Wickens,
Herzer, Panza, Cook & Batista Co. has its beginning with
the founding of three law firms in Northern Ohio, all
with rich histories.
The law
firm that came to be Cook & Batista was founded in 1903
by G.A. Resek. The late Dan K. Cook joined the practice
of G.A. Resek in 1938 to form the law firm of Resek &
Cook. Mr. Resek passed away in 1946, and in 1962 Daniel
P. Batista joined the sole practice of Dan K. Cook to
form the law firm of Cook & Batista. Dan K. Cook's
father, Judge D.A. Cook, upon retirement from the bench
of Lorain County Common Pleas Court, became associated
with the Firm in the late fifties and early sixties.
Prior to becoming a Judge, D.A. Cook was sole
practitioner of his own law firm. Judge D.A. Cook passed
away in 1968. In 1968 Daniel A. Cook, son of Dan K. Cook
and grandson of Judge D.A. Cook, joined the law firm of
Cook & Batista.
The law
firm that came to be Wickens, Herzer & Panza was founded
in 1932 by William G. Wickens. Wickens operated his law
practice as a sole practitioner until the 1960's, when
his son, William E. Wickens, joined him. David L. Herzer
arrived in 1970 and practiced law with the father and
son Firm of Wickens & Wickens for six months. At that
time, William E. Wickens was chosen to be a legislative
assistant for Senator Taft in Washington, D.C. and the
Firm became Wickens & Herzer. In 1973, Richard Panza
joined the Firm, which then became Wickens, Herzer &
Panza.
On January
1, 2000, Wickens, Herzer & Panza merged with the law
firm of Cook & Batista; thus, Wickens, Herzer, Panza,
Cook & Batista Co. was established.
On January
1, 2007, Wickens, Herzer, Panza, Cook & Batista Co.
combined with a third law firm: Buckingham, Lucal &
McGookey. This firm was formed in 1984 through the
merger of two firms, Didelius, Holzapfel, Buckingham &
Waldock and Steinemann, Zeiher, Beamer & Schell. Co.,
L.P.A. Both of these firms had been in existence since
the 1940’s. In July of 2000, Buckingham, Holzapfel,
Zeiher, Waldock & Schell Co., L.P.A., combined with the
law firm of Lucal & McGookey, changing the name to
Buckingham, Lucal, McGookey & Zeiher, Co., L.P.A.
Wickens, Herzer, Panza, Cook & Batista Co. is currently
the largest law firm in the counties of Lorain and Erie.
One of
the reasons the Law Firm has grown is that we have
always tried to function as a team. As you are aware, we
are departmentalized due to the various fields of legal
expertise we offer. This structure helps improve the
quality of the product that we present to our clients as
well as facilitates managing our Firm; however, each
team member of each Department is a team member of the
Firm. Always keep in mind the community views us as a
whole, not as different Departments or individuals. The
effect of this view on each of us is that almost
everything we do on the job, and even occasionally off
the job, affects not only you and your Department but
also the entire Firm. This is one reason why we push so
hard for perfection in all our work. Everyone is
important to the success or failure of our Firm. We
improve ourselves through our failures and take pride in
our success and development.
