Gregory D. Swope

Greg has lived in Dover since 1995. He is originally from Akron. Greg joined Fitzpatrick, Zimmerman & Rose in October, 2018, after almost 18 years as an attorney for another Canton/New Philadelphia law firm.

Greg’s practice areas include family law, general litigation, commercial litigation, creditor’s rights/collections, bankruptcy (representing creditors), banking law, and landlord/tenant law. Greg has extensive experience representing banks in various matters, including loan work outs, loan documentation, foreclosures, collections, and as a creditor in the United States Bankruptcy Court. He also has much experience representing creditors other than banks in bankruptcy matters, such as non-discharge cases and preference complaints. He has litigated cases at all levels of Ohio’s courts, including the Ohio Supreme Court, where he successfully challenged and defeated the State of Ohio’s attempt to levy taxes against a store operated by the Girl Scout’s Great Trail Council, where it sold uniforms and merit badges to Girl Scouts.

Greg earned his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Akron School of law in 1995. Prior to that, he was a newspaper reporter for six years, four of them for a newspaper in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., where he earned three Virginia Press Association Awards for his reporting, including a first place for Spot News reporting. He also spent one year reporting on the Virginia Legislature from Richmond. Greg enjoys watching some of his former colleagues’ and sources’ appearances on cable news shows. He earned his News/Ed Journalism Degree from Kent State University.

Greg is involved in the community currently as the treasurer of the Tri-County Soccer League and a regular coach for the Dover Soccer Association. Greg also served on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio for six years, and was its president for 18 months. He has also been a regular participant in Tuscarawas County’s Legal Aid Clinic.

Greg lives in Dover with his wife, Judy, and their two children, Max and Julia.

e-mail: gswope@fzrlaw.com

Practice Areas

Business Law
Contract Law
Family Law
Divorces and Dissolutions
Probate Law
Wills
Trusts
Real Estate Law
Real Estate Transactions
Real Estate Disputes
Government Entity Counsel
Collections, Foreclosures, Banking

Education

Juris Doctorate Degree, University of Akron School of Law, 1995
BA in Journalism, Kent State University

Legal Affiliations

Tuscarawas County Bar Association
Stark County Bar Association
Ohio Bar Association

Community Involvement

Treasurer, Tri-County Soccer League since 2010
Dover Soccer Association coach
Past Board Member and President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio.

Family

Greg lives in Dover with his wife, Judy, and their two children, Max and Julia.