Lawyer George Wertz leaves South Main Street partnership to become probate magistrate
Published on Friday, Aug 06, 2010
By Katie Byard, Beacon Journal business writer
Ten-year-old downtown Akron law firm Bernlohr Wertz LLP has changed its name to reflect the retirement of partner George Wertz, who will become chief magistrate in Summit County Probate Court.
The firm's new name — effective July 1 — is Bernlohr, Niekamp & Weisensell LLP.
Wertz will take over for Larry Poulos, who is retiring as the probate court's magistrate Dec. 1, said court administrator Joe Masich.
Wertz's court salary has not been determined. Poulos' annual pay is about $108,000.
''This is a great opportunity for George to serve the courts,'' firm partner Mark Bernlohr said in a prepared statement.
The law firm — which has clients in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida — has grown from three to 11 attorneys over the past 10 years.
The firm, in the Nantucket Building at 23 S. Main St., has four partners.
They are: Bernlohr, a West Akron resident and graduate of Capital University Law School; Steve Mutersbaugh, of Copley Township and a graduate of the University of Akron School of Law; Christopher Niekamp (managing partner), a resident of West Akron and a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and John Weisensell, a graduate of Cleveland State University Marshall College of Law.
The firm also employs four paralegals, two law clerks and a bookkeeper.
