Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston, Ltd

Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston traces its roots to the time of the Civil War, when Lyman Critchfield served as Attorney General of Ohio. His son, Lyman Critchfield, Jr., practiced in Wooster for many years and served a term as Judge for the Wayne County Common Pleas Court in the early 20th Century. His sons, Robert and Henry, joined with their father upon completion of law school in the 1920s, joined for a time by John McSweeney who also served five terms as a Member of Congress. The firm as presently constituted emerged after World War II when Bob and Hank Critchfield enticed John Johnston, Jr. to return to Wooster after the war and join them in what became Critchfield, Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston. Their promise to John was that they would build a firm unique to a small city, growing a sophisticated practice and learning new areas of the law. They would grow personally and professionally and undertake what their clients needed, rather than refer more complicated matters to the "big city", as was (and remains) the norm for most firms in small towns. That model remains in place today.

Critchfield, Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston grew over the years and in 1986 the opportunity arose to merge with the Schuler Law Firm in Millersburg, representing the first expansion of the firm into another city. This also seemed like a good time to shorten the firm name to Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston. The model of sharing expertise and technology among offices was successful, and in 1999 the firm expanded by opening an office in Medina. That success led to the opportunity to be joined by the attorneys of Zeller, Ritter & Rose in Mount Vernon in 2000, thus creating our fourth location. Most recently, the firm opened its fifth office in 2013 when Jack Vanosdall, formerly of the firm Henderson, Harpster & Vanosdall, joined the firm in Ashland. All five offices share the most modern technology and communicate with one another seamlessly and efficiently.

In each of the cities in which we operate, we are dedicated to being actively engaged in the civic life of the community. Critchfield attorneys serve on countless boards and committees, providing leadership and support for a wide range of organizations. We hire attorneys who care about where they live.

Practice Areas	No. of Attorneys
Corporate	10
Labor & Employment	3
Litigation	7
Trusts and Estates	6