Akron attorney William Chris begins term as Ohio State Bar Association President

On July 1, attorney William G. Chris began his term as 2025-26 president of the Ohio State Bar Association. A resident of Akron, Chris served as an officer of the bar association in the post of president-elect for the 2024-25 bar year. 

“It is a privilege to lead the Ohio Bar this year and I look forward to continuing the great work of our board in service of the association’s mission to promote justice and advance the legal profession,” Chris said. “I know from my career-long involvement with bar associations that they provide invaluable support to attorneys so that they may better serve their clients and communities. We'll keep our focus on addressing the attorney shortage in Ohio to better connect Ohioans in need with legal services, especially in underserved communities.”
 
Chris is a principal and managing partner at the firm of Roderick Linton Belfance LLP in Akron where his practice is focused on business law and commercial litigation. He has been with the firm since 2001.
 
Chris has a strong history of involvement with the Ohio Bar. Prior to becoming president, he was elected by his peers to serve on the Board of Governors as the representative for District 11, which includes Summit and Portage counties.

In his local community, Chris served as the 2018-2019 Akron Bar Association president and before that, as secretary of the Akron Bar Foundation. He is a past-president of the National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators Ohio Chapter and previously served as interim law director for the City of Green.

Chris earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Akron and his law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law. He resides in Akron with his wife and their two children.
 
Chris will head the 2025-26 leadership team made up of the association’s Chief Executive Officer Mary Amos Augsburger, Immediate Past-President Daniel Griffith (North Canton) and President-Elect Janice Allen Baughman (Zanesville).  

Founded in 1880, the Ohio Bar is the state’s largest legal network, representing attorneys, judges, legal professionals and law students who are committed to the highest standards in the practice of law. The Ohio Bar proudly serves its members and the public through its continued work to promote justice and advance the legal profession.