Nicholas A. DiCello

Nicholas A. DiCello came to Spangenberg Shibley & Liber LLP in 2004 after serving as a law clerk for the late Honorable John M. Manos. There, he had the opportunity to observe trial lawyers from Ohio and all over the country. He feels fortunate to practice at one of Ohio's most well-respected firms, representing people in the community he is from.

Nick has dedicated his career to seeking justice for people who have been injured or harmed by another's careless or reckless misconduct. He relishes standing up for regular people against large corporations, insurance companies, and governmental agencies. He focuses his practice on representing victims of medical malpractice and law enforcement misconduct. Nick also litigates car and truck crash cases, as well as insurance coverage disputes and professional malpractice claims.

As a former professional athlete, Nick thrives in the competitive and highly demanding litigation atmosphere. Nick has obtained numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts on behalf of his clients and is a sought-after speaker who regularly lectures on trial practice in Ohio and throughout the country.

Nick is admitted to practice in Ohio state and federal courts and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is consistently selected by his peers as one of the top 50 lawyers in Clevland and one of the top 100 lawyers in Ohio.

• 2004–Present: Spangenberg Shibley & Liber LLP, Partner
• 2002-2004: United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Judicial Law Clerk for the late Honorable John M. Manos, Senior Judge

• 2002: Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Cleveland, Ohio
  • Graduated magna cum laude

• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, President-elect
• American College of Trial Lawyers
• International Society of Barristers
• American Board of Trial Advocates
• Cleveland Academy of Trial Attorneys
• Ohio Association for Justice
• American Association for Justice
• Northern Ohio Italian American Foundation
• Judge John M. Manos American Inn of Court

• Insurance Policy Construction and Interpretation, 2007
• The Contingency Fee Alternative for Costly Legal Services, COSE, 2007
• Insurance Law, Bad Faith Litigation, 2008
• No Pain, No Gain, No Compensation!: Exploitation of Professional Athletes Through Substandard Medical Care Administered by Team Physicians, CLEV. ST. LAW REV. vol. 49 no. 3, 2001

• Best Lawyers® 2023 Lawyer of the Year for Personal Injury Litigation
• Best Lawyers® 2021 Lawyer of the Year for Civil Rights Law in Cleveland
• The Best Lawyers in America, Civil Rights Law (2017)
• Super Lawyers® Top 100 in Ohio and top 50 in Cleveland (2021-2025)
• Selected to Super Lawyers® (2014-2025)
• Selected to "Who To Watch in Law" List, Crain's Cleveland Business (2014)
• Ohio Super Lawyers® Rising Star (2006-2007, 2009-2013)
• Anderson Publishing Award for student with high grade: Torts and Contracts
• CALI Excellence Awards (high grade): Torts, Contracts, Commercial Law, Secured Transactions, Estates and Trusts, Taxation I
• Judge Nancy A. Fuerst Award for Academic Achievement
• Carroll A. Sierk Award for achievement in Taxation I
• Pro Bono Community Service Award
• Reminger & Reminger Award for meritorious writing in field of medicine and law
• Academic All- American
• All Patriot League First Team
• Male Athlete Outstanding Leadership Award
• East Coast Athletic Conference Medal of Honor

• $6 million wrongful death jury verdict against a nursing home for the death of a 79-year-old husband and father who was not timely treated for an infection he developed following surgery.
• $6 million wrongful death jury verdict involving the death of a 68-year-old woman who was sent home from the hospital and not returned when her blood work came back positive for infection.
• $17.5 million settlement against the State of Ohio for a young man who was paralyzed by prison guards during a use of force incident.
• $11.75 million settlement against an apartment complex owner stemming from a carbon monoxide incident resulting in a death and CO poisoning of a tenant.
• $10 million settlement against a hospital for failing to empty a patient’s intra-thecal pain pump before undergoing MRI. The entirety of the medication in the pump was released resulting in a massive brain injury of a woman in her early 70’s.
• $10 million confidential settlement against a hospital.
• $4.58 million wrongful death jury verdict involving the death of a mother who was sent home from the emergency room with a “migraine” and died within 24 hours from untreated brain swelling.
• $4 million settlement - the largest settlement against a Florida law enforcement agency at the time - for the death of a 62-year-old man who was restrained and pepper-sprayed to death while being detained for misdemeanor trespassing in Florida. This case and Nick were featured on the Today Show.
• $4 million settlement against a county jail for the death of a 28-year-old man who was held down in a prone position during a medical emergency.
• $3.98 million jury verdict for a woman who suffers from complex regional pain syndrome in her face following a surgical error.
• $3.97 million medical malpractice jury verdict for permanent injuries sustained during a typically routine biopsy procedure.
• $3.5 million medical negligence settlement against a hospital and surgeon for failure to timely diagnose and treat a popliteal artery injury resulting in an above the knee amputation.
• $2.95 million medical negligence jury verdict for a man who suffered a spinal cord injury during a pain injection procedure.
• $2.6 million settlement against a county jail stemming from the death of a detainee during a use of force incident.
• $2.5 million settlement against a sheriff’s deputy on behalf of a man who was shot to death in the back during an attempted arrest.
• $2.5 million settlement against a hospital for failing to timely diagnose and treat a bowel obstruction resulting in the death of a 78-year-old man.
• $2.3 million medical negligence settlement for failure to diagnose and treat hydrocephalus resulting in blindness.
• $2.1 million verdict on behalf of five children whose parents were killed by a driver who lost control of his car and struck them head-on.
• $2 million settlement against a city police department stemming from the shooting death of a man inside of his car.
• $1.96 million settlement against a city and private establishment for the shooting death of a young man by an off-duty police officer.
• $1.8 million medical negligence settlement for failure to diagnose a brain aneurysm leading to death many months later when it ruptured.
• $1.65 million settlement for a woman whose health insurance was canceled after being diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition.
• A seven-figure settlement on behalf of a group of creditors who were deceived into extending credit to a mutual customer based on false and misleading information communicated to them by a bank.
• $750,000 settlement for a man who was falsely arrested.
• $530,000 jury verdict and settlement of punitive damages claims for an intentional tort claim against a young man’s employer for the loss of his thumb on his dominant hand while using an unguarded table saw.
• $500,000 settlement for a man who was shot by police while sitting in his car with his hands in the air. Fortunately, Nick’s client did not sustain life-threatening or serious physical injuries. The circumstances surrounding this shooting were highlighted in the Department of Justice’s investigative report concerning the Cleveland Police Department.
• A significant settlement on behalf of a widow whose husband died of a heart attack when his doctor temporarily discontinued his heart medication without first consulting with the prescribing cardiologist.

Nick lives in Geauga County with his wife Shannon and their two children, Nicky and Gianna.

An avid athlete growing up, Nick played Division I collegiate and professional soccer and was a member of the 1998 National Premier Soccer League championship Cleveland Crunch indoor soccer team.