John S. “Jack” Stith has been a mainstay in the Cincinnati legal community throughout his legal career. Recipient of the 2021 John L. Muething Lifetime Achievement in Law Award, Stith’s dedicated work within the profession, focusing on business and corporate law, has been regularly recognized by several publications and legal-related organizations. That same work is now honored with this award, which recognizes individuals who reflect the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession.
“Jack has modeled for so many lawyers, including me, the professional and personal standards we should all aspire to in the practice of law,” said Doloris Learmonth in her nomination letter to the Cincinnati Bar Foundation. “He has served as mentor to so many lawyers, both young and older, helping instill in us the importance of integrity and commitment to service which is required to keep our profession strong.”
A graduate of Princeton University, Stith earned his J.D. summa cum laude from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1964. He began his legal career as a clerk with Frost & Jacobs, became a partner in 1970 and stayed for nearly 40 years. Stith joined Porter Wright as a partner in 2004.
Stith’s professional affiliations are numerous. He has served as the president of the Cincinnati Bar Association, 1989-90, and of the Ohio State Bar Association, 2006-07. As president of the OSBA, Stith is credited with overseeing its first comprehensive strategic plan and review of its Constitution and governance matters. He has also been a trustee with the Cincinnati Bar Foundation, from 2008-2014, and with the Ohio State Bar Foundation, 2006-2013.
Stith has shared his expertise and insight with colleagues on many boards and committees, including the OSBA Budget and Headquarters Committee, Corporation Law Committee and Committee on Specialization, and the OSBF Audit & Finance Committee, on which he currently serves. Stith has been on the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism three separate times, also serving on the Ohio Supreme Court Task Force on Commercial Dockets.
The Ohio State Bar Association conferred upon Stith the prestigious Ohio Bar Medal, and he was named an Honorary Life Fellow of the Ohio State Bar Foundation in 2002. The Cincinnati Bar Association named him the recipient of the 2000 Trustees’ Award, and he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the UC College of Law Alumni Association in 1992.
“Jack Stith is the attorney, colleague, and friend I aspire to be,” said Kathy Brinkman, in her nomination letter of Stith. “No one deserves to be recognized more for all he has given of himself to others, to our profession, and to our community.”
Stith has been a board member of the Greater Cincinnati Venture Association and served as chair of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation from 2001-2003. He was general Counsel of the 2012 World Choir Games, the international music festival held in Cincinnati. He currently serves as chair of the Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Company board of directors, a position he has held since 2007.
Over the course of more than 50 years in the practice of law, Gary P. Kreider, recipient of the 2021 John L. Muething Lifetime Achievement in Law Award, set an example for subsequent generations of attorneys in the region. A founding member of Keating Muething & Klekamp, Kreider’s practice concentrated on securities laws, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate law. An exemplar of the attributes that make a LAIL Award honoree, Kreider passed away in March 2021, but his long-lasting contributions to his profession and his city stand as a glowing testament to his life.
“Gary had a very successful career in the ‘new’ discipline of securities law and represented many clients of the years in their corporate and securities affairs,” said Clifford A. Roe, in his nomination letter of Kreider. “He also served our profession and community in numerous ways through his long and distinguished career. I was privileged to know him and call him my friend.”
Kreider received his B.A., with honors, from the University of Cincinnati in 1960, his M.A. from the same school in 1961, and his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1964. Later in his career, Kreider returned to his alma mater as an adjunct professor in securities regulation.
“Gary truly loved to mentor and teach,” said Mark A. Weiss, in his nomination letter of Kreider. “The list of accomplished attorneys who trained under him is very long and includes lawyers who followed in his footsteps by becoming expert attorneys, and others who moved on to work at large U.S. corporations. He taught that you needed to both know the law and how to apply it in order to properly advise your clients. Gary’s knowledge, judgement and experience made him invaluable to his clients as he fearlessly provided high-stakes legal advice in a commercial manner.”
Kreider’s professional affiliations span the length of his career. He served on the Cincinnati Bar Association’s executive committee from 1969-1971, and as chairman of the American Bar Association’s Securities Subcommittee on Real estate Syndications and Condominiums from 1977-1979. Kreider also served as chairman of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Corporation Law Committee from 2003-2004.
“Gary was a consummate business lawyer,” said Roe. “His enthusiasm for the practice of law was infectious. He loved discussing, and was expert at, the various components of a business practice - securities law, corporate formations & governance, transactions and corporate finance. His counsel was wide-ranging, timely and trusted.”
Kreider was also closely involved with several passion projects in the civic realm. He served as the director of LSI Industries, Inc., and as board secretary for Meridian Bioscience, Inc. He also served as president of the New Richmond Ohio Board of Education, governor and secretary of the University Club of Cincinnati, and director and treasurer of the Travel Club of Cincinnati.