Plevin & Gallucci, L.P.A. is proud to announce that managing partner Frank L. Gallucci III was recently named 2023 Alumnus of the Year by the Cleveland State University College of Law Alumni Association. Frank is a 2000 graduate of the College of Law, formerly known as Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
Law runs in Frank’s blood. His father, Frank Jr., ran a solo practice representing injured workers that he started from the warehouse of Gallucci’s Italian Foods, a family-owned business. When Frank Jr. passed away in 1996, his son was not about to let his father’s firm fail. Frank III took over the firm at the age of 20 and began running it full-time after he completed law school and passed the Ohio Bar. A few years later, he partnered with long-time friend and legal legend Leon Plevin to form Plevin & Gallucci.
Under Frank’s leadership, Plevin & Gallucci has become one of the most respected plaintiff law firms in Ohio, advocating for clients in wrongful death, industrial accidents, and other personal injury matters.
During the national opioid crisis, Frank was a key member of the legal team representing Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in the first bellwether trial of the multidistrict litigation brought against opioid manufacturers. He went on to represent several other Ohio counties and cities and hospitals from other states. So far, the team has recovered over $1 billion for communities across Ohio from manufacturers and distributors, and over $40 billion for communities nationally.
Frank sees the opioid trials as an opportunity to prevent future deaths and help communities offer services for addiction recovery and prevention. He is continuing this fight as co-counsel in two more upcoming bellwether trials.
Frank has earned a national reputation for expertise in civil litigation claims and has repeatedly been named to the list of Super Lawyers® in Ohio, including the Top 100 in Ohio and Top 50 in Cleveland. He was selected by The National Trial Lawyers as one of the Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyers in Ohio and by Crain’s Cleveland Business as one of its 40 Under 40 most successful business and community leaders in Northeast Ohio.
M. Turner, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, Lee Fisher, Dean and Professor of Law, Cleveland
State University College of Law
Frank is respected inside and outside the courtroom. He was President of the Council of Presidents of the American Association for Justice. He is Past President of the Ohio Association for Justice (OAJ), the youngest president in the organization’s history. He was named by The National Trial Lawyers as one of their Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyers in Ohio and is a lifetime member of the Multimillion Dollar Advocates Forum, whose members have received verdicts or settlements of eight figures or more.
He credits the Cleveland State University College of Law with giving him the tools, mentoring, and education to become successful in the legal profession and he has paid it forward as a participant in the Alumni Association’s Mentor Program. When asked about the Alumnus of the Year Award, he said, “It is humbling to receive this honor knowing how many graduates of our law school do incredible work, day-in and day-out, on behalf of their clients and community. I am receiving the credit and recognition for the hard work of everyone at Plevin & Gallucci, many of whom are also CSU|LAW graduates.”
Congratulations on this well-earned honor, Frank!
