Akron, Ohio - April 4, 2013 – Stark & Knoll Attorney Orville L. Reed, III is the 2013 recipient of the Sir Thomas More Award. Given in honor of the patron saint of lawyers, the award is presented by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland and is part of the Akron Bar Association’s Law Week Celebration.
The award is given annually in recognition of a member of the legal community who demonstrates outstanding personal integrity, professional excellence and community service. Orville Reed truly emulates these qualities each day. A lifelong resident of Akron, Orville is known throughout the community and by his colleagues as a kind hearted man with the highest ideals of his profession, faith, and family.
Stark & Knoll Managing Partner John Krajewski commented, “It is an honor to have not one, but three Sir Thomas More Award Recipients at our firm and I cannot think of anyone more deserving than Orville; such an honor speaks volumes of the integrity of Orville, our firm and it’s lawyers.”
Past Stark & Knoll recipients of the award include Estate Planning and Probate Attorney, Phil Kaufmann in 2002 and Business Services Group Attorney, Tom Knoll in 2011.
A graduate of Borromeo Seminary College of Ohio, and the University of Notre Dame Law School, Orville’s dedication to his faith is evident. He regularly attends and is an active member of St. Sebastian’s parish in Akron. Committed to both his faith and community, Orville has served as a board member of the Summit County CYO and Walsh Jesuit High School and also as a member of the 2010 Capital Campaign Committee at Habitat for Humanity of Summit County.
Married to wife Kathy for more than 26 years they have five grown children to which Orville has been a dedicated and active father. He has served many years as a coach in the West Akron Baseball League and devoted many hours as a coach and judge for Walsh Jesuit High School’s mock trial teams.
In his professional life, Orville has been recognized by his colleagues with a Martindale-Hubbell “AV” rating which indicates very high to pre-eminent legal ability and very high ethical standards. He was recently recognized by Best Lawyers as “Bet-the-Company Litigation, Lawyer of the Year” and by Ohio Super Lawyers as one of the “Top 10 Ohio Super Lawyers”. Orville is a Charter Fellow and Past Trustee of the Akron Bar Association Foundation, a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Scanlon-Bell Inn of Court and was the 2009 recipient of the Akron Bar Association’s Professionalism Award.
Phil Kaufmann, Orville’s longtime colleague stated, “Orville exemplifies the qualities of Sir Thomas More on a daily basis. While it is hard to put into words what an honest, compassionate and generous person he is, anyone who has met Orville can truly appreciate what a great leader and role model he is, not just for those in the legal community, but for everyone.”
Previous recipients of the award include Ann Amer Brennan in 2012, nine judges and several namesakes of some of Akron’s most well known law firms including Lisle M. Buckingham, Charles Scanlon and Thomas Knoll.
Orville is the 37th recipient of this award which will be presented, Friday May 3rd at the Catholic Dioceses of Cleveland’s Red Mass at noon in St. Bernard-St.Mary’s Parish at 44 University Avenue in Downtown Akron. Bishop Richard Lennon will be the main celebrant. All are encouraged to attend.