As a criminal defense attorney and Adjunct Professor of Law at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Gordon Friedman has developed a reputation as a defense attorney’s defense attorney.

He has been involved in litigation that has changed substantive law in Ohio. 

Through his brief and oral argument in State v. Lawrence, the Ohio Supreme Court reversed a capital death conviction and created a new standard for mental illness as a mitigating factor in capital cases.

Gordon was an assistant public defender with the Cleveland Legal Aid Society from 1967-1972. 

In May 2014, Gordon Friedman was the first recipient of the Judge Richard Markus Adjunct Faculty Award at Cleveland State University's Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. The award recognizes excellence in adjunct teaching and the importance of the practitioner-scholar perspective in law school education.

In 2009, Gordon Friedman received the Al Horn Memorial Award from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) Legal Committee for a "lifetime of ceaseless work to advance the cause of criminal justice".

After retirement he continues to teach at CM law, and is a member of the Cuyahoga Public Defenders Commission and Cleveland Community Police Commission.

EDUCATION 

George Washington University, J.D. (1967) 

Miami University, B.A. (1964)

Peer Review Ratings

Gordon Friedman is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell's Peer Review Ratings standards  with a 5.0 out of 5.0 Stars.

Key Cases

State v. Lawrence, 44 Ohio St. 3d 24 (1989): death sentence reversed

Jones v. Jago, 575 F.2d 1164, 6th Cir. (1978): extends discovery in federal court

Smith, et al. v. City of Lorain, et al., 857 F. Supp. 1203 (ND OH 1994) 

Bhola v. State of Ohio, 143 Ohio App. 3d 644 (2001): verdict against state for homicide in state mental hospital

BAR ADMISSIONS 

Ohio (1968) 

U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio (1969)

U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit (1968)

Professional Associations

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers 

American Civil Liberties Union

Cuyahoga County Public Defender Commission

The Innocence Project 

The NORML Legal Committee 

Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers 

William K. Thomas Inns of Court