RICHARD T. ROBOL

ROBOL LAW OFFICE, LPA
433 West Sixth Avenue
Columbus, OH 43201
Toll Free: 877-580-6859
Phone: 614-737-3739      Fax: 614-737-3756
email: rrobol@robollaw.com      www.robollaw.com

EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE

Legal and Business Experience

Attorney in private practice with extensive trial, negotiating, appellate, research, counseling and drafting experience in civil litigation, contracts, commercial law, admiralty and maritime law (MLA Proctor in admiralty status), international law, utility law, intellectual property, corporate management and insurance law.  Multiple successful jury and non-jury trials in diverse litigation (contracts, antitrust, business injury, personal injury, international contract disputes, class action suits, insurance defense), e.g. winning largest salvage judgment in U.S. history.  Innovations in admiralty law described in New York Times Best Seller Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea.  Previously,  Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Columbus-America Discovery Group.  Management, planning, budgeting, security and media experience, including supervision of law firms and lawyers, engineers, paralegals, and outside contractors. Bars to which admitted: Supreme Court of the United States; District of Columbia Bar; Ohio State Bar; Virginia State Bar; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth, Sixth, Ninth and Eleventh Circuits; N.D.OH, S.D.OH, E.D. VA., W.D. VA.  Professional Associations: American Trial Lawyers Association, Maritime Law Association, Ohio State Bar Association, Columbus Bar Association. Who's Who in America; Who's Who in American Law; Register of Preeminent Attorneys, Who's Who Among Rising Young Americans; Two Thousand Notable American Men. Martindale-Hubbell Rating: AV.

Clerkship

• Law clerk to John A. MacKenzie, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, E.D.Va.
• Research and litigation experience in federal and state substantive and procedural law.  Work included U.S. District Court matters, appeals from Bankruptcy Court and Magistrate, and appeals at U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Military Service

• MAJ, USAR.  Experience focusing on instruction and/or practice in military leadership and history, operations, claims, administration, and legal assistance.  Primary support to Armor and Infantry.  Top Secret Clearance. 

EDUCATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

Law School

• Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts (J.D. 1978).
• Member, Board of Students Advisors.  Won Addison Brown Prize for Outstanding Treatise.  Served as Managing Editor, Harvard International Law Journal; Instructor in American Law, Harvard Law School International Tax Program; Coach and Director, Harvard Jessup Moot Court Program. Moot Court experience included: Harvard Jessup Moot Court- Best Team, Best Oralist; New England Regional Jessup Moot Court- Best Team, Best Brief, Second Best Oralist; U.S. National Jessup Moot Court- Third Best Brief, Fourth Best Oralist.

Fulbright

• University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
• Fulbright Scholar to Europe.  Corsi singoli in comparative law, international law, and international organization, residing in Collegio Ghislieri, Italy.  Spent summary in Paris, France.

College

• University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia (B.A. 1974).
• Graduated first in class of 2,000 (4.0 grade point average).  Course concentration in economics, government, and international relations.  Voted top novice debater on Virginia Debate Team.  Elected to Phi Eta Sigma Honorary Fraternity and to Phi Beta Kappa.  Won Class of 1953 Award for Scholastic Achievement.  Won Stevenson Prize for outstanding undergraduate thesis.  Echols Scholar.

DIRECTORSHIPS & RELATED OFFICES
(Current and Past)

• Philippe Cousteau Foundation, Board of Directors.
• Parents United Against Child Abuse, Pro bono counsel.
• National Council for Prevention of Child Abuse, Pro bono counsel.
• Virginia Opera Association Guild, Board of Directors.
• Worthington Presbyterian Church, Pro bono counsel.
• National Conference of Christians & Jews, Virginia, Board of Directors.

