Douglas N. Godshall - Canton, OH

Overview

After 37+ years of active civil trial and mediation practice in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, Mr. Godshall opened his mediation and arbitration practice entitled Douglas N. Godshall ADR LLC on January 1, 2014, exclusively serving as a neutral.

Encouraged by lawyers, judges and experienced mediators, Mr. Godshall added mediation to his practice areas approximately 20 years ago. He was invited to join his colleagues, Jeff Wilkof, and Judge Lee Sinclair in Attorneys Mediation Service, LLC, an iconic, well-known group of mediators in Ohio. Mr. Godshall has handled mediations in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania in all manner of civil and probate cases, including medical malpractice, appropriation, construction, and employment cases.

While building a fulsome mediation practice, Mr. Godshall has been asked by many courts to assist in their mediation programs, as well.

In 2012, Mr. Godshall was appointed as a Court Mediator by Judge Elinore Marsh Stormer in the Probate Court of Summit County, Ohio, mediating all litigated cases, as well as handling guardianship and estate matters along with his colleague, Bill Dowling.

Mr. Godshall was appointed Court Mediator by Judge Dixilene Park in the Probate Court of Stark County, Ohio in 2013. In 2016, Judge Park appointed him as Eldercaring Coordinator, where he led a Pilot Project installing a new ADR program designed to assist elders at risk achieve safety and autonomy.

In 2016, Mr. Godshall was appointed Court Mediator for the General Division of the Stark County Common Pleas Court. in 2024, Mr. Godshall was appointed Senior Mediator in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. He has served for years as a member of the ADR Panel for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

Mr. Godshall has served for over 40-years as a labor arbitrator for industrial disputes with the United Steel Workers of America and The Timken Company, and others.

Mr. Godshall’s civil practice was in the areas of general casualty and insurance defense law, railroad law, medical malpractice law, oil and gas law, and workers’ compensation law. He has served as lead counsel for over 250 jury trials in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. He has argued in the Ohio Supreme Court, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

In addition to his trial experience, Mr. Godshall has lectured and made presentations to a number of professional associations, including the Stark County Bar Association, the Ohio Association of Mutual Insurers, the Ohio State Bar Association, and the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel.

Mr. Godshall presented nationally at the 2018 and 2020 Dispute Resolution Conference of the Ohio Supreme Court in Columbus, Ohio. He also presented in Minnesota in 2019 at the Section of Dispute Resolution Annual Spring Conference of the American Bar Association, and again in 2020 (this time virtually due to COVID-19).

Mr. Godshall was appointed by Justice Cook and reappointed by Chief Justice Moyer to serve on the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Certification of Attorneys as Specialist. He was later named Chair of that Commission.

In 2017, Mr. Godshall was appointed by Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, and the President of the Ohio State Bar Association, to serve on the Dispute Resolution Commission of the Supreme Court of Ohio, and was recently reappointed for a third term. In this capacity, and with the help of other members of the Committee, Mr. Godshall helped create a virtual mediation training program.

Mr. Godshall served for a three-year term on the Board of Governors for the Ohio State Bar Association, where he also served as Chair of the Committee on Legislative and Government Affairs. He is a Fellow of the Ohio State Bar Foundation.

Mr. Godshall served in 2004 and 2006 as a member of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Candidates, responsible for rating the candidates for election to the Ohio Supreme Court in both years. In November 2020, the Ohio State Bar Association announced that Mr. Godshall will serve as Chair of the newly formed Dispute Resolution Committee.

Mr. Godshall currently serves as President of the Akron Bar Foundation. He has served the Akron Bar Association as a Trustee, and has served on the Grievance Committee. In addition, he has served as Chair in fee dispute panels in the Akron Bar Association.

Mr. Godshall is active in the Stark County Bar Association. He served on a number of committees, including the Executive Committee, and Chair of the Grievance Committee. He served for over 20 years as Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary in Stark County, Ohio, which evaluates the trial court judges in Stark County, Ohio. He currently serves on the Military Veteran’s Committee and on the Pro Bono Committee.

Mr. Godshall has been named a Master Bencher in The Scanlon-Bell Inn of Court in Akron, Ohio, and has served as a group leader for several years. He served as President for the years 2016 - 2017.

Mr. Godshall has been named as one of the Best Lawyers in the area of Commercial Litigation by The Best Lawyers in America. Mr. Godshall has been named as a “Super Lawyer” in Civil Litigation, and since 2009, has been named a “Super Lawyer” in the area of Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Mr. Godshall, a decorated Special Forces veteran of the Vietnam War, is a member of the Special Operations Association, and has served on its Board of Directors. He has been an invited guest of the Embassies of Vietnam and Laos in celebration of their Independence representing the Special Operations Association’s continuing support of MIA recoveries in South East Asia. In October 2020, Mr. Godshall was elected as the Special Operations Association’s President. He speaks frequently on veterans’ issues.

Mr. Godshall and his wife, Cathy Carter Godshall, a tax and corporate lawyer with Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, enjoy hiking and biking the towpath trails of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Mr. Godshall eliminated a bucket list item by completing the Marine Corps Marathon of 2006.