Christian R. Patno is a strategic Principal with McCarthy Lebit. With over 27 years of distinguished, complex trial experience, he oversees the personal injury practice at the Firm. Mr. Patno focuses on catastrophic personal injury, medical malpractice, defamation and wrongful death matters. His unique skills and vast experience provide him with the ability to organize and process highly technical information in a simple way for juries to understand. Mr. Patno has litigated matters not only in many states of the United States, but also as far away as Italy and Puerto Rico. He has dedicated his career and utilized the extensive knowledge gained to not only help clients in court, but just as importantly, to educate manufacturers, employers and property owners of the unique dangers which exist in their environment and how to protect against them. Through litigation, Mr. Patno has actually caused companies and medical providers to implement and change their safety practices so that injuries similar to those in the litigation do not ever happen in the future. He is often sought as a speaker and educator to state and local trial lawyer organizations on litigation, trial preparation and trial advocacy issues. Mr. Patno is also a Supreme Court Certified Mentor, who each year, mentors a recent law school graduate new to the bar. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the Ohio Association for Justice, and is President of the Cleveland Academy of Trial Attorneys. He is a member of the Negligence Committee of the Ohio State Bar Association and Medical Malpractice Chair for the Ohio Association for Justice.. Mr. Patno is also a Diplomat Trial Advocate certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
Since 1995, Mr. Patno is personally responsible for obtaining at least 28 jury verdicts and/or settlements on behalf of his clients in excess of $1 Million. Twelve of those results have been at or above $2 Million. To date, the highest monetary award Mr. Patno has reached on behalf of a client is $39 Million, resulting from a record-setting unanimous jury verdict in 2014. Yet, the highest success viewed by Mr. Patno focuses on the changes he has caused over his career that will prevent future injury. As a father, insuring the safety of innocent children has been a paramount concern of his, both professionally as well as in the home environment. He has volunteered his time on many occasions to speak with organizations, professionals, and students concerning issues of safety. Many of his cases have obtained print and televised media exposure and he is a frequent media legal commentator.
Mr. Patno has been repeatedly selected by his peers of lawyers to the Ohio Super Lawyers® Ohio Top 10, the Ohio Super Lawyers® Cleveland Top 5 and The Best Lawyers in America©. He has had the distinction of being named to Ohio Super Lawyers® since the inception of this recognition. Mr. Patno has also been recognized by The American Trial Lawyers Association as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer and is recognized as a diplomat with The Litigation Counsel of America. He is also top-rated as AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® for both his professional ability and high ethical standards and has repeatedly been recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America by Best Lawyers®. Mr. Patno was also recently invited into the highly select International Society of Barristers® as a fellow. Finally, Mr. Patno is a Diplomat Trial Advocate certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and a member of The Million Dollar Advocates Forum.