PUBLICATIONS

Articles

• Co-Author, “Ohio Citation Made Easy- Name Calling for Practitioners,” Columbus Bar Briefs (Spring, 2003).
• Co-Author, “Attorney Fee Forfeiture: Coming Soon to An Ohio Court Near You?” Columbus Bar Briefs (Winter, 2003).
• Co-Author, “Much Ado About Something: The Changing Landscape of Case Precedent,” Columbus Bar Briefs (November 2002).
• Co-Author, “Future Crime Exception:  The Lawyer’s Duty of Confidentiality,” Columbus Bar Briefs (October, 2002).
• “Five Rules of E-Commerce Law,” Columbus Chamber of Commerce Newsletter (November, 2001).
• “Admiralty Law in Classical Greek and Roman Literature,” J. Maritime Law & Commerce  (Spring 2000).
• “Legal Protection of Underwater Cultural Resources: Can We Do Better?”30 J. Maritime Law & Commerce 303 (1998).
• “The S.S. CENTRAL AMERICA Project: International Law and Individual Freedom,” 16 International Legal Practitioner 118 (1991).
• “Legal Protection of Information, Ideas and Discovery,” Proceedings, Marine Technology Society (1991).
• “Dredging, Ocean Dumping and the Law of Deep Ocean Discovery: An Overview,” 23 Proceedings, Texas A&M 72 (1990).
• “The Emerging Law of Deep Ocean Discovery,” 42 Harvard Law School Bulletin 20 (Winter 1991).
• “Legal Protection of Information for Shipwreck Discovery,” 2 Treasure Diver 60 (1990).
• Co-Author, “Admiralty Law and the S.S. CENTRAL AMERICA Project,” 2 Treasure Diver (1990).
• Co-Author, “International Litigation in Virginia: Extraterritorial Service of Process and Discovery,” 37 Virginia Lawyer 18 (1989).
• “Apportioning Contribution Among Joint Tortfeasors in Virginia,” 7 Virginia Bar Association Journal 14 (1981).
• Co-Author, “International Law: A Primer for the Practicing Attorney,” 30 Virginia Bar News 50 (1981).
• “Admiralty’s Adjudicatory Jurisdiction over Alien Defendants: A Functional Analysis,” 11 Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce 395 (1980).
• “Jurisdiction in the Aegean Sea Continental Shelf Case,” 18 Harvard International Law Journal 649 (1977).
• “The Emerging Law of Deep Ocean Discovery: An Overview,” 4 LOS Lieder 22 (1991).

Treatises

• Author, The Law of Ocean Science and Technology.
• Editor and Contributor, International Law for General Practitioners.
• Contributor, Interstate and International Aspects of Bankruptcy.
• Contributor, Confidentiality of Medical Records in Virginia.

TEACHING AND MAJOR SPEECHES

• Adjunct Professor of Military History, Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, (2000-2003).
• Adjunct Professor of Admiralty, University of Dayton School of Law, Dayton, Ohio, (2000-2001).
• Harvard Law School, International Tax Program, “Introduction to American Law,” Cambridge, Massachusetts (1977).
• Oceans 2000,  “The Law of Ocean Science and Technology, ” Providence, Rhode Island.
• University of Rhode Island, “Protecting Our Underwater Cultural Heritage: Can We Do Better?” Newport Rhode Island.
• Marine Technology Society, “Legal Protection of Information, Discovery and Ideas,” New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Harvard Club of New York, “Salvaging Sunken Treasure,” New York, New York.
• Marine Technology Society ROV Committee, “Telepossession and Telepresence,” Hollywood, Florida.
• Harvard Law School Forum, “From Radio Shack to Riches: NEMO The Robot and Recovery of the SS Central America” Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• University of Baltimore Law School, “Deep Ocean Exploration and the Law of Salvage,” Baltimore, Maryland.
• College of William and Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law, “The Emerging Law of Deep Ocean Discovery,” Williamsburg, Virginia.
• Virginia Defense Force, “War Crimes and the Law of Land Warfare,” Richmond, Virginia.
• Association of Diving Contractors, “The Law and Underwater Exploration,” New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Pace University Law School, “Treasure Salvage and the SS Central America,” White Plains, New York.
• Western Dredging Association, “Ocean Dumping and Dredging,” Virginia Beach, Virginia.
• Marine Technology Society, “The Emerging Law of Deep Ocean Discovery,” Washington, D.C.
• International Shipwreck Convention, “Legal Protection of Confidential Information forr Shipwreck Discovery,” Key West, Florida.
• Seas ‘89, “The Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987,” Norfolk, Virginia.
• Lorman Business Center, “Confidentiality of Medical Records:  Legal Implications of  Aids,”  Virginia Beach, Virginia.
• Virginia State Bar, “International Litigation: An Introduction,” Washington, D.C.
• Virginia State Bar, “International Litigation and Bankruptcy,” Virginia Beach, Virginia.

MAJOR TELEVISION AND VIDEO APPEARANCES

• NBC - “Trial Watch.”
• The Discovery Channel - “Treasures of a Lost Voyage.”
• ABC - “Good Morning America.”
• PBS - “MacNeil - Lehrer News Hour.”
• CBS - “The Evening News with Dan Rather.”
• CNN - “Headline News.”
• The Discovery Channel, Interactive Video, “Treasures of a Lost Voyage: A History Mystery.”