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Alex Shumate
Senior Partner
Alex Shumate is a senior Columbus office partner and his duties include providing strategic and operational guidance in pursuing new business opportunities regionally, nationally and internationally.
Alex counsels clients in business regulatory and legislative matters involving local, state and federal governments. Previously, he served as chief counsel and deputy chief of staff to the governor of the state of Ohio and as assistant attorney general to the state of Ohio.
Alex has a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating, meaning that he is ranked at the highest level of professional excellence for his legal expertise, communication skills and ethical standards. His peers have selected Alex since 1999 for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, recognizing his legal abilities among esteemed lawyers nationwide. He was named Best Lawyers Columbus Government Relations Practice Lawyer of the Year and Columbus Administrative/Regulatory Law Lawyer of the Year several times. He has also been consistently selected as an Ohio Super Lawyer. In recognition of his leadership in the law, business and community, he was selected by Who’s Who Publishing as its 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. In 2019 he was honored by Columbus Business First as one of the region’s Most-Admired Executives.
He provides strategic business counsel to numerous large corporations headquartered in the Midwest and serves as a corporate board member for The J.M. Smucker Company. Previously he served as director of CyrusOne Inc.; Nationwide Financial Services, Inc.; Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company; The Limited, Inc.; Bank One Corporation; and Cincinnati Bell.
Listed sixth in the 2010 compilation of Columbus' 100 most powerful business and community leaders, published by Smart Business Columbus, in 2014, he was honored by Smart Business Columbus as a recipient of its inaugural Smart 50 Award, which recognized central Ohio’s top 50 executives chosen for their ability to effectively build and lead innovative and smart organizations. His community activities include serving an unprecedented third term on The Ohio State University Board of Trustees as well as on the boards of the Capitol South Redevelopment Corporation and Wexner Center for the Arts. Alex was the recipient of the 2011 United Way of Central Ohio's Key Club Community Leadership Award. He is a former chair of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce and twice served as chair of The Ohio State University Board of Trustees.
- Providing business regulatory counsel to the largest healthcare system in the state of Ohio.
- Providing legislative counseling to several of the nation’s leading financial services providers and insurance companies.
- Assisting an international management consulting firm which secured the state of Ohio’s largest technology consulting contract.
- Counseling one of the nation’s largest specialty retailers on strategic corporate issues including providing advice to the corporation’s Special Committee on Inclusion.
- Advising the Ohio Chamber of Commerce on legislative proposals regarding tax, general business and environmental issues.
- Providing strategic business counsel and regulatory advice to one of the nation’s leading direct selling companies.
- Representing the Ohio Business Coalition in the Ohio General Assembly during the debate and passage of the Workers’ Compensation Reform Act.
- Advising the Council of Smaller Enterprises in the legislative and administrative law process leading to the passage of Ohio’s healthcare reform legislation.
- Providing counsel to various Ohio Ballot Issue Committees.
- Lobbying the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate on behalf of legislation affecting consumer reporting agencies.
- Representing developers and real estate clients before local and county zoning and tax abatement agencies.
Education
- The University of Akron, J.D., member, Akron Law Review, 1975
- Ohio Wesleyan University, B.A., with honors, 1972
Admissions
- Ohio, 1975
Courts
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Dist. Ct., N. Dist. of Ohio
- U.S. Dist. Ct., S. Dist. of Ohio
Memberships & Affiliations
- Fellow of the Ohio State Bar Association
- Former member of the Columbus Bar Association’s Board of Governors
- A life member of the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference
- Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America 2025 for Government Relations Practice, Corporate Law, Administrative/Regulatory Law and Government Contracts
- Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America 2024 for Government Relations Practice, Corporate Law, Administrative/Regulatory Law and Government Contracts
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2023 for Administrative/Regulatory Law, Corporate Law, Government Contracts and Government Relations Practice
- Named The Best Lawyers in America 2021 Lawyer of the Year for Administrative/Regulatory Law in Columbus
- Recipient of Lifetime Achievement Award by Who’s Who in Black Columbus
- Best Lawyers 2018 Columbus Government Relations Practice Lawyer of the Year
- Best Lawyers 2017 Columbus Administrative/Regulatory Law Lawyer of the Year
- Inducted into the Erie County Chamber of Commerce Gallery of Achievers for his accomplishments in law, business and service to the state of Ohio
- Inducted into the Junior Achievement Central Ohio Business Hall of Fame for his exemplary leadership contributions to the legal, business and civic communities