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MEMORIALS
Memorials honor the lives of deceased members of the local Bar. For more information, contact Leyla Shokoohe at (513) 699-1391 or lshokoohe@cincybar.org.
Gerald “Jerry” Rapien
1943 – 2022
Gerald “Jerry” Rapien, a long-time partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, passed away peacefully on July 5, 2022. Jerry grew up in North College Hill, enjoying the Boy Scouts and a life- long love of the outdoors, backyard birding, dry-stack stone wall build-
ings, and a passion for playing golf. Running model trains at the Behringer Crawford Museum at Christmastime was great fun for Jerry, and he served on its Board of Directors for several years. His knowledge of steam engines and the railroad industry was also a passion. Jerry was defined by kindness, integrity, generosity, and humility in all his pursuits.
Jerry was a proud graduate of St. Xavier High School, Xavier University’s Classics Program (Magna Cum Laude), and Notre Dame University Law School. He joined Taft Stettinius & Hollister in 1968, and over the 40 years that followed, he devel- oped a well-deserved reputation as one of the region’s finest trial lawyers. Jerry was honored to be inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the Amer- ican Board of Trial Advocates. In 2005, he received the Cincinnati Bar Association’s John Kiely Professionalism Award due to his exemplary ability to zealously advocate for his clients while simul- taneously treating opponents and lawyer adversaries alike with compassion and respect. Jerry taught many of our younger liti- gation partners how to do things the right way, emphasizing that a lawyer’s reputation is their most precious asset. He taught us not just how to try cases, but how to be a better person. Jerry felt strongly about Cincinnati’s tight-knit legal community and the bonds forged over the years with our local bar.
In the courtroom, Jerry had a nearly unmatched ability to boil even the most complex case down to something that every juror could easily understand. He once had his reading glasses break during a closing argument, and every glasses-wearing juror in the box held out theirs to share with him. He was incredibly skilled at humanizing corporate clients — often in catastrophic injury cases — which as anyone who does that type of work would agree, is no easy feat. Jerry would decline to have a sharp looking corporate representative at trial. He usually sat at counsel table alone, and always said “I want the jurors to like me.” And they did. Jurors loved Jerry and his humble, workmanlike approach. Jerry’s work was also recognized nationally, with him receiving the 2005 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award along with Taft partner Rob Bilott from the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Foundation.
Jerry retired at a relatively young age — not because he didn’t love the practice of law, but because he loved his family much more. He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Cheryl Johnson. He was the proud father of daughters Karen Barry (Steve) of Alpine, CA, Jenny Rapien of Odenton, MD, and Mary Rapien (Brian Chidester) of Warren, RI. Jerry was also a proud grandfather to four grandchildren, a brother of Suzanne Gleason, and an uncle to many nieces and nephews who were great fans of their Uncle Jerry. Jerry is also survived by his first wife, Kathryn Beresford. Jerry’s colleagues at Taft Stettinius & Hollister mourn his passing, but celebrate Jerry’s many significant contributions in life and in the greater Cincinnati legal community.
— Ryan Edwards and James Zimmerman
THE REPORT | May/June 2023 | CincyBar.org
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