Severni, William Justin

For over 20 years, John Hill has represented severely injured clients, in complex litigation. He believes such cases must be fought toughly and tirelessly, yet in a manner that still honors the client and the legal profession.

Practicing that way, John has received high ratings and acclaim from his peers. He has been Peer Review Rated AV (the highest rating) through Martindale-Hubbell's Peer Review Ratings System, found on www.martindale.com. Since 2005, he has been named an Ohio Super Lawyer every year, in Cincinnati Magazine's lists of the top 5% of attorneys in Ohio (www.superlawyers.com). For 2011, he was listed amongst Ohio's "Top 100 Lawyers" by Super Lawyers. John was also selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2008-2011 editions of "Best Lawyers in America," (www.bestlawyers.com), in three distinct areas of law: personal injury, commercial litigation and "bet the company" litigation. In 2010, he was named the Best Lawyers 2010 Lawyer of the Year in the area of "bet the company" litigation for the Akron, Ohio area.

John graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1987. He began his career at Gallagher, Sharp, a prominent insurance defense law firm in Cleveland. There, John was hired by insurance companies, defending people and businesses who were sued in personal injury cases. That defense experience has valuably assisted John's later work, representing seriously injured clients who must sue large insurers and businesses.

After 5 years in Cleveland, John joined Scanlon & Gearinger Co. LPA, in Akron. At that time, Scanlon & Gearinger was one of Ohio's largest and most prominent Plaintiff's personal injury firms. There, John represented hundreds of injured clients in motor vehicle and trucking accident cases; medical malpractice and wrongful death cases; product liability cases; and other negligence and fraud cases. He successfully tried and settled many medical malpractice cases, such as claims for failure to diagnose cancer, failure to diagnose pulmonary emboli, and failure to diagnose aortic dissection. He tried and won several surgical error cases. He represented numerous families in wrongful death cases, including a family who tragically lost a four year-old child, when a semi-tractor trailer collided with the family's car. He represented victims of brain and spinal cord injuries, caused by automobile collisions or medical errors. During this time, John's clients obtained verdicts or settlements totaling well over $20 million.

John became a partner at Scanlon & Gearinger and remained there for 14 years. While at the firm, John helped firm clients obtain two of the largest jury verdicts in Summit County history. In Boutsicaris v. Akron General Medical Center, John and Tim Scanlon represented a surgeon whose career was derailed after hospital administrators punished him for his complaints about quality of care issues. After a lengthy trial, the jury rendered a $5 million dollar verdict for the surgeon. Three years later, John was lead trial counsel in Adams v. Isquick. Mr. Adams was a nationally renowned restorer of classic and antique automobiles, whose business was decimated when an influential client slandered and sued him. Representing Adams on a counterclaim for defamation and business interference, John obtained a jury verdict for $2.9 million in Adams' favor.

In 2006, John and colleagues formed the law firm that is now Hill Hardman, LLC. At Hill Hardman, John brings a wide range of experience to representation of individuals and small businesses in motor vehicle, trucking, wrongful death, medical malpractice and other serious and complex claims.

Over the years, John has complemented his personal injury practice by representing clients in business and investment cases. This work has ranged from routine contract cases or shareholder disputes, to national class action litigation against Fortune 500-sized companies. John worked as a young associate on a national shareholders' class action brought against General Motors and Ross Perot, concerning GM's controversial purchase of Perot's stake in GM. John represented members of the Herbert Hoover family (heirs to the Hoover vacuum company fortune) in litigation over the theft of assets from a family trust. He has represented many individual investors whose retirement accounts were destroyed, due to fraud by unscrupulous stockbrokers or financial professionals.

John is also sought out by other attorneys and professionals who need aggressive yet principled representation. He has been honored to represent several of the region's largest and most respected law firms and medical practices, in litigation of all kinds.

This diverse combination of cases and experiences permits John to encounter clients and opponents from all backgrounds and economic status, from different areas of the country, and in different areas of the law. That is invaluable experience for a lawyer who fights for injured people, because it continues to remind that seriously injured people-regardless of status or economic means-must have access to the best legal representation. That is the mission of Hill Hardman, LLC.