Faculty Bios

John E. Gotherman
Adjunct Professor
B.S., The Ohio State University, 1954;
LL.B., Franklin Law School, 1961;
J.D., Capital University Law School, 1966.

John Gotherman Since 1961 Mr. Gotherman has been engaged as a practicing lawyer in the field of local government law. He is the general counsel to the Ohio Municipal League (OML), a non-profit organization with cities and villages in Ohio consittuting its membership. He is also the general counsel and the secretary treasurer of the Ohio Municipal Attorneys Association (OMAA). In these capacities he represents the OMAA and MOL interests before the OHio General Assembly. He is responsible for the OML and OMAA amicus briefs. Mr. Gotherman has left his mark on the statutory and case law of Ohio as it affects municipal government structure, procedures, and finances. There is no area of the law that involves local government affecting municipalities that has escaped the attention of Mr. Gotherman.

In addition to his legislative and litigation functions connected with the two non-profits, Mr. Gotherman has written numerous articles and tought many educational seminars sponsored by the OML, the OMAA, and others. He is recognized as an authority on Ohio municipal government and Ohio municipal law.

Mr. Gotherman is the author of the OML publication "Municipal Government in Ohio" and is the first named author of the publication in Baldwins Ohio Practice series "Local Government Law -- Municipal" published by Thompson West.

John Gotherman has been a partner in two firms, Peck Shafer & Williams and Calfee, Halter and Griswold. In those firms he practiced as a bond lawyer, as a local government lawyer and as special counsel to municipalities.

Mr. Gotherman is an authority on Ohio municipal home rule. His engagements include more than sixty representations to: draft municipal charters, to draft amended municipal charters, to prepare amendments to munipal charters, or in some other function related to municipal charters authorized by Article XVIII, Ohio Constitution. In the year 2000 Mr. Gotherman received the "Charles S. Ryne Lifetime Achievement in Municipal Law Award" at the annual meeting of the Internatioal Municipal Lawyers Association held in San Francisco, California.

While practicing in Cleveland, Mr. Gotherman commuted to Columbus to teach Capital's local government law course for three years. Upon his return to Columbus, Mr. Gotherman has continued to serve as adjunct professor of local government law.

Mr. Gotherman received his undergraduate from the Ohio State University in 1954. He attended the Ohio State University Law School for one year, then served two years as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force, completed his legal education and graduated from the Franklin Univeristy Law School with an L.L.B. and was admitted to the bar in 1961. He was award his J.D. from Capital University Law School in 1966. He completed his high school education at University School on the campus of the Ohio State University.