Effective July 1, 2008,
Roderick Linton, LLP and Kathryn A. Belfance & Associates, LLP  Have Combined Practices to form
Roderick Linton Belfance, LLP

Akron, OH- The partners of Roderick Linton, LLP and Kathryn A. Belfance & Associates, LLP are pleased to announce the consolidation of their law firms and name change to Roderick Linton Belfance, LLP.  Among the largest firms in Akron, Roderick Linton Belfance, LLP is the first law firm of its size to incorporate a woman’s surname into the name of the firm.

            “With the passing of our senior partner, Bob Linton, in February, this consolidation continues the tradition Bob set forth of putting our clients first,” said Kurt Weitendorf, partner.  “Kay and her team bring expertise in areas that our firm has not fully developed and vice versa.”

 Kathryn (“Kay”) Belfance, an Akron resident, has practiced law since 1977, specializing in matrimonial and family law, as well as bankruptcy and commercial law.  Belfance earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Akron, School of Law with honors.  Among the first women in Akron to enter the bankruptcy field, Belfance became well known for her in-depth knowledge of the complexities of the bankruptcy laws.  In 1978, she was the first woman appointed as a bankruptcy trustee in the Northern District of Ohio and continues to serve in that capacity.  Belfance is also well known for her expertise in divorce and family law, often handling very complex, multi-asset divorce matters and custody litigation.  She is licensed to practice law in the States of Ohio and Florida and for the Federal District Court and the United States Court of Appeals.

            Belfance is known for her dedication to client service: “I believe that the client comes first. The consolidation of our firms will allow us to expand services to our clients and ensure that our clients continue to receive the highest degree of legal knowledge and professional advice they deserve,” said Belfance.

Currently Belfance serves on the Ohio Judicial Appointments Recommendation Panel and the Akron Bar Association Grievance Committee. In 1992, she was appointed to the Federal Court Panel, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and will complete her term on that committee in 2010.

Belfance has served the community as a board member of several organizations, including the Summit County Battered Woman’s Shelter, Summit County Children Services Board and the Women’s Entrepreneurial Growth Organization.  She is a member of the Akron Bar Association, Ohio Bar Association, American Bar Association, Commercial Law League and Women’s Network. 

In 2007, a scholarship at the University of Akron, School of Law was established to honor Belfance’s many years of professional excellence.

Attorney Lisa Carey Dean, an associate specializing in domestic relations law at Belfance & Associates, LLC, also joins Roderick Linton Belfance, LLP.  A 1998 graduate of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University, she served as judicial law clerk for Summit County Domestic Relations Court Judge Judith A. Nicely.

Dean is a member of the Ohio Bar Association and the  Akron Bar Association and its Street Law and Family Law Sections.  Currently she is an elected officer of the Family Law Section of the Akron Bar Association and an appointed advisor to several committees of the Summit County Domestic Relations Court.

Dean, a native of Norton, resides in Manchester with her two children.

Roderick Linton Belfance, LLP is a full-service law firm located in Akron, Ohio serving clients throughout Northeastern Ohio and the United States.  Founded in 1885, it is the oldest law firm in Akron and now the first of its size to bear a woman’s name.  Its many distinguished clients include FirstEnergy Corp., Dominion East Ohio Gas, Better Business Bureau of Akron, Royal Bank of Scotland, The University of Akron, Motorists Mutual Insurance Co., D & L Energy Inc., Crystal Clinic Inc., Fred Martin Motors, Inc., Stone Street Capital, LLC and The City of Green.