Alejandro V. Cortes

Alex has extensive experience representing public entities in northeast Ohio. His experience includes representation of public entities at the trial and appellate levels in federal and state court involving federal civil rights, wrongful death, police misconduct, personal injury, employment litigation, and public records litigation. Alex has also represented public entities in numerous labor arbitrations involving employee discipline and contract interpretation grievances and has regularly appeared before the U.S. Employment Equal Opportunity Commission, Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Unemployment Compensation Review Commission, and civil service commissions. He has previously served as an Associate General Counsel for the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority and as an Assistant Director of Law for the City of Cleveland. He also served as the Judicial Staff Attorney for Judge Carolyn B. Friedland at the Cuyahoga County Court of Commons Pleas. 

In addition, Alex has advises public entities on labor and employment matters including, critical contract interpretation, FMLA, overtime and FLSA, reasonable accommodations, and employee discipline and grievances.

Experience

Public Law

• Advises clients on compliance with Ohio’s Public Records Requests
• Litigated mandamus actions in the common pleas court, appellate court, and Ohio Supreme Court
• Served as Associate General Counsel for the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Served as Assistant Director of Law for the City of Cleveland
• Served as counsel to a municipality’s board of zoning appeals

Public Law Litigation

• Trial and appellate experience in state and federal court in federal civil rights, wrongful death, police misconduct, personal injury, and employment litigation.
• Obtained summary judgment on a multi-million dollar class action complaint involving a municipality’s automated traffic cameras
• Obtained summary judgment of a personal injury lawsuit based on political subdivision immunity that was affirmed on appeal
• Obtained reversal of a trial court decision denying immunity to a municipality’s Chief of Police in the court of appeals
• Obtained summary judgment and dismissal of a wrongful death lawsuit involving a municipality’s police dispatchers that was affirmed on appeal
• Obtained summary judgment on Monell claims and qualified immunity in a federal civil rights/police misconduct case

Employment Litigation

• Defended against employment discrimination claim involving religious discrimination and retaliation allegations
• Obtained declaratory judgment on the substantive arbitrability of a grievance and secured a permanent injunction preventing a union’s attempt to arbitrate promotional pass overs in a municipality’s police department

Labor Relations

• Represents public entities in labor arbitration matters
• Successfully defended a municipality’s double demotion of a Fire Captain to First Grade Fire Fighter for off-duty misconduct
• Successfully defended a municipality’s decision to pass over a more senior police officer in a job bid dispute
• Successfully defended a municipality’s decision to terminate a fire fighter for violating the municipality’s drug and alcohol policy
• Successfully defended a political subdivision’s termination of a Police Sergeant for job performance issues and on-duty misconduct
• Successfully defended a political subdivision’s termination of a maintenance employee for violating the employer’s drug and alcohol policy
• Successfully defended a political subdivision’s management right to make job assignments within its police department

Employment Services

• Represents public entities before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Ohio Civil Rights
• Commission, Unemployment Compensation and Review Commission, and civil service commissions
• Advises public entities on personnel policies, including federal and state employment laws

Services

• Public Law
• Public Law Litigation
• Employment
• Labor Relations
• Employment Litigation

1. The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law, J.D.
2. Boston College, B.A., History

Bar Admissions

1. Ohio

Court Admissions

1. U.S. Supreme Court
2. U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
3. U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio

Professional Affiliations

• Northeast Ohio Law Directors Association, Member
• Ohio Hispanic Bar Association, Member
• Hispanic Alliance Leadership Development Initiative, Member

Community Affiliations

• College Now Greater Cleveland Mentor
• Shaker Heights Citizen Police Association, Member
• St. Ignatius High School Alumni Council Bellarmine Committee, Member
• John Carroll University Rugby Football Club, Head Coach