Login | December 24, 2024
Family and colleagues remember HHM attorney Neil D. Schor
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: January 4, 2024
A dedicated and compassionate attorney, Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell (HHM) Member Neil D. Schor spent his entire career working at the firm, diligently representing his clients while treating the other side with respect and consideration, said his longtime colleague and friend HHM Member John Dellick.
“The nice thing about Neil was he was very kindhearted and tried to avoid harming the other party, while at the same time being a strong advocate for his client,” said Dellick. “Opposing counsel complimented his ability to balance his duties while treating everyone well.”
Outside of the firm, Schor was known for giving back to the legal profession, the community and his synagogue, serving on numerous committees and boards over the years.
“If there was something that needed to be done or someone who needed his help, Neil would not hesitate to volunteer his time,” said Dellick.
But no matter how busy he was, his eldest daughter Alyssa Schor said her father never failed to be there for his family.
“My dad did whatever he could to support me and my younger sister throughout our lives,” said Alyssa. “He showed up to almost all of our swim meets, karate tournaments, tennis matches, band and orchestra performances.
“He was a lifelong fan of the Cleveland Browns and University of Michigan football and basketball,” said Alyssa. “He passed that enthusiasm on to his family. When I was at Indiana University, he would come visit when Michigan was playing a game at Bloomington. After I moved to Chicago, he often liked to visit when one of his favorite teams was playing a game in town.
“My dad tried to package all the things that he cared about at once so that he could do the things he loved with the people he loved,” said Alyssa.
On Oct. 19, 2023 Schor passed away peacefully at his home while surrounded by his family, less than two months after turning 60.
“My dad was a very special person,” said Alyssa. “He had a welcoming presence and a great sense of humor. He made friends at every stage of his life and never failed to show up for the people he cared about.
“He was not the type to sit around,” she said. “He took advantage of every opportunity that came his way and got involved whenever he could. I inherited a lot of his traits, like being active in my workplace and my community.”
Schor’s former longtime legal assistant Karen Morris described him as an “upbeat and positive person,” who was very generous with his time.
“Neil had a hectic schedule, but he always made time to talk to people and make them feel special,” said Morris. “He related well to people and could recall important details in their lives.
“He was a truly compassionate and caring individual,” said Morris. “He would say family comes first. He was very involved in his children’s lives.”
Born in Cleveland on Aug. 28, 1963, he was the youngest of Rudolph and Rosalind Schor’s three children.
A graduate of Beachwood High School, Schor obtained his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan in 1986.
While at Michigan, he met his future wife, Harriet Lemberger during one of her sorority functions. They were married on April 28, 1990 and had two daughters, Alyssa and Meryl.
“My parents were always there to support each other through the ups and downs,” said Alyssa.
After earning his juris doctorate from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1989, Schor began his career at the firm now known as Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell.
He worked out of the firm’s Youngstown office and primarily focused on civil litigation, representing many public sector clients.
Schor became a partner at the firm in 1998.
During the latter part of his career, Schor handled a lot of creditors’ rights cases.
“Neil was a very good guy who was extremely passionate about what he did,” said Kevin Murphy, managing member of Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell. “Everybody at the firm liked him.”
From 2015-2020, Schor served on Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell’s management committee.
“He was also involved in our associate recruitment and development committees and he gave back to the community,” said Murphy.
“Neil was someone who knew how to maintain a good work-life balance,” said Murphy.
“Unfortunately around mid-April he became ill and was unable to come back to work," said Murphy. “He is missed.”
“It’s been a very sad period here at the firm,” said Dellick. “Neil’s decline was a lot quicker than we could have anticipated, but he kept his head up through it all.”
Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchel Member Marty Boetcher knew Schor for over 30 years.
“Neil joined one of our predecessor firms about two years after I did,” said Boetcher, who focuses on employment law, civil litigation and workers’ compensation matters. “Neil was very bright, hard working and an all-around good guy.
“Neil enjoyed the practice of law and helping out his clients,” said Boetcher.
“We would always tease Neil about which football team he would be supporting since he went to Michigan for his undergraduate studies and Ohio State for law school,” said Boetcher. “We were big Ohio State fans at the firm and Neil almost always rooted for Michigan.
“I remember one time early in his career that he and another associate did a rap song about our senior partners that included their idiosyncrasies,” said Boetcher. “It was really funny. They performed it at an outside work function. Everyone liked it, including the senior partners who were the subject of the rap.”
A longtime member of the Mahoning County Bar Association, Schor served on the admissions and memorial committees.
He was also a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Nathaniel R. Jones American Inn of Court and the Northern District of Ohio Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, where he spent many years on the board.
From 2012-2019 Schor served on the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on Continuing Legal Education.
A resident of Liberty Township, Schor was an active member of Temple El Emeth.
He was on the board for over 25 years and together with his wife Harriet served as co-president from 2016-2018. He was also on multiple committees and was the synagogue’s representative at the Commission for Jewish Education.
Additionally Schor served on the boards of the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown, the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.
From 2012-2023, Schor was president of the Aaron Grossman Lodge of B’nai B’rith.
His dedication to the Youngstown Jewish community earned him the Abe Harshman Leadership Award from the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation in 2013.
Schor was president-elect of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation in 2022 and was to begin his term as president in 2023, but was unable to do so because he became ill.
In addition to his commitment to the Jewish community, Schor served on the boards of The Youngstown Playhouse, Stambaugh Auditorium and Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley. He was also a member of the government affairs council at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.
A Leadership Mahoning Valley Class of 2000 graduate, Schor joined the organization’s board in 2015 and chaired its annual Justice Day.
As a die-hard Browns and University of Michigan football and basketball fan, Schor’s daughter said he went the extra mile to keep up with their scores and any news about the teams, even “sneaking technology” into unrelated events to keep track of the games.
His daughter said Schor made a point of keeping up with current events and was a music enthusiast, attending concerts and listening to the weekly Top 40 countdowns from the ‘70s and ‘80s.
“Dad had a way of lifting people up and helping them face challenging moments,” said Alyssa. “More recently, he relied on this strength when he was experiencing his own health issues.
“His sense of humor never wavered,” said Alyssa. “He faced his struggles with dignity and courage.”
Services were held for Schor on Oct. 22 at Shriver-Allison-Courtley-Weller-King Funeral Home in Youngstown, followed by interment at Anshe Emeth Cemetery.
Schor is survived by his sisters Eileen Seiger and Lori Ulanow, wife Harriet Schor, sister-in-law Margo Lemberger, daughters Alyssa Schor and Meryl Schor and future son-in-law Connor Begle.
He was preceded in death by his parents Rudolph and Rosalind Schor.