About Susan C.
Susan C. Stone draws on three decades of legal training and practical work in education and advocacy. She earned her J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1991 after completing a B.A. in Speech Communication and Political Science at Miami University of Ohio in 1988. Those formative years laid a foundation in communication and law that recurs throughout her career.
Stone began her professional path in private practice. She worked as an associate at Berkman Gordan Murray & Devan in 1995, gaining litigation and client counsel experience. In 1997 she took on a public role as an impartial hearing officer for the State of Ohio Department of Education. That period deepened her knowledge of administrative hearings and the procedural aspects of education disputes.
Her career shifted toward leadership in firm settings in the 2010s. In 2011 she became a principal at McCarthy Lebit Crystal & Liffman Co., LPA, where she handled complex matters and helped shape firm strategy. In 2018 she joined Kohrman Jackson & Krantz, LLP as a partner, a move that positioned her within a larger platform for education- and campus-related work.
Stone is admitted to practice in Ohio and before the 1st Circuit. She holds certifications in Crisis Communication from the Public Relations Society of America and has restorative justice training from Skidmore College. Those credentials inform how she approaches sensitive, high-stakes disputes and conflict resolution, blending legal process with communication and restorative principles.
Her organizational memberships reflect longstanding involvement in both the legal community and groups focused on campus and student issues. She is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Cleveland Academy of Trial Lawyers and the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. She also belongs to groups that center on campus advocacy and civil liberties, including the Council of Parent Lawyers and Advocates, Families Advocating for Campus Equality, Stop Abusive & Violent Environments, and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
Colleagues describe Stone as an attorney who combines procedural knowledge of education law with practical experience in hearings and dispute resolution. She draws on communication training when managing crises or advising institutional clients. She practices at Kohrman Jackson & Krantz, LLP, where she handles education and campus-related matters, including student advocacy and dispute resolution.
