Ciano & Goldwasser, LLP

What Ciano & Goldwasser, LLP does

Ciano & Goldwasser, LLP (C&G) is a Cleveland, Ohio-based boutique litigation and specialty law firm founded approximately in 1999 by Phil Ciano and Andy Goldwasser. The firm operates from two locations — a downtown Cleveland headquarters and a Beachwood (Eastside) office — and is organized as a private limited liability partnership with six equity partners and approximately three support staff (9–11 personnel total).

The firm's practice spans five distinct areas: business law and commercial litigation, healthcare law, sports law, personal injury and wrongful death, and sexual assault victim representation. The sexual assault practice and the sports-law partnership with Bright Path Sports Partners represent the most recent strategic additions to the practice mix, alongside the Beachwood office opening. Practice mix mixes plaintiff-side contingency matters (sports, wrongful death, sexual assault, personal injury) with business-side litigation and healthcare advisory engagements.

Revenue mechanics follow standard legal-services economics: hourly-fee work for business litigation and healthcare engagements, combined with contingency-fee structures in personal injury, wrongful death, and sexual assault plaintiff matters. The sports-law partnership introduces an athlete-representation/referral pipeline that likely adds contingency upside but also broker-style business risk. No technology platform, proprietary software, or AI tooling is documented; service delivery is partner-led, traditional legal work.

Name

Ciano & Goldwasser, LLP

Legal name

Ciano & Goldwasser, LLP

Website

https://cianogoldwasser.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ciano & Goldwasser, LLP is a Cleveland, Ohio boutique litigation firm serving businesses, healthcare clients, athletes, and individuals across business litigation, healthcare law, sports law, personal injury/wrongful death, and sexual assault representation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Boutique Law Firm Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Other Legal Services (54119)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Product Liability (FSAJADAC)

Keywords

• Commercial litigation services
• Healthcare legal representation
• Sports law practice
• Personal injury litigation
• Sexual assault victim advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Traditional law firm billing for legal services including hourly rates, contingency fees for personal injury/wrongful death cases, and fixed fees for specific matters. The firm emphasizes 'No billable hour requirements. No redundant charges' suggesting value-based or alternative billing arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ciano & Goldwasser, LLP is a boutique law firm providing high-stakes legal representation across five practice areas: Business Law/Litigation, Healthcare Law, Sports Law, Personal Injury/Wrongful Death, and Sexual Assault Victim Representation. The firm serves physicians, athletes, sports agencies, public and closely-held companies, sexual abuse survivors, and catastrophic injury victims via partner-led engagements. Billing emphasizes alternative fee arrangements over traditional billable hours.

Product overview

Ciano & Goldwasser, LLP is a boutique law firm offering legal services across five distinct practice areas: Business Law/Litigation, Healthcare Law, Sports Law, Personal Injury/Wrongful Death, and Sexual Assault Victim Representation. The firm provides high-stakes legal matters with dedicated client advocacy, emphasizing value-driven exceptional lawyering without billable hour requirements. The practice areas operate as interconnected service lines, with partners like Phil Ciano handling commercial, healthcare, and sports matters, while Andy Goldwasser leads personal injury, wrongful death, and victim representation cases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Law / Litigation Legal representation in commercial disputes, business litigation, partnership disputes, professional liability, shareholder disputes, business dissolutions, trade secrets, and non-compete agreement disputes. Designed for businesses, public and closely-held companies, and their owners needing high-stakes commercial representation.
• Healthcare Law Legal services for healthcare providers including world-renowned physicians, physician practice groups, and public and closely-held healthcare companies. Covers corporate, regulatory, employment law, practice management, and healthcare litigation matters.
• Sports Law Representation for professional athletes, certified sports agents, and international sports agencies in baseball, basketball, football, and golf. Covers contract negotiations, disputes with leagues and agencies, agent representation, and related advisory matters.
• Personal Injury / Wrongful Death Legal representation for victims of catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, traumatic brain injuries, and product liability claims. Serves individuals and families seeking advocacy and contingency-based legal counsel for serious injury matters.
• Sexual Assault Victim Representation Civil legal advocacy for survivors of sexual abuse and human trafficking, holding organizations accountable for failing to protect victims. Representation spans Ohio and nationwide for sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and assault cases.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25 years in operation with consistent recognition as top Ohio boutique
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bright Path Sports Partners, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhil Ciano serves as managing partner and co-founder of Bright Path Sports Partners, LLC. Bright Path is the first private equity and advisory firm that combines Native American institutional capital with non-Native American investment to secure professional sports, media and entertainment opportunities.
• Cleveland Rape Crisis CenterminorOthersAndy Goldwasser serves on the Board of Directors of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. The firm provides specialized training and support for survivors of abuse and trafficking through Quenna Bell who is a certified Ambassador with the center.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Reminger Co., LPA: Cleveland-based litigation firm with strong personal injury, professional liability, and commercial litigation practices. Comparable mid-size boutique model and overlapping practice mix in PI and complex litigation.
• Seeger Weiss LLP: Nationally recognized litigation boutique focused on complex civil litigation including mass tort, product liability, and commercial cases. Comparable boutique model with similar concentration on high-stakes, partner-led matters.
• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: Nationally recognized plaintiffs boutique with strong personal injury, product liability, and complex civil litigation practices. Comparable as a high-stakes boutique with alternative-fee orientation and similar plaintiff-side case mix.
• Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP: Cleveland-based law firm with comparable multi-disciplinary practice including commercial litigation, healthcare, and high-stakes trial work. Similar boutique-to-mid-size positioning and Ohio market focus make it the closest geographic peer.
• Brouse McDowell LPA: Ohio-based (Cleveland/Akron) boutique-to-mid-size firm with comparable business litigation and commercial dispute practice. Similar positioning in the Ohio legal market with overlapping client profile.
• Frantz Ward LLP: Cleveland boutique firm with strong commercial litigation and business law practice. Closely comparable in size, boutique positioning, and Ohio regional focus with similar client mix of closely-held businesses and high-stakes disputes.

Broad incumbents

• Tucker Ellis LLP: Larger Cleveland-based full-service firm with overlapping commercial litigation, healthcare, and business law practices. Comparable as a competitor for high-stakes Ohio matters but broader portfolio and larger scale.
• Benesch (Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff): Cleveland-based Am Law regional firm with overlapping commercial litigation, healthcare, and corporate practices. Competes for the same sophisticated Ohio business clients but at a much larger scale.
• Ulmer & Berne LLP: Cleveland-based full-service firm with comparable litigation, healthcare, and business law capabilities. Larger and broader than C&G but competes for similar Ohio-based commercial and healthcare clients.

Regional players

• Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLC: Ohio-based regional full-service firm with comparable litigation, healthcare, and business law practices. Competes for similar Ohio business clients at slightly larger scale than C&G.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ciano-&-goldwasser-llp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Ciano & Goldwasser, LLP