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Attorney Paul Perantinides receives St. Thomas More Award
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: May 19, 2023
As a senior at Campbell Memorial High School, attorney Paul Perantinides was planning on becoming a pharmacist.
In fact, it was a bit of a family tradition, with three of his first cousins already working in the profession.
But then another relative intervened with some different advice.
“I had an uncle who was an engineer that I completely trusted and he told me I should become a lawyer instead,” said Perantinides. “So when I graduated from high school, I made plans to go to law school.”
Fast-forward to today and he’s now the founder and managing partner of the plaintiff-side personal injury firm, Perantinides & Nolan Co., which has assisted numerous clients in securing settlements.
“Our lawyers represent the last chance that our clients have to obtain justice for any wrongdoing,” said Perantinides.
“Many of these cases question the care provided by other professionals such as doctors or lawyers, which we don’t take lightly,” he said. “But we realize the enormous impact that a positive outcome can have on our clients’ lives and we put everything we have into the cases regardless of how large or small the dollar amounts may be.”
Over the years, Perantinides has also served on numerous nonprofit boards and utilized the resources of the firm to give back to the community, donating proceeds and leading fundraising efforts that positively impacted residents, and in one case helped those in war-torn Ukraine.
Although his efforts have been recognized, he said he was “absolutely surprised” to learn that he had been chosen as the 2023 Akron Bar Association St. Thomas More Award recipient.
The award pays tribute to St. Thomas More, the patron saint of lawyers, and is given to a legal professional who has demonstrated outstanding personal integrity, professional excellence and community service.
The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland presents the accolade annually during Red Mass as part of the Akron Bar Association’s celebration of Law Week.
“I am honored to be the recipient of this prestigious award,” said Perantinides, who received the award on May 5. “We have so many good lawyers in our bar association who absolutely meet the criteria for this award and I certainly was not expecting it would be me.”
While he may have been surprised, his colleagues were not.
“I cannot think of anyone more deserving than Paul,” said Perantinides & Nolan Co. Partner Chris Nolan. “Paul has always given his all to his clients and the community,” said Nolan. “He is one of the best lawyers in the state and in the country.
“Outside of the law firm, he has made donations and given countless volunteer hours to help others,” said Nolan. “As a board member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve, he helped them to grow their fundraiser into a big event that raises a tremendous amount of money.”
“Paul defines what this award stands for,” said Perantinides & Nolan Co. attorney Tony Tsarouhas. “He is a man of the utmost integrity, who has given his all to the legal profession and the community.
“Paul has been very successful, but his successes are never about him. They are about lifting up others. He has a huge heart and a very generous nature and he motivates the people around him to follow his lead.
“I am the person I am professionally and personally because of who he is and the impact he has had on me and my family,” said Tsarouhas.
Retired Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Patricia A. Cosgrove nominated Perantinides for the award.
During her time on the bench, Perantinides appeared before her on numerous occasions.
“Paul is an outstanding attorney, who has been at the forefront of many changes in the legal profession and laws, all of which help the community,” said Cosgrove. “His actions go far beyond just winning a case and sometimes they even have a nationwide impact.
“Recently, he played a key role in the enactment of Weston’s Law in North Carolina, which improved elevator safety for short-term residential rentals after a 7-year-old was killed because of the gap between the elevator car and shaft while he was staying at a vacation home with his family in the state.
“Paul represented the boy’s parents who live in Stark County,” said Cosgrove. “He not only secured a settlement but helped ensure legislation was passed to prevent future tragedies.”
A native of Campbell, Ohio, Perantinides received his bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University, where he majored in comprehensive social studies.
At YSU, he was part of the ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) program.
Shortly after earning his juris doctorate from The University of Akron School of Law in 1969, he served two years of active duty in the U.S. Army, including approximately one year in Vietnam.
“I was a project officer for the U.S. Army Property Disposal Agency at Long Binh Post,” he said. “We were not part of the fighting, so I was never in harm’s way.”
For his service, he was awarded a Bronze Star Medal.
Prior to fulfilling his ROTC commitment, he spent three weeks working for attorney S. Samuel Nukes.
“I was his law clerk when I was a 1L at Akron Law,” said Perantinides. “I was involved in a trial during the short time I was there.”
When he returned to Ohio in 1971, he joined the law firm Schwab, Sager, Grosenbaugh, Rothal, Fort, Skidmore & Nukes.
In 1975, Nukes and Perantinides formed Nukes & Perantinides, which became Perantinides & Nolan Co. in 1997.
As managing partner, Perantinides has mentored many young attorneys, including Courtney Sutton.
“Paul is and forever will be my greatest mentor,” said Sutton, who has worked at the firm for about nine years. “He is an amazing advocate for our clients. He never accepts defeat; he conducts himself honorably and never loses his sense of humility.
“Paul has instilled in us all at the firm that being a lawyer is a privilege and it is our responsibility to help others in any way that we can. His footprint will have a substantial impact on our community for generations to come because of his efforts to help entire families.”
Perantinides said the greatest challenge in running the firm is selecting the cases.
“We take a team approach, always asking ourselves do we have the conviction to right a particular wrong,” Perantinides said. “Once we accept a client, we give the case all we’ve got.
“We not only seek to resolve their cases, but we also take a personal interest in the client. In many instances, we remain in touch long after we resolve the case.
“For example, we had one young man who was drafted by the Cleveland Indians but was told he had to have a leg amputated. We took him to a surgeon for what was a sixth opinion, which saved his leg.
“Today he is an amazingly successful ‘Scratch Golfer,’ husband and father,” said Perantinides.
A member of the Akron and Ohio State bar associations and the Ohio Association for Justice, Perantinides is a recipient of the Judge Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Award for Distinguished Service in Law.
He remains active in the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Akron, where he previously served as a member on the board and as president for a term.
Last March, Perantinides and several other attorneys at the firm led a campaign designed to boost an International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) fundraising effort for Ukraine.
In all, close to $102,000 was collected, including donations from parishioners at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church and the matching gifts that were secured by the firm.
Perantinides also served on the board and as president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve.
In addition, he was a member of the Kent State University WKSU radio station community advisory council for approximately 20 years.
In 2019 the firm gifted $250,000 to the public radio station’s newsroom.
It’s now known as the Perantinides and Nolan Newsroom.
At age 79, Perantinides said he has no plans to retire.
“I believe my work makes a substantial difference in people’s lives,” said Perantinides. “It is very fulfilling, so until the day my kids take away my car keys or my fellow partners tell me I’m not doing my part, I will continue to come to work.
“Since I first started practicing in 1971, I can honestly say I have never taken one sick day,” he said. “I feel there is always something meaningful to do.
“My parents were immigrants and I’m sure they had big dreams for me and my brother,” said Perantinides. “I’m here to tell you that the reality has far exceeded the dream.
“I could not have written a better story and I would have settled for a lot less. I have been afforded the tremendous opportunities that I have because of other lawyers and my clients,” said Perantinides. “I believe they all helped to make me a better lawyer.”