Schiff & Associates Co., LPA

Focus and practice areas

This is a personal injury practice based in Columbus, Ohio, working under the legal name Schiff & Associates Co., LPA. The firm handles motor vehicle claims, including car, truck and motorcycle accidents. It also takes wrongful death cases, dog bite claims, slip and fall matters, and workers' compensation.

The firm's pages mention catastrophic injury and soft tissue injury work, along with insurance disputes. In my opinion, that spread stays close to one lane. Every area listed sits within injury and accident law, so a reader looking for help after a crash or a workplace injury can see the fit quickly.

How the team is built

The website names eight attorneys, and several share a common thread. A number of them studied at Capital University Law School in Columbus, which sits a short distance from the firm's downtown office.

The founder

Scott W. Schiff started the firm in 1982. He earned his undergraduate degree from Ohio State University in 1979 and his law degree from Capital University Law School in 1982. He has practiced since that year, which gives the firm a single, continuous line back to its founding.

The wider roster

Keith J. Shepardson has been with the firm for more than 23 years. He holds a JD from the University of Akron School of Law, earned in 1995, and a BA from the University of Maryland, College Park. Terry Hummel is described as a trial attorney with more than 30 years of experience preparing cases and trying them before Ohio juries.

Ryan Lauer took an unusual route into the profession. He worked for the firm as an Ohio State undergraduate, then attended Capital University Law School at night while keeping a full-time job there. He became a lawyer in 2008. Craig T. Smith holds degrees from Ohio State and Capital University Law School and works on personal injury matters.

Newer names on the page

Megan R. Hayden studied History and Political Science at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, then attended Capital University Law School. She interned for Judge James O'Grady at the Franklin County Municipal Court. Alexia T. Korth studied Political Science with a Philosophy minor at West Virginia University in Morgantown, and interned for Judge James P. Mazzone at the Ohio County Courthouse.

The mix of long tenures and courthouse internships tells a reader that the roster was built over time rather than assembled at once. Some of these attorneys have been practicing for decades. Others are earlier in their careers, with clerking experience close to home.

A family firm with Columbus roots

The firm presents itself as a family operation. Scott Schiff founded it, and his son, Zachary L. Schiff, works there as a licensed attorney. Zach graduated Cum Laude from Ohio State University with a major in Strategic Communications.

The practice has stayed in downtown Columbus, in a building it says it owns. That detail is small, though it says something about how long the firm has been in one place. A practice that owns its office has usually put down roots.

What the firm says about its history

The firm dates itself to 1982 and uses the line "Since 1982" across its site. It states that it has helped more than 50,000 clients over more than 40 years. As a reviewer, I treat client-count figures as the firm's own account rather than something I can confirm from the outside.

Still, the founding year and the length of practice line up with the attorney tenures on the page. Scott Schiff's start date, Terry Hummel's 30-plus years, and Keith Shepardson's 23-plus years all point in the same direction. A reader can check those claims against the roster and see them agree.

Language access and how work moves through the office

The firm says its downtown team includes an intake department and a separate litigation team. That division suggests a first point of contact for new claims, then a group that carries a case forward if it goes to suit. For an injured person calling for the first time, that structure can make the early steps clearer.

The firm also notes Spanish-speaking paralegal staff. For a Spanish-speaking client, that can ease the first conversation and the paperwork that follows. It is a practical point, and one worth knowing before making a call.

Who might find this practice a fit

Someone in the Columbus area dealing with an injury claim will find a firm built around that work. The practice keeps to accident, injury and workers' compensation matters, and it staffs those cases with attorneys who have long tenures. In my opinion, the clearest signals here are the years of practice and the steady focus, both of which a reader can weigh against the eight names the site lists.