Celebrating 25 Years of Frantz Ward
This year marks a major milestone as Frantz Ward celebrates 25 years of legal excellence, client service, and community impact.
Founded in 2000 from a shared vision of high-quality client service, a caring team, and a mission to help the community, Frantz Ward has grown from a firm started by 14 partners to a nationally recognized law firm.
A Quarter-Century of Excellence
The firm represents a broad range of clients from Fortune 500 organizations and medium-sized companies to small businesses, start-ups, and individuals. Through our practice in jurisdictions across the country and our membership with ALFA International, a global network of law firms, we have been able to serve our clients’ needs not only in Cleveland but across the world.
Frantz Ward has consistently been recognized for our commitment to excellence, earning accolades such as:
- Inclusion on the Best Law Firms® list by The Best Lawyers in America® since 2010.
- Being honored as one of the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Top Workplaces since 2016.
- Achieving ranking as one of Crain’s Best Places to Work in Ohio since 2024.
- Top rankings in Chambers USA, including nationwide rankings for Cannabis Law as well as state-level rankings for Construction, Healthcare, Labor & Employment, Litigation, and Real Estate.
We have remained committed to growth and improvement for not only our firm as a whole but for each of our attorneys. Many of our lawyers have been named to the Chambers, Legal 500, Best Lawyers, and Super Lawyers rosters and have achieved distinctions on prestigious lists such as Crain’s Notable Litigators and Trial Attorneys and Crain’s Power 150 Spotlight.
Great Lawyers, Better People
We embrace a culture where people support and care about one another, celebrate achievements, and take time for family and community. Frantz Ward is proud to be a workplace that builds careers—38 employees have been with the firm since its inception, and the average employee tenure at Frantz Ward is a whopping 14 and a half years. We’re more than a workplace; we’re a community.
Over the past 25 years, we have prioritized wellness, diversity, and professional development, highlighted by our participation and certification as a Midsize Mansfield Rule Participating Law Firm since 2023, and initiatives such as:
- A robust formal mentoring program
- Third-party DEI training and active affinity groups like the Women’s Initiative and the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee
- Family-friendly firm events and team-building opportunities
- World-class business development support
- The FDCC Ladder Down Program, focused on training women lawyers
- BVU’s Board Matching Program, which prepares professionals for nonprofit board positions
Insight-Driven Industry Leadership
Frantz Ward continues to shape thought leadership across key sectors with articles in publications such as Cannabis Business Times and Properties Magazine. We are proud to boast a robust online newsroom, featuring our Labor & Employment Law Navigator Blog, the Construction On the Level Blog, the Cannabis Law Blog, as well as various updates on legal insights, case wins, and attorney involvement and accomplishments.
Our attorneys are committed to not only staying informed about the most recent updates and nuances in the legal industry but also passing that knowledge along to peers and clients alike through presentations and publications. Our team has presented at regional, national, and international professional events and host continuing legal education events—including the firm’s flagship Labor & Employment and Construction Seminars.
Giving Back and Staying Grounded
From the beginning, community engagement has been a core value for the firm, and we are proud to have deep ties in our community through pro bono work, volunteering, charitable giving, various board seats, sponsorships, and more.
Frantz Ward supports over 200 nonprofit organizations annually, such as the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, the West Side Catholic Center, and Saint Martin de Porres High School. For the firm’s 20th anniversary, Frantz Ward donated $40,000 to local nonprofits through its “20 for 20” program.
We understand our responsibility to give back to our community in whatever ways we can, and we are dedicated to continuing this spirit of service for the next 25 years and beyond.
Here’s to the Next 25 Years
From its humble beginnings in 2000 to the dynamic, people-first powerhouse it is today, Frantz Ward remains grounded in its mission of collaboration, innovation, and care.
To all who have helped shape these first 25 years—colleagues, clients, community partners, and friends—thank you. We can’t wait to see what we’ll build together next.
