Robert M. Gippin

Bob is a partner at Roderick Linton Belfance, LLP. He is a former Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Summit County, Ohio. Prior to going on the bench, Bob practiced law for over 30 years. His practice has involved complex civil litigation in state and federal courts in Ohio and throughout the country. While most of his cases have involved business issues, he has also often been involved in challenging constitutional, real estate, regulatory and intellectual property matters. His clients have included individuals, businesses, governmental units and officials, not-for-profit entities and a bankruptcy trustee of two large businesses, as both plaintiffs and defendants.

Bob has been involved in over sixty reported decisions of trial and appellate courts. He has tried over fifty cases to juries and presided over many others as a trial judge, including both civil and criminal matters. He has decided a number of very significant business matters. Bob has been active in legal professional organizations, particularly the Akron Bar Association. He has successfully prosecuted very complex legal proceedings to discipline attorneys who committed ethical violations. He is committed to alternative dispute resolution, as a cost-efficient method of resolving business issues, in particular. He has chaired the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the Akron Bar Association and is an arbitrator and mediator for the American Arbitration Association.

Civic involvement has been very important to Bob. Over many years, he has served on boards dedicated to reducing adult illiteracy, recovery from mental illness and substance abuse, furthering the audiology profession and increasing diversity and cultural understanding.

Bob was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1975. He is admitted as well in the federal district courts for Northern Ohio and Eastern Michigan, the federal appeals courts for the Sixth and District of Columbia Circuits and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the Akron, Ohio, Federal and American Bar Associations. He is rated AV in the Martindale Hubbell Law Directory.

Bob grew up in Akron and still lives there. He is married, has four grown children and one grandchild. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1969 and from Harvard Law School in 1973.