What Wickens Herzer Panza does

Wickens Herzer Panza is a privately-held law firm founded in 1932 in Lorain, Ohio and currently headquartered at 35765 Chester Road in Avon, Ohio, with a secondary office in Sandusky. The firm employs 51–100 staff including 25+ attorneys and serves family- and privately-held businesses primarily in Lorain, Cuyahoga, and Erie counties, along with high-net-worth individuals and families. Its client base spans middle market companies with revenues potentially exceeding $100M, and the firm has represented sellers in transactions with proceeds exceeding $200M (2016) and structured over 20 corporate succession plans (2018).

The firm's practice portfolio is organized across ten areas: Business and Corporate Law, Litigation, Estate Planning and Probate, Business Restructuring and Creditors' Rights/Bankruptcy, Employment and Labor, Trust/Estate/Probate Litigation, Real Estate and Construction, Environmental Law, Health Care, and a specialized Craft Beer Industry practice launched in 2022. Services are delivered through a partner-led model with management bench including President & CEO Matthew W. Nakon, CFO Christopher W. Peer, COO Daniel C. Urban, CHRO Amy L. DeLuca, and Chief Ethics Officer Malorie A. Alverson. The firm holds Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and Chambers and Partners recognition, and is a member of Mackrell International, a network of 90+ independent law firms across 60+ countries.

Wickens Herzer Panza generates revenue through traditional hourly professional services billing for litigation, corporate transactions, estate planning, and other practice areas, supplemented by transaction-based fees for M&A, business sales, and restructuring engagements. The go-to-market is sales-led and referral-driven, leveraging professional networks, attorney-authored content such as the ABA-recognized Ohio Employer Law Blog, community presence, and Mackrell International cross-border referrals. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. There is no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capability, and no external funding — the firm is owned and managed by its partners.

Name

Wickens Herzer Panza

Legal name

Wickens Herzer Panza

Website

https://wickenslaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Wickens Herzer Panza is a 1932-founded Ohio law firm with 25+ attorneys serving privately-held middle market businesses, families, and select industries across ten practice areas, including a niche craft beer practice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Avon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hourly Billing: Traditional hourly billing for legal services including litigation, corporate transactions, estate planning, and other practice areas. Clients include businesses and individuals.
2. Legal Services - Transaction Based: Fee structures for specific transactions including mergers and acquisitions, business sales, and restructuring engagements.
3. Corporate and Business Transactions: Ongoing legal counsel for businesses including corporate governance, contracts, succession planning, and regulatory compliance.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wickens Herzer Panza is a full-service Northeast Ohio law firm delivering legal counsel across practice areas including business and corporate transactions, commercial litigation, estate planning and probate, employment and labor law, business restructuring and bankruptcy, real estate and construction, environmental law, health care law, and a specialized craft beer industry practice. The firm serves privately-held middle market businesses and individuals, providing services such as mergers and acquisitions, business formation, succession planning, regulatory compliance, contract negotiation, and dispute resolution through its offices in Avon and Sandusky, Ohio.

Product overview

Wickens Herzer Panza is a law firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of legal services organized into practice areas. The firm's core offerings include Business and Corporate Law Services, Litigation Services, Estate Planning and Probate Services, Business Restructuring and Creditors' Rights/Bankruptcy Services, Employment and Labor Law Services, Trust/Estate/Probate Litigation Services, Real Estate and Construction Law Services, Environmental Law Services, and Health Care Law Services. The firm also maintains a specialized Craft Beer Industry Legal Services practice for breweries and related businesses. These services are delivered through a platform of experienced attorneys organized by practice area, with no software product or technology platform offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business and Corporate Law Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Represented sellers in transactions with proceeds exceeding $200 million (2016)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mackrell InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWickens Herzer Panza is a member of Mackrell International, a leading global network of independent law firms. With more than 90 member firms across 60 countries and 100 cities, the network allows the firm to provide clients with seamless access to top-tier legal expertise worldwide. Through this affiliation, the firm offers benefits of a global law firm while maintaining personalized service and local expertise.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Benesch: Cleveland-headquartered business law firm with similar middle-market focus and full-service practice areas including corporate, litigation, employment, and real estate. Comparable in market positioning and client base.
• Roetzel & Andress: Ohio-based full-service law firm with offices across the state. Comparable in serving closely-held businesses and individuals with a similar range of practice areas and client demographic.
• Walter Haverfield: Cleveland-based mid-sized law firm serving privately-held businesses and individuals across Northeast Ohio with a similar full-service practice model. Closely comparable in scale, market focus, and client profile to Wickens Herzer Panza.
• Brouse McDowell: Northeast Ohio-based law firm with comparable middle-market business focus. Overlapping practice areas in corporate, litigation, real estate, and employment, serving similar privately-held business clients.
• Hahn Loeser + Parks: Cleveland-based full-service law firm serving middle-market businesses with overlapping practice areas in corporate transactions, litigation, employment, and estate planning.
• Tucker Ellis: Cleveland-based full-service business law firm serving mid-market and larger clients. Comparable in practice breadth, regional focus, and middle-market corporate client profile.
• Calfee Halter & Griswold: Cleveland-based full-service law firm with a comparable mid-market corporate client base. Overlapping expertise in business transactions, litigation, real estate, and employment law.

Regional players

• Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs: Akron-Cleveland based law firm with similar middle-market business focus. Comparable in scale, regional Northeast Ohio presence, and full-service business law capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Thompson Hine: Cleveland-headquartered national business law firm that competes with Wickens Herzer Panza for the same middle-market corporate clients but with significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• BakerHostetler: Major national law firm with a substantial Cleveland office competing for similar middle-market and larger corporate clients. Significantly larger scale but overlapping service offerings in corporate, litigation, employment, and restructuring.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wickensherzer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/257878

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wickens Herzer Panza