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Representing individuals and families throughout Northwest Ohio

For more than 35 years, attorneys Charles Contrada and Carol Contrada have been representing clients in Toledo, Sylvania and all of Northwest Ohio, in addition to parts of Michigan. If you suffered an injury due to the negligence of someone else, we can help. In 1990, we founded Contrada & Associates to serve a wide range of clients with their personal injury issues stemming from auto accidents, workplace injuries, mesothelioma and other causes. Our attorneys are completely dedicated to helping clients recover damages and receive the monetary compensation they need to progress with their lives. Learn more about our individual attorneys below.

Contact a team of veteran personal injury attorneys today

In the event that you or a loved one has been injured by a negligent party, you need an experienced attorney to fight for the compensation you deserve. Call Contrada & Associates today at 419.841.4400 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation about your personal injury case. If you cannot come to our Sylvania office, we can visit you at your home or at the hospital.


contrada_bio_charlieCharles V. Contrada

Attorney Charles V. Contrada has been practicing law since 1979. In that time, he has handled thousands of cases and has handled injury cases throughout his career, including personal injury, auto accident, defective product and mesothelioma cases. Over the years, Charlie has secured numerous multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts for clients all across Northwest Ohio and parts of Michigan.

Read below to get to know Charlie and learn why he chose to practice law and devote his life to helping others.

What about practicing the law made you choose this profession?

Charlie: I didn’t have any close friends or family members who were lawyers, but I knew lawyers helped people in their lives and work, and that’s what I wanted to do. Being involved in law school classes and working as a clerk and bailiff in the courts led me to want to practice as a trial lawyer.

What made you go into personal injury?

Charlie:  Like many people who go into the legal profession, I originally wanted to practice criminal law. I wanted to protect the innocent. However, while I was in law school, several job opportunities opened up. First, I was a clerk in the Domestic Relations Court while attending law school at night. Later, Judge Pietrykowski was looking for a Civil bailiff and I was hired to work in the General Division of the Lucas County Common Pleas Court.

Seeing the challenges families faced in Domestic Relations Court inspired me to make personal injury law my career—watching great trial attorneys bring justice to people and families injured through no fault of their own.

Why did you decide to stay in Toledo vs. a bigger city?

Charlie: Carol and I are both from Toledo. We love Toledo and the people here. We were married while in law school at UT and our families are here. We have close ties to the community. Carol graduated college with honors and she was attending night law school while working as a tenured English teacher at Whitmer High School. She later got a job practicing law at a firm in downtown Toledo.

When you are young and trying to build a law practice, it is much easier to do so when you already have made connections in the legal community and have the support of close friends and family. I had come to know most of the civil lawyers in Lucas County while working as a clerk in the Domestic Court and as a bailiff in Common Pleas Court. The connections I made there have proved invaluable.

How have you been involved in your community outside of your work?

Charlie: Carol and I have always been involved in our communities and our children’s schools. Carol has also been elected as a Sylvania Township Trustee and a Lucas County Commissioner and served on many other boards and committees. I’ve appeared on “Ask The Expert” for WTOL News 11, providing confidential e-mail responses to legal inquires about personal injury cases at no cost.

I have particularly enjoyed volunteering for community activities involving sports and recreation. I served on the Sylvania Area Recreation District for 12 years and was Chairman for five years. I feel like I’m carrying on a family tradition—my father, Vince Contrada, was the first Athletic Director at Rogers High School and was Head of Recreation for Adams Township before it became part of the City of Toledo.

During my tenure as Chairman of Sylvania Recreation, our Board purchased extensive property additions to Pacesetter Park, modernized the Memorial Park field and added parking. In addition, we began the revitalization of Centennial Terrace and built the Tam O’Shanter ice center’s Field House addition.

Practice areas

  • Personal injury
  • Car accidents
  • Truck accidents
  • Motorcycle accidents
  • Mesothelioma

Admissions

  • Ohio, 1979
  • Michigan, 1980
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, 1979
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1980

Certifications

  • Civil Trial Advocacy Specialist, National Board of Trial Advocacy
  • Civil Practice Advocacy Certification

Honors

  • AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®
  • Listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers™
  • Listed among the top five percent of  Ohio practicing attorneys in Ohio Super Lawyers
  • Million Dollar Advocates Forum

Education

  • J.D., University of Toledo College of Law, 1978
  • B.A., Kenyon College, 1973

Professional associations and memberships

  • Ohio Association for Justice (formerly Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers)
  • American Association for Justice
  • Toledo Bar Association
  • Toledo Area Trial Lawyers Association, past president
  • Ohio State Bar Association
  • University of Toledo Law Alumni Association, past president, Board of Governors
  • Toledo Law Association, Board of Trustees

Community involvement

  • WTOL-TV “Ask the Expert” program, providing confidential email responses to legal inquiries about personal injury cases at no cost
  • Sylvania Area Joint Recreation District, past chairperson, five years; board member, 12 years
  • Sylvania Community Services, past member, Board of Trustees
  • Past guest host for BCSN-TV “Rant and Rage” program, providing weekly commentary on legal topics in sports

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contrada_bio_carolCarol A. Contrada

Since 1979, Attorney Carol A. Contrada has been practicing law throughout Northwest Ohio. She focuses her career on personal injury cases, including products liability and mesothelioma. In addition to representing clients, she is also involved in numerous civic activities and organizations across Toledo and Lucas County. She is an elected Lucas County Commissioner, serving her second term.

Practice areas

  • Products liability law
  • Asbestos litigation
  • Negligence law
  • Medical malpractice

Admitted to practice

  • Ohio, 1979

Professional associations and memberships

  • Ohio Association for Justice (formerly Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers)
  • American Association for Justice
  • Toledo Bar Association
  • Toledo Women’s Bar Association
  • Ohio State Bar Association

Community involvement

  • President, Lucas County Board of Commissioners
  • Past Chairman, Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments
  • Former Sylvania Township Trustee: 2004 – 2010
  • Sylvania Community Services, Board of Trustees
  • University of Toledo Urban Affairs Center
  • Lucas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council
  • Lucas County Community Corrections Planning Board

Education

  • J.D., University of Toledo College of Law, 1978
    • Phi Kappa Phi Academic Honor Society, Lifetime Member
  • B.A., cum laude, Denison University, 1973
  • Valedictorian, Sylvania High School

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