Login | January 09, 2026
PI attorney William T. Whitaker Jr. remembered
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: January 9, 2026
As a criminal defense and plaintiff personal injury attorney, family and colleagues of William Thomas Whitaker Jr. said he was committed to righting the wrongs of social injustice.
“My father’s message to all four of his children was to do the right thing, be a good person and care about people,” said his daughter Andrea Whitaker, who serves as director of the Summit Legal Defenders office. “He inspired me to pick a path of service, but also to go into law because of the way he valued the profession and his belief in its power to help people.”
A founding member of Students for a Democratic Society at Kent State University, Whitaker coordinated the defense of the 25 people indicted in connection with the unrest and subsequent shootings at the school on May 4, 1970.
According to Akron attorney Dennis J. Bartek, Whitaker continued to dedicate his life to ensuring that the people he represented got a fair shake and his best efforts regardless of their backgrounds.
“Over the years, Bill became one of the preeminent criminal defense attorneys in northeastern Ohio,” said Bartek, who worked on cases with Whitaker during his career. “He was involved in a lot of high-profile matters.
“He was a very charismatic guy, who had the unique ability to zealously advocate for his clients while maintaining a good relationship with prosecutors, which can be very difficult,” said Bartek.
But on Sept. 16, 2025 Whitaker passed away in Wellfleet, Massachusetts at his longtime summer retreat at the age of 81.
“My father was a fun and interesting person, who wanted to learn what made people tick,” said Andrea. “He loved engaging with people from all walks of life, and he brought his inquisitiveness to his relationships with his children and grandchildren. He tried to identify specific things about each one that he could share.”
“Bill was a very good friend,” said Bartek. “He was a great person and lawyer. He was an intellectual and an eclectic type of guy, who always had a smile on his face.
“He mentored a lot of people over the years,” said Bartek. “He was well thought of in the legal community, and he worked right up until the end.”
Born in Providence, Rhode Island on Aug. 15, 1944, he was the eldest of Jane McCann and William T. Whitaker Sr.’s ten children.
Whitaker spent the early part of his childhood in Providence, graduating from Souderton High School in the Montgomery County suburbs of Philadelphia.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Kent State University, Whitaker earned his juris doctor from The University of Akron School of Law in 1972.
He began his career as an associate at Allison & Miller in Akron, later forming Whitaker & Reilly with attorney Elizabeth Reilly, a former interim dean at Akron Law.
In the late 90s, he started Whitaker & Rowlands Co. with now Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands.
“Bill hired me in 1990 as an associate,” said Judge Rowlands. “We continued to work together until 2005 when I joined the Summit County Fiscal Office.
“He was my most influential mentor,” said Judge Rowlands. “He taught me a great deal, most importantly to always do the right thing. He also instilled a fierce dedication to due process and the rule of law.
“He was very dedicated to his clients, and he stressed the importance of recognizing that every person is a human being worthy of dignity.”
Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Joy Malek Oldfield was a law clerk at Whitaker & Rowlands Co. in 1998 and 1999.
“I learned a lot about how to manage the challenges of a law firm practice from Bill,” said Judge Oldfield. “We later became colleagues, and he also appeared in front of me.
“Bill was one of a kind,” she said. “He was a tenacious advocate for his clients and he always gave back to the community.
“I had a lot of respect for Bill,” said Judge Oldfield. “He was a wonderful human being, who taught me that if someone relies on you to manage a problem, you must do your very best and leave no stone unturned when representing that individual.”
After Judge Rowlands left the firm, his daughter Andrea joined him at William T. Whitaker Co. for about 15 years.
“As an attorney, he brought his intellectual curiosity and genuine interest and concern for people to the practice of law.
“Whether it was the government or an insurance company, my father made sure his clients had someone in their corner to listen to them and go to battle for them,” said Andrea.
“If I can be half the advocate that he was, I will be a success.”
In 2021, Whitaker became a sole practitioner.
For 13 years, Whitaker leased office space from the law firm Perantinides & Nolan Co., serving as co-counsel with attorney Paul Perantinides on a handful of significant personal injury and wrongful death cases.
“Bill approached criminal defense as a calling,” said Perantinides. “In a profession that sometimes can become cynical, Bill never lost his fire for social justice or his belief in the dignity of every human being. He possessed a rare passion for social justice that never dimmed with time. He viewed the law as a tool to fix what was broken and to equalize what was unfair.
“He understood that protecting the rights of the accused was synonymous with protecting the Constitution,” said Perantinides. “He taught me that equality was not a given; it was something that had to be fought for case by case.
“He practiced for the right reasons,” he said. “For him, it was about justice and not about advancing his interests or making money.
“He was a great guy and a dear friend,” said Perantinides. “I think about him all the time. We often exchanged ideas, and I took his counsel seriously.
“He will be missed but his legacy lives on in his daughter Andrea, who is mentoring the next generation in the Summit Legal Defenders office.”
A longtime member of the Akron Bar Association, Whitaker also served on the boards of the National and Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers as well as the Ohio Association for Justice.
In addition, he was a former president of the Summit County Association for Justice and sat on board of The University of Akron School of Law Alumni Association, which honored him with an Outstanding Alumni Award.
Whitaker also spent many years coaching the mock trial team at Ellet High School (now Ellet CLC).
“The fact that he chose to work with a team at an Akron public school speaks volumes to Bill’s character,” said Bartek. “He could have given his talents to a private or suburban school, but he chose to work with an Akron city public school that would not have had the same resources as a suburban or private school. He was always interested in serving the underserved.”
Outside of his work, his daughter said Whitaker was an avid bike rider, who could often be seen driving with it strapped to the back of his car as he searched for his next trail.
He was also a voracious reader of both fiction and non-fiction books and loved attending the theater, movies and sharing music with his family.
A celebration of life paying tribute to Whitaker took place on Oct. 12 at Musica in Akron.
Whitaker leaves behind his children Andrea Whitaker (Elliott Hoffman), Amy Whitaker (Paul Berks), Daniel Whitaker and Jessica Whitaker; grandchildren Aliza and Robbie Berks and Lucy Hoffman; siblings Joseph Whitaker (Sergio), Michael Whitaker (Patti), Jane Guissinger (John), Paul Whitaker (Robin Frost), Kathy Jafarian, Charlie Whitaker (Lance Vander Zanden), David Whitaker and Susan Mikulay (Robert); four nieces, eight nephews and 15 great-nieces and great-nephews.
He’s also survived by his former wives Melissa Whitaker and Bobbie Whitaker, as well as his former longtime partner Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Stephen Whitaker, brother-in-law Roger Glenn Barker and his niece Debbie Whitaker Anthony.