Pepple & Waggoner

What Pepple & Waggoner does

Pepple & Waggoner is a privately-held Ohio law firm founded in 1989 that provides exclusive legal counsel to school boards and school districts throughout Ohio. The firm operates two offices (Cleveland headquarters and Cincinnati) and fields approximately 14 named attorneys, of-counsel staff, and paralegals across nine practice areas: Board Policy Services, Collective Bargaining, Employee Matters, In-Service Presentations, Litigation/Arbitration Hearings, Special Education, Student Issues, Tax & Finance, and Workers' Compensation. Its roster includes former Ohio Department of Education legal leadership and state judicial clerks, and the firm maintains leadership roles within the Ohio Council of School Board Attorneys.

The firm generates revenue through professional services engagements — billable hours, flat fees for defined services such as policy manual development, and retainer-style ongoing representation with Ohio school districts. The single tangible technology differentiator is an online Board Policy hosting and management service that provides clients continuously updated, web-accessible policy manuals. Distribution is entirely relationship-driven: no self-serve channels, no digital commerce, and no geographic footprint beyond Ohio. Go-to-market relies on thought leadership through seminars, workshops, professional association presentations (OSBA, BASA, OASBO, NSBA), newsletters, and a blog.

Both founding partners (William C. Pepple and Glenn D. Waggoner) have transitioned to Of-Counsel/Retired status; day-to-day leadership rests with Managing Partner Kevin J. Locke and Partner Christian M. Williams, along with additional partners Daniel L. Lautar (Cincinnati office head) and Brian J. DeSantis. The firm is structured as a traditional partnership with no public listing, no funding history, and no disclosed M&A activity. Operating status is active, with content and event programming documented through 2026.

Name

Pepple & Waggoner

Legal name

Pepple & Waggoner

Website

https://pepple-waggoner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pepple & Waggoner is a Cleveland-based Ohio law firm founded in 1989 that provides exclusive legal counsel to school boards and districts across Ohio, covering board policy, labor negotiations, special education, litigation, tax, and workers' compensation matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Law Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Compliance, Risk & Audit Support Services (EHS, Title IX/Clery Support, Policy Admin) (EDAEALAK)

Keywords

• Education law services
• School board representation
• Special education law
• Collective bargaining services
• Employment law counsel

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Retainer and Engagement Fees: Pepple & Waggoner generates revenue through providing legal services to school boards and districts in Ohio. As a law firm, revenue is derived from billable hours, flat fees for specific services (such as policy manual development, in-service presentations), and potentially retainer arrangements with client districts for ongoing legal representation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pepple & Waggoner is an Ohio-based law firm founded in 1989 that provides legal services exclusively to school boards and school districts throughout Ohio. The firm focuses on education law, handling matters including board policy, collective bargaining, employment issues, in-service training, litigation, special education, student issues, tax and finance, and workers' compensation.

Product overview

Pepple & Waggoner is a law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services exclusively for Ohio school boards and districts. The firm operates nine distinct practice areas: Board Policy Services (developing and maintaining policy manuals), Collective Bargaining (labor negotiations), Employee Matters (employment law), In-Service Presentations (staff training), Litigation/Arbitration Hearings (court representation), Special Education (IDEA/504 counsel and litigation), Student Issues (discipline and rights), Tax & Finance (revenue protection), and Workers' Compensation (claims defense). The firm has offices in Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio, and has served Ohio school districts since 1989.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Board Policy Services

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPepple & Waggoner attorneys regularly present at OSBA seminars and conferences, providing educational content on school law topics. OSBA is a primary professional association for Ohio school board members and administrators.
• Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirm attorneys present at BASA conferences and regional meetings on topics including employee discipline, negotiations, student issues, and administrative best practices.
• Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPepple & Waggoner attorneys present at OASBO events on topics relevant to school business officials including negotiations, finance, and legal compliance.
• Ohio Council of School Board AttorneyscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirm attorneys serve in leadership positions in this Ohio Council of School Board Attorneys, with Kevin Locke serving as chairperson in 2016 and Christian Williams serving as former Chair of the Executive Committee.
• National School Boards AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirm maintains membership and participates in NSBA activities and events.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bricker & Eckler LLP: Ohio-based full-service law firm with one of the largest education law practices in the state, representing public school districts and boards of education across Ohio on the same labor, special education, policy, and litigation matters as Pepple & Waggoner.
• Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter: Columbus-based Ohio law firm with a longstanding Education Law group that represents school districts on collective bargaining, board policy, special education, and school finance — directly competing for the same Ohio district clients.
• Walter Haverfield: Cleveland-headquartered Ohio firm with a dedicated Education Law practice serving public school districts on employment, labor, special education, and board governance matters in the same Ohio market.

Broad incumbents

• Frost Brown Todd: Large multi-state regional firm with an established Education Law practice serving Ohio and adjacent state districts on a broader set of matters (litigation, employment, finance) where Pepple & Waggoner competes on specialty.
• Dinsmore & Shohl: Cincinnati-based large firm with a school law practice representing Ohio districts on labor negotiations, employment, and litigation; a broader-portfolio incumbent competing with Pepple & Waggoner's specialty focus.
• Squire Patton Boggs: Global law firm with a significant Ohio presence and an Education practice representing school districts on labor, special education, and governance — an incumbent option when districts seek a multi-office, multi-jurisdiction firm.
• Faegre Drinker: National law firm with a higher education and K-12 practice group serving school districts on labor, employment, and special education matters — an incumbent option for districts considering outside counsel with multi-state reach.

Regional players

• Ancel Glink: Illinois-based firm widely regarded as one of the leading school law practices in the country; comparable in vertical specialization to Pepple & Waggoner, but operating in a different state and competing for thought-leadership and precedent rather than direct clients.
• Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone: Michigan-based full-service firm with a notable K-12 school law practice representing public school districts on labor, employment, and student matters — a regional analogue of the Pepple & Waggoner model.
• Ennis Britner: Pennsylvania-based firm with a dedicated Education Law practice serving public school districts in the Mid-Atlantic region on labor, special education, and policy — a comparable niche K-12 firm in an adjacent geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PeppleWaggoner
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pepple-waggoner
• Facebookfacebook.com/PeppleWaggoner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Pepple & Waggoner