Michael L. Climaco

Michael L. Climaco is Counsel in the Cleveland office of Tucker Ellis & West. He is known for his representation of government entities in commercial, civil, and administrative matters. He has served as Special Counsel to four Ohio Attorneys General, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor, and the Auditor of State, along with cities throughout Northeast Ohio. As a member of Cleveland City Council (1972-76), Michael served as Chairman of the Legislation and Aviation and Airport and Lakefront Development Committees.  He served as Vice Chairman of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party (1974-78). Additionally, Michael served as Chairman of the Cleveland State University Board of Trustees (2002-03). Recently, Michael has become extensively involved in working with companies in the area of alternative power sources and advising companies in the region as to the extent and use of wind energy. He was a delegate to the Wind Energy Conference held in Houston in 2008 and Chicago in 2009.

Prior to joining Tucker Ellis & West, Mr. Climaco’s practice specialized in airport, real estate, and governmental law with an emphasis on economic development. He has played a major role in numerous development projects, including: The Gateway Development Corp., negotiating the initial leases with the Cleveland Indians and the Cavaliers, and Cleveland’s Cable Television Franchise (the first major fiber optic and most comprehensive and advanced cable television franchise package for a major city). His municipal law experience placed him in the specialized role of being the draftsman for the city of Cleveland’s last two franchises, including cable television and the city’s Thermal Energy Franchise. In addition, Michael was also involved in projects with Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and NASA Corporate Park, which won a national award for the development of approximately 600,000 square feet of office space and 2,000 jobs for various subcontractors of NASA.

In the mid 90s, Michael was able to successfully lobby the Ohio Legislature to commit eighty-five million dollars over three budgets, which allowed Cleveland State University to build a new law library, business school, and parking garage. In 2002, Michael represented the owner of a minor league class “A” affiliate of the Cleveland Indians to relocate its team from Columbus, Georgia to Eastlake, Ohio. He successfully negotiated a long term lease with the city and the development of a new baseball stadium which became home to the Lake Erie Captains.

Mr. Climaco was the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Award in 1995 and the 1992 Columbian Award as Greater Cleveland’s Man of the Year presented by the Federation of Italian-American Societies of Northern Ohio. He is presently a member and trustee of the Justinian Forum, an organization of Italian-American attorneys and judges, and a former Chair of the American Committee on Italian Migration. Additionally, he is a member of the NOIA Foundation, an organization that has raised and distributed more than five million dollars for charitable purposes throughout Greater Cleveland.

Michael and his wife, Karen, are the parents of two daughters, Christina, age 27, a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and Catherine, age 26, a graduate of The University of Arizona, in Tucson, Arizona.

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