Judge Joseph E. Cirigliano Elected To New Position


Avon, OH, June 3, 2008 – Wickens, Herzer, Panza, Cook & Batista Co., today announced that the honorable Judge Joseph E. Cirigliano, retired Court of Appeals and Court of Common Pleas judge and mediator, and Vice President, Business Development for the law firm has been elected to the Board of Governors of the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA).

Judge Cirigliano has been elected to serve a three-year term as the District 10 representative on OSBA. District 10 includes 981 attorneys who reside or practice in Ashland, Erie, Holmes, Lorain, Medina, Richland, Huron and Wayne counties. The 21-member Board of Governors meets monthly to manage the association's business affairs, set policy, review pending legislation and conduct other business on behalf of the 25,000 Ohio lawyers who are OSBA members.

“We are so pleased that Judge Cirigliano has been elected to serve as the representative of nearly 1,000 attorneys in Northern Ohio,” said David L. Herzer, President and CEO of Wickens, Herzer, Panza, Cook & Batista Co. “His experience in and dedication to serving the people of Ohio are unparalleled, and I can think of no greater legal professional better suited to do the same for lawyers in this region. Judge Cirigliano is a superior choice for OSBA’s Board of Governors.”

Judge Cirigliano joined Wickens, Herzer, Panza, Cook & Batista Co. in 2005, and brings 55 years of legal experience to the firm. Prior to joining the firm, Judge Cirigliano served as an appointed visiting Common Pleas Court Judge from 1991-2004, throughout Ohio. Judge Cirigliano served as an Appellate Judge, Ninth District Court of Appeals from 1989-1991, and as a Common Pleas Judge, Lorain County, Ohio, from 1981-1989. He was in private practice from 1952-1981, and during that time, acted as a Councilman for the city of Elyria, Ohio, from 1954-1958. The Judge was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1952.

Judge Cirigliano is also active within the legal community, having served with the National Judicial College and National Conference of the Judiciary on the Rights of Victims. He also acted as Law Director, North Ridgeville, Ohio, and Contributor, Ohio Judges Resource Manual.

He has also held positions on the Ohio Judicial College Board of Trustees, Ohio Civil Service Commission, and Lorain County Community College Board of Trustees, and was an Adjunct instructor in Commercial Law at Lorain County Community College. He received his BA from Baldwin Wallace Collage and his LLB from Western Reserve University.

Wickens, Herzer, Panza, Cook & Batista Co. specializes in Corporations; Limited Liability Companies and Partnerships; Business, Tax & Succession Planning; Pension, Profit Sharing, 401(k) & Employee Benefits; Commercial & Industrial Real Estate; Civil Litigation; Labor & Employment Relations; Workers' Compensation; Estate Planning & Probate; Domestic Relations & Family Law; and Personal Injury. The firm has offices in Avon, OH and Sandusky, OH.