Lawrence J. Dolan, Retired Attorney and Owner and CEO of the Cleveland Indians Baseball Club, was selected as the 2014 recipient of the prestigious St. Thomas More Award by the Catholic Lawyers Guild of the Diocese of Cleveland.
The Catholic Lawyers Guild presents the St. Thomas More Award every year in honor of the patron saint of lawyers to a distinguished member of the legal community for contributing to high ethical standards and spiritual growth in the practice of law. The award will be presented on October 17, 2014 at a luncheon at the Cleveland Convention Center following the Annual Red Mass for the legal community at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
Mr. Dolan is a graduate of St. Ignatius High School and the University of Notre Dame, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in 1955 and his Law Degree in 1956.
Following law school, Mr. Dolan enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served for two years as First Lieutenant. Upon his discharge, he began working as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Geauga County.
From there he went into private practice, eventually becoming President and Managing Partner of Thrasher, Dinsmore and Dolan in Chardon, Ohio. To this day he maintains an office at the 85-year-old firm where his son, Matthew, is a principal. In 2000, Mr. Dolan purchased the Cleveland Indians Baseball Club and has provided steady leadership of the team for more than two decades.
Mr. Dolan was involved in a number of civic initiatives, including the Greater Cleveland Growth Association. He is an honorary board member for the Catholic Community Foundation and the Catholic Charities Corporation; past President of the Geauga County Chapter of the American Red Cross; former Trustee of Oberlin College; and was the Founder and past President of the Geauga County Public Library Foundation.
While Owner of the Indians, he was on the Major League Baseball Ownership Committee and Executive Council, Co-Chair of the MLB Diversity Committee and was one of two Owners’ representatives throughout the 2006 collective bargaining.
He and his wife Eva, also a lawyer, have been married for 57 years and have six children (Paul, Mark, Matthew, Mary, Joan and Carol) and 17 grandchildren. They reside in Chagrin Falls and are members of Holy Angels Parish.
The criteria that were considered by the Catholic Lawyers Guild Executive Committee in determining this year’s award recipient include the following:
-Fosters spiritual growth in fellowship through the legal community;
-Enhances appreciation for an observance of high ethical standards in the practice of law;
-Encourages attentiveness among lawyers to legal and societal issues that affect morality, justice and faith;
-Exemplifies the qualities of St. Thomas More; and
-Demonstrates other outstanding qualities or examples of service to the community and/or the legal profession.
The award is named for St. Thomas More, an English statesman who served as Chancellor under the reign of Henry VIII (1478 – 1535). In 1935, Sir Thomas More was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church and is considered the patron saint of lawyers because he served with integrity and held onto his values in spite of fierce resistance.
Past recipients of the St. Thomas More Award include the Honorable Richard McGonagle, Robert Maynard, Geoffrey Mearns, the Honorable Leo M. Spellacy, Sr. and Geralyn M. Presti.
For information or to make a reservation for this year’s Red Mass and Luncheon on October 17, 2014, please call Colleen Rigo at 216-696-6525, ext. 4080.
October 6, 2014