Donald Messinger, Don Messinger, Corporate Transactions & Securities, lawyer

Focus Areas

Actively counsels senior management and owners of several of the firm’s major clients. Manages large, complex acquisition, disposition and financing transactions involving multiple operations in the United States and worldwide. Also has represented issuers and underwriters in the public offering of securities.
Representative transactions have ranged in size from under $10 million to more than $1.3 billion.
Regularly handles transactions for major publicly owned and privately held businesses, as well as newly emerging businesses, headquartered in North America and Europe.
Serves and has served as a director and/or officer of several public and private corporations. In these capacities, he serves as a trusted business and legal adviser to many of the firm’s clients, as well as to a number of community organizations.
Served as the court-appointed trustee for the liquidation of a failed broker-dealer.

Recipient of the 2021 Cleveland Jewish News 18 Difference Makers award
AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Listed in Who’s Who in America
Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America^© for more than 20 years for Corporate Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law, and Securities Regulation; named the Best Lawyers® 2015, 2017 and 2020 Securities/Capital Markets Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Ohio
Selected to the Ohio Super Lawyers list, 2004–2006 & 2012–2021
Recipient of Marquis Who’s Who Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018
Recognized as an Industry Leader by Marquis Who’s Who
Recognized by BTI Consulting as a Client Service All-Star
Recipient of the 2019 Ramey Award for Distinguished Community Service from The Ohio State Bar Foundation
Recipient of the 2011 ORT America Jurisprudence Award
Listed in Legal 500 in Mergers and Acquisitions

American Bar Association
Ohio State Bar Association
Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, trustee, 1975 to 1979; chair, Securities Law Institute, 1983

Circle Health Services (fka The Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland), trustee for life and past president
Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center, director and past president
Cleveland POPS Orchestra, director and past chairman of the board
Senior Citizen Resources, trustee and former officer
Leadership Cleveland, class president
The Junior League of Cleveland, community adviser
Buckeye Area Development Corporation, Business Volunteers Unlimited, Colgate University Alumni Corporation, Greater Cleveland Council of Boy Scouts of America, Community Information/Voluntary Action Center, and The University for Young Americans, former trustee and/or officer
Active participant in community activities as a board member and/or volunteer on state, local and national levels
Frequently consulted on major community initiatives in the Greater Cleveland area
Early participant in the actions that led to the development of the Gateway sports complex
Held major leadership roles on behalf of Cleveland’s United Way

Columbia National Group, Inc. – Director and Secretary
Self-Funded Plans, Inc. – Director and Secretary
Self-Funded Plans Agency, Inc. – Director and Secretary
American Steel & Wire Corporation, Cedar Fair Management Company, and Lee Wilson Engineering Co., Inc. – Former Director