John Thebes – Headed for the Beach by Zac Shaffer

The Toledo Legal Community says thank you and wishes
a happy retirement to John Thebes this year. For those
who haven’t had the pleasure of practicing with John,
you truly don’t know what you have missed. While my
history with John was short, he is a friend and colleague
of our firm’s namesake, Chuck Boyk.

John Thebes is a Toledo native. He graduated from St.
Francis de Sales and went on to study business and
finance at the University of Miami (Ohio). Law school
wasn’t John’s first choice, or second choice for that
matter. He expected to do something in the finance
world, but John wasn’t made for corporate life, and he
couldn’t see himself being another guy in a suit trading
stocks or competing on Wall Street.

He decided to take a stab at law school. John applied,
attended, and ultimately graduated from the University
of Toledo College of Law in 1989. During his law
school career, he earned an internship with the Public
Defender’s Office and discovered his passion was
practicing criminal law. After he graduated, he opened
his own practice fighting for and defending the rights
of the accused.

John has been practicing criminal law as a solo
practitioner ever since he passed the Ohio Bar Exam.
While he has maintained his professional autonomy, he
did join a practice that shared office space and practiced in
the same building, growing professionally together. He
recalls working closely with attorneys Kyle Silvers, Beverly
Cox, Josh Nolan, and numerous others. He enjoyed the
camaraderie and the ability to have other great legal minds
near him.

Personally, John has been and continues to be blessed. He
met his better half, Lisa, at a Halloween party in 1990. The
two were married two years later in November, 1992. The
two recently celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary
by taking a much-earned vacation to the Cayman
Islands. Even though John is enjoying his retirement
already, Lisa is still working at GE in their health care
division as a project manager.

John also has been blessed with three healthy and
successful children. His oldest (30) works as a trauma
nurse in Washington D.C. His middle child (28) lives
and works in Columbus as a commercial realtor, and
his youngest (24) works in Bowling Green for Penske
Trucking.

When asked about the reasons for his retirement, John
simply said: “everything has seasons and the season
of John Thebes as a practicing attorney has ended.”

He loved the practice of law, but when he first started
practicing, he never thought he’d last this long. He
doesn’t have any regrets. John and his family have been
blessed in their life, and after a discussion, they both
agreed that it was time for the season to change.

In his free time, which he will have plenty of now, John is
very active. He enjoys golfing, running, and both indoor
and outdoor tennis. While he enjoys running outside,
one thing he will not miss is the frigid cold temperatures
and winds as he walked to court nearly every day
for more than 30 years. He also enjoys reading
and keeps active through volunteer work. John
loves helping others in need. He and Lisa spend
time volunteering through Heartbeats, a charitable
organization, helping young parents (and expecting
parents) with costs of necessities and childcare. He
is also looking forward to traveling with his family.
Over the years, he has traveled to many beautiful
places. Some of his favorite destinations include
Charleston, SC; Hawaii, Aruba; the Cayman Islands,
and St. Martin.

John continues to love the Toledo Legal Community
and wants young lawyers to continue to practice in
the area and grow. I asked John for advice he would
give to attorneys starting their practice, and these
are his tenets to follow for a successful practice:

■ Communication is key. Always speak
honestly and timely with everyone; whether
it is your client, opposing counsel, the court,
or staff, you need to be open with
communication and don’t leave calls
unreturned.
■ Honesty above all. This advice wasn’t
specific to the practice of law, but for every
interaction. Your integrity and
trustworthiness is the baseline for your
career. It is better to have all the cards out
on the table than to hide anything.
■ Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Whether
you are a young attorney thinking you know
everything or are just insecure and afraid
to ask questions, ask questions. You are
never going to have all the answers, so you
need to learn how to ask questions and ask
for help.

John Thebes will always be remembered in the
legal community. His involvement and impact, both
professionally and personally, have always been
present. Even in his retirement he still has the same
work ethic, drive and morals that shaped his career.
We hope he enjoys his retirement and cannot wait
to see what John Thebes’ next season has in store.