The Law Office of S.G.Neiss, ltd.
licensed in Ohio and Florida (inactive in FL)
Just and Effective Counseling & Advocacy
Helping select clients to efficiently
and effectively protect their interests
A Client-Centered Dispute Resolution Philosophy
Successful people want to focus on their lives and businesses without worrying about legal complications. A qualified advocate knows how to effectively litigate a case but, understanding the cost and disruption this decision can bring to a client, should look first to avoid disputes through thoughtful, custom-tailored risk mitigation strategies, including careful contracting and, if that fails, then through creatively and tenaciously resolving issues as they arise, but before they metastasize. Ideally, litigation becomes the necessary solution only when a counter-party refuses to be reasonable and insists on conflict as a precondition for justice. When this happens, a true advocate will zealously fight until the case is favorably, or acceptably, resolved for his or her client.
Rather than seeing the client primarily as a potential revenue source in the business of law, client-centered dispute resolution sees each client as an individual, with a potential set of legal issues or potential risks to be appropriately addressed and resolved based on the client’s individual circumstances and needs. Often times this can be as simple as an honest assessment of risk and some basic mitigation strategies, or a straightforward contract to close a transaction. Sometimes complex advocacy is necessary and even becomes litigious.
When deciding on a law firm to advise a prospective client on basic and complex commercial matters (including estate planning and asset protection for close corporations), consider that firm’s ethos and pick one committed to identifying and resolving legal issues efficiently, without undue legal involvement, unless unavoidable. Then, find an advocate with a strong track record of success in civil litigation.
Advocacy Services
Litigation Advocacy
Attorney Neiss has served as lead counsel in routine and complex litigation claims, including wrongful death and complex commercial fraud. Attorney Neiss further has extensive experience prosecuting and defending emergency hearings for injunctive relief, including for domestic and commercial claims. Throughout his career, Attorney Neiss has represented both borrowers and lenders in commercial and consumer lending claims, including complex financial fraud, foreclosures, evictions, commercial collections, and has successfully negotiated commercial and consumer loan work outs, including securing millions in debt relief for individuals and small businesses without resorting to bankruptcy. Attorney Neiss has appeared in municipal, county, state appellate and federal district courts, as well as municipal zoning boards, boards of revision, and state licensing agencies, where he has a documented history of success in civil litigation, obtaining positive verdicts in over 90% of trials and final evidentiary hearings.
Note – Past success is no guarantee of future success and hiring an attorney is an important decision that should not be made solely based on advertisements. Prospective clients are encouraged to contact their local bar associations and/or speak to several attorneys before making a hiring decision.
Commercial Counseling & Advocacy
Throughout his business career, attorney Neiss has provided commercial counsel and advocacy for small business creation, operations and sales, including estate planning and asset protection for close corporations. Attorney Neiss has drafted all entity formation and operating documents / agreements for limited liability companies, limited and general partnerships and close corporations across multiple industries, including commercial real estate, as well as all transactional documents necessary for related asset acquisition, finance, management and disposition. Finally, attorney Neiss has negotiated agency agreements, subcontract agreements, master service agreements, employments contracts, termination agreements, and confidentiality / non-disclosure agreements on behalf of public and private sector institutions, including non-profit associations. Throughout this time, attorney Neiss has followed a guiding principle to close transactions efficiently, without exposing clients to undue legal risk, or future legal complications.
Background
Starting as a teenager, attorney Neiss began as an Asset Manager and then became a Vice President in the Gilbert Investment Co., a family-owned commercial real estate company in Columbus, Ohio, gaining years of experience in valuation methodologies, commercial acquisition, including due diligence analysis, redevelopment and asset management, including commercial leasing and collections. After graduating from law school in 2006, Mr. Neiss associated with attorney Michael J. O’Reilly, in Pickerington, Ohio and worked in small to mid-size business counseling, commercial and residential real estate transactions, land use, and civil litigation largely relating to real property.
After moving to Cleveland in spring 2008, attorney Neiss founded the Law Office of Shadrach G. Neiss, ltd., where he developed a general practice with a focus on real estate and civil litigation, which increasingly centered on real estate finance following the economic crash of that year. In 2011, while keeping the law office active, attorney Neiss associated with the firm of Chernett Wasserman (2011 – 2012), working primarily in commercial litigation and small business counseling.
In spring 2013, the Ohio practice expanded to include a second office in Key West, Florida. While maintaining this practice, attorney Neiss served as General Counsel and Executive Director, Human Resources at the Florida Keys Community College (2014 – 2015), where he supervised the HR department, administered employment contracts and benefits, drafted service and sale agreements, and served as a Title IX administrative hearing officer, hearing civil rights claims, interviewing witnesses, and adjudicating controversies with detailed legal opinions. Attorney Neiss was further certified by the Florida Supreme Court to receive judicial referrals as a private trial judge / arbitrator in 2019. In this year he also began serving as Project Attorney for the Injunction for Protection Project of Monroe County, Florida (2019-2021), where he independently revived and administered a free legal clinic (funded by a federal VOCA grant) assisting over 160 survivors (and their dependents) of domestic violence, sexual violence, dating violence and stalking, to obtain civil protection orders and other support services.
The law offices in Florida and Ohio closed in 2022, as attorney Neiss moved to New England to manage assets for his close, family corporation. Soon after arriving, he served in-house as General Counsel and Commercial Director at BEST Energy Services, Inc. (2022-2023), drafting employment contracts and domestic and international energy service contracts, before reopening the Law Office in 2023 for select commercial clients. Throughout his career, attorney Neiss has provided effective and efficient legal services to individuals, families, small to mid-size businesses, and public and private institutions. The practice is currently based out of central Massachusetts.
When not counseling clients, attorney Neiss reads, writes, plays music and designs and hand-makes 2.1/2.2 and 5.1/5.2 channel loudspeaker systems that are custom, high-fidelity works of art.
Education
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law – Columbus, Ohio
J.D. Doctor of Jurisprudence, 2006
– Selected as a Judicial Extern for the Hon. John E. Hoffman, Jr. at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio (2006)
– Received CALI awards for Jurisprudence and Legal History (2005)
Sarah Lawrence College – Bronxville, New York
B.A. Philosophy and Religion, 1999
– Completed degree with a 12-credit, 160 page thesis
Professional Affiliations
Admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of Ohio 2008
Admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio 2010
Admitted to the Florida Bar 2011 (Currently Inactive in FL)
Member of the Florida State Bar Association (inactive) and the
Cleveland Metro Bar Association
