Login | January 22, 2026
Tallmadge law firm marks a momentous anniversary
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: January 23, 2026
When attorney Robert Maguire first started his law office in Tallmadge in 1975, he had no idea how much the profession and his practice would evolve.
At the time, Maguire had a part-time assistant and handled a wide variety of matters.
“My rent was $50 a month and I wrote on a yellow pad,” said Maguire. “My secretary used a typewriter and Wite-Out. I remember when the IBM Selectric II came out how excited we were because you didn’t need Wite-Out.
“Today technology has completely changed the way we do things, which is a good thing because it saves a lot of time,” he said. “We have a website, and we are allowed to advertise. When I started practicing, legal advertising was forbidden.
“Other than our website, we don’t advertise, but the legal ability to do so has definitely changed our profession.”
But that’s not all that’s different.
The firm, now known as Maguire Schneckenburger Legal Group, has 10 attorneys, including Maguire, and a support staff of 13.
It handles matters ranging from estate planning, probate and trust administration and estate and trust litigation to family law, corporate/business, real estate and other civil matters.
Located at 190 East Ave., the firm marked its 50-year anniversary last November with a celebration at The Bank at East End in Akron.
“We had about 175 people at the event,” said Maguire. “I chose law because I wanted to help people and get involved in the community.
“Looking back on it now, it was the right choice,” said Maguire.
“Bob hired me as a law clerk during law school, and I have been here ever since in large part because of him,” said Nicholas Schneckenburger, who became managing partner in 2022 and has led the substantial growth of the firm alongside Maguire from that time on. “I think we’ve built something pretty special over the years, and it starts with Bob and goes all the way through each of our support staff.
“Bob has a great reputation. He’s known as a knowledgeable probate lawyer and I think that has played an important role in keeping the firm going over the decades,” said Schneckenburger, who focuses on estate/trust litigation and estate planning. “His approach to the law is very simple and to the point. He uses everyday language when drafting any document, but especially estate plans, which clients appreciate, and he takes a common-sense approach to representing clients.”
Maguire Schneckenburger Legal Group associate Amanda Zganjar has been working for the firm for about four years.
“I really enjoy what I’m doing,” said Zganjar, who handles probate, estates and adult guardianships. “I’ve learned a great deal from Bob and Nick, including the importance of writing my documents in a way that the clients can understand.
“Bob really cares about the people he represents,” she said. “He has done a lot of pro bono work as well.
“The attorneys and staff enjoy a good work-life balance, which is rare in my opinion,” said Zganjar.
“I’ve already let him and Nick know that I want to retire from this firm.”
A native of Akron, Maguire graduated from Buchtel High School and received his bachelor’s degree in history from California State University in Dominguez Hills.
He then returned to Ohio, where he earned his juris doctor from The University of Akron School of Law in 1975.
Maguire served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve from 1967-1974.
While he initially operated out of a small one-room office, in 1979 he moved to a bigger space next door in a historic home close to Tallmadge Circle.
As the firm continued to expand, Maguire purchased and renovated a vacant medical building on East Avenue, relocating the practice (then known as the Maguire Legal Group) in September 2001.
The firm officially changed its name to Maguire Schneckenburger in January 2022.
A member of the Ohio State, Akron, Florida and Collier County (Florida) bar associations, Maguire co-founded the Estate Planning Discussion Group, which is made up of estate planning lawyers in the greater Akron area that meet monthly to discuss timely issues in the practice area.
He is a referral attorney for Pro Seniors, a nonprofit that assists older Ohioans with legal and long-term care issues.
He also serves as an adjunct professor at Akron Law, where he teaches a drafting for estates course and received an adjunct professor of the year award.
Maguire previously taught law courses at Kent State University for 35 years to undergraduate and MBA students.
A longtime resident of Tallmadge, Maguire was appointed as an at-large member of the Tallmadge City Council in 2007. He remained on the council through 2013 when he was the council president.
Maguire said he is committed to giving back to the community.
He served as a trustee at the Tallmadge Library Association for 45 years and is the current vice president.
He’s also on the boards of Summit County Public Health and the Tallmadge Historical Society.
In addition, Maguire is a past vice president and former trustee at the Tallmadge Chamber of Commerce, served on the board of Warriors Journey Home and was a volunteer instructor for Street Law courses at Tallmadge High School, among other roles.
Though retirement is not on his radar, Maguire said he’s confident that when it is he will be leaving the firm in good hands.
“We’ve hired a lot of good people,” said Maguire. “I expect that we will continue to slowly grow. For us it’s more important that the people we bring in are a good fit. To me having a good work environment means more than making money.”