Page 7 - May June 2022 CBA Report

offer he couldn’t refuse. Tamborski was hiring partner at Thompson Hine, which has been Richey’s legal home ever since.
“I have tried to be a practical litigator,” said Richey. “Most of my work was coun- seling employers on compliance with the law and also, hopefully, how to be a great employer.”
A favorite case was for a client oper- ating a large sorting facility near CVG airport. The workforce included a large population of Somali Muslims. One morning, virtually all of them walked out, in protest for not being allowed to pray at the times required by their religion. The client had allowed prayer breaks, but not all at the exact same time, in accor- dance with Islamic law. In mediation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the client found a way to accommodate the required schedule and create a prayer room.
Act Three
After 20 years as a litigator, Richey turned to mediation in 2019.
“Thompson Hine graciously allowed me to pivot my entire practice,” he said, “and devote a lot of time to the bar association.”
His first introduction to the CBA came in 1995, when Judge Spiegel brought Richey to an Inn of Court meeting.
“Judge Rubin and Judge Spiegel would occasionally spar and in later years, Judges Black and Barrett carried on the tradi- tion,” said Richey. “That was the place I was most active. I joined the bar associ- ation and have been a bar member ever since.”
He has served as chair of the ADR committee and as a mediator affiliated with the Cincinnati Bar Alter- native Dispute Resolution service, which rebranded in 2020.
“Steve was instrumental in the relaunch of the Cincinnati Bar Asso- ciation’s arbitration service,” said John Pinney, also a mediator/arbitrator with CBADR and a former ADR committee chair. “Importantly, with Steve’s leader- ship, CBADR also added its new mediation service, making CBADR a full-service alternative dispute resolution facility.”
Richey and wife Sharon at Thompson Hine’s downtown offices.
In May 2019, Richey became secre- tary of the board of trustees, sending him down the path to eventual presidency.
“I felt that I was ready to give back to the bar association, which has supported me for these many years,” said Richey.
When Richey is sworn in as bar pres- ident on May 18, he will be taking the reins of an organization in the thick of celebrating 150 years of existence. Top of mind for Richey is the CBA’s focus, formed under immediate past president Sara Cooperrider, to community service in its sesquicentennial year. Richey is of the same opine, as he regularly volun- teers in the community — and believes all lawyers should do the same.
“I believe every attorney has an obli- gation to contribute to the betterment of the community,” said Richey. “Because of our training and the exclusive powers bestowed upon us by the government and the courts, lawyers are in a unique posi- tion to leverage our power.”
Shokoohe is the director of communications at the CBA.
THE REPORT | May/June 2022 | CincyBar.org
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