John Paul Rieser

Hello!  Thanks for taking the time to check out my profile to see if I’m the lawyer you’re looking for.

Searching for a lawyer on-line can be frustrating, time-consuming and confusing. There are many good ones, but most profiles look pretty much the same.  Many ads and listings use the same fuzzy legalese, or simply say “I care! I can help you!”  And while you probably do want to know where an attorney went to law school, or what honors or awards she has, etc., in the end, all you really care about is one thing: finding that experienced lawyer who is the right one to help you with your specific legal matter, effectively and at a reasonable, agreed-upon fee.  So if you, your business, a family member, or a friend needs an experienced, effective, and client-focused lawyer for a matter in one or more of my practice areas, (or maybe you’re not even sure which practice area your matter falls into), below is a brief introduction to my background and legal experience, my approach to legal matters, and how I work with clients to represent them and solve their legal problems, and a brief outline of fees, to help you decide if I’m the lawyer you’re looking for.  If you like what you see, the next step is to meet so you can decide for sure. Simply call my office directly at the number above, or you can also visit my website (, or click on the link on this page) where you can learn in more detail about me, my firm, the kinds of legal matters we handle, and where you can also fill out an inquiry form to set up your  appointment.  Either way, at that initial meeting,  I’ll review your specific legal matter, answer any questions you have, and give you clear, understandable (in English, not legalese) explanations, as well as a concrete roadmap as to how I propose to analyze, solve or handle your specific problem or situation.  You can then decide for yourself if you want to entrust your legal matter to me and let me put my and my firm’s approach, experience and effective lawyering to work for you.

Briefly, I have practiced law continuously in the greater Dayton, Ohio area and throughout South and Central Ohio for over 25 years.  From a satellite office in West Palm Beach, since 2000 I have also served many South Florida clients and what I call "orange Buckeyes" (Ohioans who have relocated there or who have homes or businesses in both states).  I and my firm have helped literally hundreds of past and present clients devise, plan, draft, negotiate, implement, litigate and resolve or otherwise handle their on-going personal, family and business legal matters – including many, many very difficult legal problems, transactions, contentious or break-the-bank lawsuits in virtually all courts, including matters such as simple and complex wills, estates, trusts and asset protection plans, and a wide variety of other critical situations, whether personal, family, or business related.  I do not practice in criminal law or many other specialized administrative matters such as social security, but I and my firm’s range of experience and knowledge is broad and deep, so if you don’t see your specific ‘legal category” (often made up or defined vaguely by non-lawyers in on-line listings), just visit our website or call to check.  If we can’t handle your matter, because of a conflict or because it’s in an area we don’t work in, we’ll give you some solid leads of other attorneys or other resources through the bar association to aid you in your search for the right lawyer for you).

Many of our clients, after working with us and seeing first-hand what we accomplished for them, send their friends and associates to us for help.  In fact, many, many of our fellow attorneys also refer their own clients, family and friends to me, often sending me their most difficult or seemingly hopeless cases or matters – and sometimes even asking me to represent them in their own matters.  Why?  Because they know how much I care and how hard I work to figure out the best way to handle a problem and then to get it done right.  And because they also know and appreciate that I charge a fair, agreed-upon reasonable fee that matches the matter and work involved.  Most importantly, as good lawyers themselves, they know first-hand what a huge difference having an experienced, smart and client-focused lawyer makes – in the result for the client and in the fee charged.  And because legal fees can often seem mysterious and needlessly expensive, I and my firm strive consciously to constantly seek to add value for our clients in how we work, what we hope to obtain from a given action compared to cost and the matter at stake, to work smarter, not harder, all in an effort to keep fees to a minimum, and to provide understandable and fair fees tailored to the case or matter.  For routine or predictable and well-defined matters, such as wills, trusts, or business formations, we offer fixed fees so you know going in what you will pay.  But even where a matter is open-ended or uncertain – such as complex business litigation, or a will contest, or a lawsuit brought by an aggressive bank trying  to put your business out of business and you out of your house, -- matters where we can’t provide a fixed flat fee, we offer hourly, blended-hourly or other tailored fee arrangements, (including contingency or blended contingency fee options in appropriate plaintiff cases).  In all non-fixed fee cases, at a minimum we always provide a good faith fee estimate range, and timely client contact if the underlying case assumptions morph into something else – so there are as few surprises as possible.  In every case, we make sure our clients understand and agree with the fee arrangement up front, and if the case changes, before we exceed the fee.

If this approach and how I work for my clients sounds like what you are looking for in a lawyer, contact me to see how I would handle your specific legal problem. Learn for yourself what a difference it makes to have as your legal counsel an experienced lawyer and law firm.  An attorney that not only cares about you and your legal matter, but that also has the combination of skill, experience, and client/matter focus needed to get it done right and to handle your matter expeditiously, effectively, and at a reasonable, fair, and agreed-upon fee.