In brief: Having majored in finance with an eye toward investment banking, John M. Coyne III enrolled in law school and pursued a master’s in business administration at the same time. He simply wanted to learn to analyze problems like a lawyer. In 1994, a summer clerkship with Roetzel & Andress spent working on real estate transactions changed his mind. Since then he has completed deals in 25 states, representing a range of clients, from apartment owners to condo developers, railroads and retailers. He is also the partner in charge of Roetzel’s associates in five Ohio offices and the District of Columbia.
⊲ When the bubble burst: Real estate deal-making has “pretty much ground to a halt,” Coyne says. But there’s still some work for real estate attorneys in multifamily development and plenty in refinancing.
⊲ Let’s make a deal: “A lot of smaller deals are occurring rather than the larger ones, and a lot less of the speculative ventures are occurring because the banks are just not willing to finance those projects,” he says. “There’s just really no way to get money other than through private equity.”
⊲ You won’t find him in court: “I do practically zero litigation,” Coyne says. “The only litigation I do is when I have to do evictions. But I don’t even really classify that as litigation. I do purely transactional work.”
⊲ Council member: Coyne has served on the Medina City Council since being appointed to an at-large seat in 1998. He currently serves as president pro tem and chairs committees on health, safety and sanitation as well as special legislation. “Being on council helps me become a better attorney and being an attorney helps me be a better council representative,” he says. “And it provides me an opportunity to give back to the community in a way that I otherwise wouldn’t have.”
⊲ A bus full of lawyers driving over a cliff: “You hear so many [lawyer jokes], and they’re all the same,” Coyne says. “They’re all about lawyers dying.”
⊲ Rent adjustment: Coyne and his father own a 20-unit apartment complex in Medina. “I represented a lot of apartment owners, and I wanted to understand the business,” Coyne says. “Now I understand what they’re talking about. I’ve been there; I understand the tenant relationships.”
⊲ Setting the bar high: Until this year, Coyne held the Ohio high school pole vault record, which he set by clearing 16 feet, 4 inches in 1986, his final year at Medina’s Buckeye Senior High. He went on to become a two-time All-American at the University of Tennessee and was part of the school’s 1991 NCAA National Championship track and field team.
⊲ Breeding bunnies: Coyne, who grew up on a farm, and his young daughters raise Holland lops, which they show at 4-H Club events. “My daughter, about six years ago, wanted a rabbit so she could take it to the fair,” Coyne says. “Next thing we know we have nine.”
⊲ So it’s true about rabbits: “Rabbits do multiply quickly,” he says. “We had up to 18 at one time. … It happens fast.”