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OVERVIEW & EXPERIENCE
As KJK’s Managing Partner, Jon leads the firm’s experienced team of attorneys and staff in serving a wide array of clients including privately held businesses, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations and high net-worth families.
With a sophisticated wealth and risk management practice, Jon manages hundreds of millions of dollars in assets for high net-worth families, including some of the Midwest’s leading philanthropic families. He also uses his business savvy and drive to win for the benefit of companies of all sizes, helping them mitigate risk and create blueprints for growth. Jon is an attorney to whom clients turn for bold leadership in times of crisis, as well as for strategic partnership for the future.
Jon also has comprehensive experience in real estate development, construction and property management, acquisition and financing of properties across the country, as well as construction agreements, construction financing and landlord-tenant agreements. Jon started his career as a litigator handling high-profile complex cases on behalf of publicly-traded companies. Today, he assists his privately-held clients in managing “bet the business” complex cases and investigations around the country.
A committed civic leader, Jon has worked on several major public-private projects. He spent ten years attempting to secure a national political convention and worked tirelessly on the prior unsuccessful bids in 2008 and 2012. In 2014, he authored the winning 345-page bid to ultimately host the 2016 Republican National Convention and served as the General Counsel, Secretary and Treasurer for the Host Committee. That civic spirit extends into his numerous board leadership roles and relentless drive to move Northeast Ohio forward.
Representative Experience
- Authored the winning 345-page bid to secure the 2016 Republican National Convention for the City of Cleveland and Host Committee Served as General Counsel and lead negotiator for the 2016 Republican National Convention negotiating more than 300 related contracts and authoring necessary authorizing legislation Serves as a fiduciary/trustee over hundreds of millions of dollars of liquid assets and real estate
- Built multi-million dollar capital stack and served as lead negotiator for public-private project to construct 200,000-square-foot world headquarters for a leading Cleveland corporation Structured several multi-million-dollar major gifts to and for charitable institutions, including a $42 million gift to construct a world-class cancer hospital
- Negotiated purchase or sale of multi-family properties in excess of $1 billion over career Negotiated mergers and acquisitions as well as public and private debt and equity financings for middle-market businesses through the Midwest Negotiated purchase or sale of retail real estate properties in excess of $500 million over career
- Represented some of the Midwest’s largest private employers in “bet the business” litigation and investigations, including successfully heading off an attempt by a competitor to unlawfully influence an investigation by the U.S. Attorney General Serves as general counsel and provides risk, estate, tax and wealth planning counsel to high net-worth families, managing hundreds of millions of dollars in client assets
- Defended a New York-based public company in a several hundred million dollar securities class action Served as one of the lead trial attorneys in the prosecution of a related high-profile malpractice claim against the company’s former “big four” auditor that resulted in a multi-million dollar out-of-court settlement that was covered by the Wall Street Journal and other major publications
- Served as general counsel for several major private-public projects and initiatives through the Northeast Ohio region
AWARDS & PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Awards
- Selected to The Best Lawyers in America®, Corporate Law, 2025
- Selected to Ohio Super Lawyers, 2016 – 2024
- Named to Crain’s Cleveland Business “Power 150,” 2020, 2022
- Named to Cleveland Magazine’s Cleveland 500, 2021
- Recipient of “Smart 50 Award,” 2016, 2020
- Named to Cleveland Magazine’s “Northeast Ohio’s Power 100,” recognizing the 100 most powerful people in Northeast Ohio, 2015 – 2018
- Named to Crain’s Cleveland Business “Who’s Who in Northeast Ohio,” 2017
- Selected to Ohio Rising Stars, 2009 – 2015
- University Hospital’s Distinguished Advisor Award, 2011
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
- The Eighth District Judicial Conference
- Life Member
- Order of the Barristers
- Member
- Order of the Coif
- Member
BAR / COURT ADMISSIONS
- Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
- Blue Coats (Cuyahoga County)
- Member
- Cleveland 2016 Host Committee, Inc.
- Board of Directors
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- General Counsel
- Cuyahoga Community College Foundation
- Board of Trustees
- Executive Committee
- Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Board of Visitors
- Member
- Destination Cleveland
- Board of Directors, Chair
- Executive Committee
- Treasurer
- General Counsel (appointed by Mayor Frank G. Jackson, City of Cleveland)
- FRONT Exhibition Company, Inc.
- Board of Directors
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- General Counsel
- Leadership Cleveland Class of 2018
- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
- Board of Trustees
MEDIA MENTIONS
- FOX Business Interviews Jon Pinney – The Long Road to Cleveland’s Convention
- CRAIN’S Cleveland Business article, “Meet key team members responsible for planning the RNC in Cleveland“
- Cleveland Magazine’s article, “Bid Wonder“
- Jon J. Pinney quoted in CRAIN’s Cleveland Business article, “How Geis Companies took action to ensure the RNC chose Cleveland”
- Inside Business article, “Power 100: Conventional Wisdom”
- Jon J. Pinney featured as Attorney of the Month on the front cover of Attorney at Law
- CRAIN’s Cleveland Business article, “Cleveland leaders see RNC setting the stage for the future”
- CRAIN’s Cleveland Business article, “Life after the RNC: What’s Next?”
- The Business Journal article, “RNC Concludes 10-Year Journey for Valley Native”
- Smart Business article, “It’s time to start a tough conversation about the region’s lagging jobs data”
- Cleveland.com article, “Strongsville approves retail center due to developer’s threat of lawsuit,” Dec. 19, 2017
- Cleveland.com article, “Strongsville City Council expected to vote next week on proposed retail center near SouthPark Mall,” Nov. 27, 2017
PRESENTATIONS & PUBLICATIONS
- “Personal View: It’s time to get to work to fix our economy,” Crain’s Cleveland Business, July 2018
- “It’s time for an economic development summit in Cleveland,” Smart Business, May 2018
- “It’s time to start a tough conversation about the region’s lagging jobs data,” Smart Business, Feb. 2018
- “Strategic Legal Update: How Far Will the Pendulum Swing,” HR Leadership Group, Jan. 19, 2017
- “Life after the RNC: What’s Next?” Crain’s Cleveland Business, Aug. 16, 2016
PRACTICE AREAS
EDUCATION
- Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, J.D., 2000
- John Carroll University, B.S., 1997