSU in 1985. Currently, Mr. Wheeler serves as the co-director of the Center for Dispute Resolution at Capital University Law School where he is also an Adjunct Professor of Law. He has extensive dispute resolution experience as a mediator, facilitator, trainer, and program design consultant in many settings including business, schools, courts, and government agencies. He is also past President of the Board of Directors for the Association for Conflict Resolution, the nation's largest dispute resolution membership organization. He continues to remain active with ACR by serving on several committees including the Unauthorized Practice of Law and Joint Committee on Model Standards of Conduct for mediators.

Areas of Practice Include:
Employment including matters related to unemployment compensation, non-competition agreements, termination, severance agreements, sexual harassment, racial discrimination, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Family Medical Leave Act.

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Frank Kremer Jr.

Frank Kremer Jr. is a 2006 graduate of Capital University Law School, and he was admitted to the bar in November 2006. At Capital Law School he was on the Dean's List and was a recipient of the CALI Award. He has worked as a law clerk for the Franklin County Public Defender's Office, Cincinnati Insurance Company, and Franklin County Municipal Judge Teresa L. Liston. Frank received his B.A. in Business Administration in 2002 from Mount Union College with a double major in International Business & Economics and Spanish.

Areas of Practice Include:
Litigation, Criminal, Traffic and OVI, Business Representation

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