Lakewood School Board Member Matthew John Markling has been selected by his legal peers as one of The Best Lawyers in America® in the specialty of Education Law. For over a quarter of a century, Best Lawyers® has been regarded – by both the profession and the public – as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States. Selection to Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review survey comprising more than 2.8 million confidential evaluations by the top attorneys in the country. Because no fee or purchase is required, being listed in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.

“It is always an honor to be recognized by your peers especially when those peers are often sitting on the opposite side of the table or competing for the same clients,” said Markling. “I hope that this selection is also in recognition of the collaborative, zealous, and meticulous manner in which my law firm and I approach the practice of education law.” 

Markling is a founder of the law firm of McGown, Markling & Whalen Co., L.P.A. and has experience representing the legal needs of school boards, board members, administrators, teachers, and staff throughout the State of Ohio in a broad spectrum of school law matters. Markling has been awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award by the Ohio Educational Service Center Association in recognition of his legal leadership to Ohio school districts and is also Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated® for ethical standards and legal ability.

Markling routinely teaches school law courses at the University of Akron and Bowling Green State University, and provides lectures, in-services, and workshops on a diverse array of education law topics throughout Ohio.  Recently, Markling provided a board development presentation to attendees of the 54th Annual Ohio School Boards Association Capital Conference entitled, “When You are in the Minority.”

When asked the degree to which his education law background assists him in serving as a member of the Lakewood School Board, Markling said, “My experience as a school law attorney and professor certainly gives me a head start on spotting various legal issues and developing policy and guidelines necessary to satisfy the plethora of legal requirements facing public schools today.” 

Although he has been named one of America’s best education lawyers, Markling is quick to point out that he does not give legal advice to the Lakewood City Schools and that his fellow school board members and administrators are not hesitant in seeking guidance from outside legal counsel. Nor does Markling mind his colleagues’ deference to outside legal guidance noting that, “It is often difficult to be objective when you are, in effect, the client.”

Markling is serving his first term as an elected member of the Lakewood City School District Board of Education. For more information about Lakewood School Board Member Matthew John Markling, please visit http://www.lakewoodschoolboardmember.com.