Industries

Admissions

  • Ohio, 1977
  • U.S. Tax Court, 1978

Education

The Ohio State University, JD, 1977

The Ohio State University, BA (psychology), 1974

Profile

“Every day, juries, mediators and judges listen attentively to the evidence and the arguments of lawyers, make determinations of witness credibility, follow the law, and apply their common sense to decide issues of liability and damages.”

With more than 46 years of experience handling complex litigation, Stephen E. Chappelear knows the value of presenting evidence and arguments in a manner that is understandable and compelling, whether that is to a jury, judge or arbitrator.  He has represented clients in many industries, such as financial, real estate, energy, manufacturing, education and government, on legal issues including:

  • breach of contract;
  • breach of fiduciary duty;
  • close corporation and partnership control;
  • construction delay and defect claims;
  • contract interpretation;
  • eminent domain;
  • employment discrimination claims;
  • lender liability;
  • oil and gas title disputes;
  • patents, trademarks and trade secrets;
  • real estate title disputes;
  • restrictive covenants;
  • sale of goods;
  • securities;
  • tax;
  • trusts and estates; and
  • unfair competition.

Additionally, Mr. Chappelear acts as an expert witness regarding attorney conduct and serves as a mediator and arbitrator.   A prolific author and frequent speaker, he wrote five books analyzing jury trials in Franklin County as well as more than 80 articles on various legal subjects including trial advocacy, techniques and professionalism.

OSU sports, wrestling and genealogy are interests that Mr. Chappelear enjoys.  He wrestled at both the high school and college Big 10 levels and was an assistant high school wrestling coach, winning a state championship.  In addition to his legal volumes, Mr. Chappelear has written six books on his family’s history.  He and his wife Sharon reside in Pataskala.