Login | April 30, 2025
Stark & Knoll adds attorneys; promotes longtime associate
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: March 11, 2020
Stark & Knoll recently hired two additional attorneys and promoted an associate as the firm continues to grow its legal team and expand client services.
In January, associate Alexandra (Ali) Nienaber joined the litigation & employment group and associate Lewis (Trey) Bennett III was elevated to partner.
The firm also acquired a seasoned business succession and estate planning partner, Lesley A. Weigand, who became a member of the business services and estate planning & probate groups effective Jan. 1.
A native of Barberton, Weigand has been practicing for 24 years.
She said she is excited to return to Summit County, where she will use her skill set to help families transition their businesses from generation to generation, assisting them with everything from strategic planning and tax matters to the more sensitive interpersonal issues that come with working in a family business.
“I really enjoy the personal touch that is ingrained in my practice area,” said Weigand. “My clients view me as a trusted advisor. I am not only involved with their traditional legal and business issues but also am invited to sit on their company boards, celebrate their achievements and tackle their problems.
“Stark & Knoll has a very similar philosophy and approach to the practice of law so our practices complement one another.”
Weigand holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In 1996, she received her JD/MTax (Master of Taxation) degree from The University of Akron School of Law and UA’s College of Business Administration.
She began her career as a litigator at Harry A. Tipping Co., transitioning to the law firm Wegman Hessler in Cleveland to focus on corporate transactional and estate planning matters.
Weigand, who lives in Bath Township with her husband and their two school-aged children said she plans to continue working with families and businesses for many years into the future.
“The best thing a client can say is ‘I feel so much better after having spoken to you,’” said Weigand. “There is no better feeling in the world than to make a difference in someone’s life.”
In addition to her legal work, Weigand said she believes it’s important to contribute to the community.
She is a former board member at Our Lady of the Elms, where she attended high school and continues to assist with fundraising efforts. She also serves as legal counsel for the Ralph L. & Florence A. Bernard Foundation in Akron, which provides scholarships to advance Catholic education primarily in the Summit County area.
Weigand is an active member of St. Hilary Catholic Church in Fairlawn.
She was recently invited to join Bluecoats Inc., a nonprofit organization comprised of Summit County community leaders who support the morale and well-being of the area’s safety forces by providing financial aid to the men and women who become disabled in the line of duty and to dependents of those who lose their lives.
“We are thrilled to welcome Lesley to our firm,” said Stark & Knoll Managing Partner John Krajewski. “It is really her homecoming since she is from Summit County, was educated here and had her first legal job in the county.
“She worked many years in Cleveland representing families and family businesses, which fits in perfectly with what we do here. She has a great reputation in the community and we couldn’t be happier to bring her on board.”
Bennett has been working at Stark & Knoll since January 2013. He became a partner at the start of 2020.
He grew up in Hudson, Ohio and attended Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he received his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a pre-law concentration.
Bennett obtained his juris doctorate from The University of Akron School of Law. He also earned a Master of Taxation from UA’s College of Business Administration.
He began working at Stark & Knoll as a law clerk, becoming an associate after he passed the bar.
“When I was at Akron Law I also clerked for Roderick Linton Belfance partner Ron Lembright,” said Bennett. “When Ron joined Stark & Knoll, he brought me with him.
“I have wanted to be a lawyer since high school, but I knew I did not want to primarily do litigation. Estate planning and probate work is a good fit for me because it allows me to do a different type of problem-solving for my clients. Unlike transactional work, the relationship does not end once the issues are resolved. In most cases, it is ongoing. I get to know the clients, their children and see them grow while assisting them with their continuing needs.
“Stark & Knoll already has a fairly large estate planning group,” he said. “My goal is to assist in expanding the group, steward existing clients and develop my own book of business.”
“I couldn’t be happier to call Trey my partner,” said Krajewski. “Trey has worked incredibly hard for our clients since he first started here directly after finishing law school. He has developed a wonderful skill set and way with clients. He has a very bright future here at Stark & Knoll.”
Bennett currently resides in the village of Peninsula with his wife Rachel, their six-year-old son Nolan and their eight-month-old daughter Quinn.
He serves as secretary of the board of trustees and heads the human resources committee at the Ronald McDonald House of Akron.
He also sits on the Akron Community Foundation Professional Advisor Council and on Summa’s Charles Deering Legacy Advisor Leadership Council.
“Giving back is very important to me,” he said. “I have been given so much and it would be a waste of my talent if I did not use those resources to assist others.
“My wife and son help serve meals at the Ronald McDonald House annually,” said Bennett. “My goal is to instill the importance of helping others in my children.”
Nienaber started as an associate at Stark & Knoll on Jan. 6.
She grew up in Birch Run, Michigan, receiving her bachelor’s degree in applied speech communication from Ferris State University.
After graduating from Michigan State University (MSU) College of Law in 2016, she completed a fellowship at LegalRnD at MSU Law’s Center for Law, Technology & Innovation, where she worked on research and development of delivery tools designed to improve the efficiency of the profession and led innovation workshops.
Prior to joining Stark & Knoll, she was an associate at Koehler Fitzgerald in Cleveland, where she defended individual members of self-insured plans in out-of-network litigation cases.
At Stark & Knoll, she focuses on litigation involving business and commercial issues, labor and employment law and insurance defense.
“We are happy to have Ali on board,” said Krajewski. “She will get the chance to develop her skill set by working with some of the best litigators in northeast Ohio.”
“I knew from an early age that the legal profession was a good fit for me,” said Nienaber. “I enjoy analyzing and developing strategies to help my clients. My work also allows me to learn something new each day.
“I chose litigation because I enjoy the courtroom experience,” she said. “In high school, I was on the forensics team and in college I was on the debate team. In law school, I was a member of the moot court trial board and the Trial Practice Institute.
“As a litigator, I use my public speaking experience to make a case for my client in front of a judge or jury.”
Nienaber, who lives in Lakewood, now volunteers as a mock trial coach. Last year she worked with a team at Collinwood High School in Cleveland.
“I believe public speaking is such an important skill for students to learn,” she said. “Last year two of my students got internships based on their performance at the last competition. One of those students told me he wants to be a lawyer.”
She said she hopes to coach the team at Collinwood again this year.
At Stark & Knoll Nienaber said she plans to hone her litigation skills, while gaining as much experience as possible.
“There are so many facets to litigation and Stark & Knoll provides a nurturing environment for young attorneys such as myself,” said Nienaber. “I am now working with two female partners who started here as associates. It’s an excellent opportunity to work with female role models, especially since there are not as many female litigators in this profession and Stark & Knoll seeks to nurture that talent.”