Margaret M. Metzinger Photo

Margaret M. Metzinger

Partner

Overview

Maggie has more than 23 years of experience representing clients in a wide variety of matters including will contests, estate planning, probate administration, trust administration, mass torts and employment matters. 

Maggie has provided counsel and guidance to numerous clients at every stage, including couples who have recently married, young families and retirees. Maggie’s practice encompasses basic estate planning needs, wrongful death matters, will contests, estate administration, trust administration and obtaining guardianships for both minors and adults.

As of October 2023, Maggie is Chair of the firm’s Women’s Initiative, which prioritizes the recruitment, retention, promotion and mentoring of the firm’s female attorneys through leadership, training, networking and community involvement. In this role, she demonstrates her commitment to promoting successful careers for women in the legal field.

Practices

    • Successfully obtained a court order vacating an arbitration award in favor of an employee against her employer.
    • Successfully represented executor and settled a will contest action brought by disinherited heirs of the decendent.
    • Successfully defended the executor in a dispute amongst the heirs of a decendent’s estate.
    • Successfully represented trustee in multi-million dollar divorce matter where the wife ineffectively attacked the validity of the trust in an attempt to increase the value of the marital estate.
    • Successful trial and appellate work regarding a post-decree high-profile custody dispute where the court awarded sole custody to the father.
  • Education

    • Cleveland State University College of Law/CSU College of Law, J.D., 1995
    • Hiram College, B.A., 1987

    Admissions

    • State of Ohio
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit and Sixth Circuit
    • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, Western District of Pennsylvania, Arkansas
  • Professional Affiliations

    • Ohio State Bar Association—Member (1995-Present)
    • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association—Member (1996-Present)
    • Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division—Mediator (2015-Present)
    • The Ohio Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program (2013-Present)

    Community Involvement

    • Hospice of the Western Reserve Planned Giving Advisory Council—Member (2023)
    • The Diversity Center—Walk, Rock & Roll Executive Leadership Team (2020-Present)
    • Ho Mita Koda, a camp for children and young adults with Type 1 Diabetes—Fundraising and Pro Bono Volunteer (2007-Present)
    • Hartie Larlham Community Living—Board of Directors (2006-2018)
    • MDL Conference—Planning Committee (2012)
    • The Arc, Greater Cleveland—Planning Committee Member for 50th Anniversary Gala (2012)

    Firm Involvement

    • Chair, Women's Initiative Committee - Frantz Ward (2023)
    • Named to The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Trusts and Estates (2024)
    • Crain's Cleveland Business - Notable Women in Law (2024)
    • Named to the Ohio Super Lawyers list (2018-2024)
    • Recipient of the Trial Advocacy Award from Spangenberg, Schibley & Liber (1995)
    • “Prenuptial Agreements: Divorce Planning v. Estate Planning and the Pitfalls of Drafting for Second Marriages,” Center for Principled Family Advocacy (August 2021)
    • "When Closely Held Businesses Are Held Too Closely?" Association of Corporate Counsel, Cleveland, OH (August 2021)
    • "COVID-19's Impact on Estate Planning," Association of Corporate Counsel Webinar (October 2020) 
    • Maggie is a frequent panelist and speaker at various mass tort litigation conferences held throughout the country, including San Diego, CA; New York, NY; Chicago, IL; and Dallas, TX.