February 22, 2024
Do Lawyers Have Lawyers? What Should I Do If a Bar Complaint Is Filed
Attorney and Partner
David L. Dingwell
Areas of Practice
- Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, and Probate Administration
- Estate, Trust, and Probate Litigation
- Attorney / Law Firm Professional Conduct Advisory and Risk Management
Attorney Bio
David L. Dingwell is a partner with our firm and serves as its Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel. Mr. Dingwell has been in practice since 1992.
Mr. Dingwell’s practice is focused on estate and trust planning, probate and trust administration, and estate and trust litigation matters. Based upon his experience in assisting clients, Probate Courts in Northeast Ohio, as well as fellow attorneys, have appointed Mr. Dingwell to assist with investigating and administering complex, high-conflict estates, trusts, and guardianships. Plakas Mannos is able to draw upon that experience and knowledge to assist clients with understanding challenges and obstacles that often times present themselves. Regardless of the size of a family’s estate, planning with a strategy to avoid and minimize conflict and confusion requires foresight.
In addition to his estate planning and administration practice, Mr. Dingwell also works with attorneys, law firms, and judicial officials with legal / judicial ethics issues, risk management, advisory opinions, and expert witness services. Having served as a Commissioner of the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct for nearly a decade, including two years as its Chairman, Mr. Dingwell has participated in dozens of legal and judicial disciplinary proceedings. Prior to his service on the Board of Professional Conduct, he served as a member of Stark County’s Certified Grievance Committee, including two years as its Chairman. His experience with legal ethics spans over two decades. Based upon that expertise, Mr. Dingwell has advised law firms, attorneys, and judicial officials throughout Northeast Ohio with regard to various ethics matters.
Recognition & Awards
- Super Lawyers Listing
- 2005 – 2007 – Ohio Rising Stars
- 2009 – 2024 – Ohio Super Lawyers
- Super Lawyers Top Lists
- Top 100:
- 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2021 - Ohio Super Lawyers
- Top 50: Cleveland Super Lawyers
- 2018, 2020, and 2021 – Cleveland Super Lawyers
- Top 100:
- Best Lawyers Listing
- 2007 – 2024
- Commercial Litigation
- Employment Law – Individuals/Management
- Insurance Law
- Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Litigation - Trust and Estates
- Trusts and Estates
- 2007 – 2024
- Best Lawyers – Lawyer of the Year Awards - Akron
- 2013, 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2023 – Employment Law Individuals
- 2014 – Employment Law – Management
- 2016, 2018, and 2021 – Litigation – Labor and Employment
- 2024 – Trust and Estates
Admissions & Education
Mr. Dingwell is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, and all Ohio Courts.
Mr. Dingwell received his law degree from the University of Akron School of Law summa cum laude, where he was a staff member of the Akron Law Review. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts.
Professional Associations
- Commissioner for the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Board of Professional Conduct: 2012-2020
- Chairman 2017 – 2018
- Ohio Bar Association
- Stark County Bar Association
- President 2012-2013
- Chairman of Certified Grievance Committee 2006 – 2008
- Ohio Association for Justice
- Stark County Association for Justice
As a member of the grievance committee, Mr. Dingwell has served as counsel for the Stark County Bar Association in disciplinary proceedings before the Ohio Supreme Court’s Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline.
Mr. Dingwell has authored and presented lectures to the State and Regional Seminars of the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Stark County Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Stark County Bar Association, the Area Agency on Aging, and other organizations.
Community Involvement
- President of the Board of Directors of Patina Arts Centre, Inc. 2022 – 2023
- Arts in Stark, Member, Board of Directors 2011 – 2015
- Habitat for Humanity of Tuscarawas Valley, President 2005-2006
- Friends of the Homeless of Tuscarawas County, Treasurer 2006-2008
News Articles Written By David L. Dingwell
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