Bio

A partner at FisherBroyles, LLP, Joseph M. Saponaro focuses his practice primarily on real estate, business, and financing transactions. Serving clients in Ohio and various other states, he handles a wide variety of matters, including complex real estate transactions, including leasing, financing and development, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, succession planning, business disputes, contract negotiations, regulatory compliance, entity formation and strategic planning. An active participant in a variety of organizations, Mr. Saponaro is a member of the Real Estate Law Section of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association—he recently chaired the 37thAnnual Real Estate Law Institute, the 38th Annual Real Estate Law Institute and is slated to chair the 39th Annual Real Estate Law Institute in 2017. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, the Justinian Forum, the Lawyer’s Guild, the American Bar Association, and the Ohio State Bar Association. Mr. Saponaro has served as an acting judge on the Rocky River Municipal Court. Currently, Mr. Saponaro is Mayfield Village Council President and has been a Council Member for over 13 years, serving as the chair of the Finance Committee, as well as the Economic Development Committee and the Wage Review Committee. He is a member of the St. Ignatius Father’s Club and serves on the Board of The Fawcett Foundation/Cleveland Roots. Mr. Saponaro has authored: Choosing the Right Entity for Your Business, Builders Exchange Magazine; The Public Trust Doctrine and Submerged Lake Erie Lands in Ohio, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal; and Determining the Immunity “Measuring Stick”: The Impact of the Health Care Quality Improvement Act and Antitrust Laws on Immunity Aspects of Granting Privileges to Physician Assistants, 47-1 Clev. St. L. Rev., 115. He has been speaking and presenting on various real estate topics including financing, development, leasing, water rights, and environmental, as well as, New Lawyer Training at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association from 2007 through the present. Recognized by his fellow professionals for his legal acumen, Mr. Saponaro was recently named as 2017 Super Lawyer. He has received an AV Preeminent peer review rating through Martindale-Hubbell, and named as one of Cleveland’s Top Rated Lawyers in 2014-2016. Further, he was selected as the Outstanding Fellow at the Leadership Academy of Cleveland State University-Levin College of Urban Studies.