People
Nelson M. Reid

Nelson Reid is a litigator in the firm’s Construction Law Group. He regularly represents a variety of clients including school districts, municipalities, townships, counties and hospitals in handling bid disputes, construction defects and other claims that arise from construction projects.
Former chair of the firm’s litigation group, Nelson also practices general civil litigation with an emphasis on consumer finance litigation. His representation of clients includes trial and appellate practice, commercial and business disputes, contract and lease litigation, tort and negligence actions, temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction litigation, and real estate litigation.
As part of his consumer finance practice, Nelson has over two decades of experience advising lenders and servicers on how best to achieve their business objectives when claims are threatened or filed. Often, a client’s interests are best served by positioning a case for early resolution rather than fighting to the bitter end. Whether those claims are brought under federal law (such as the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act, Truth in Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, etc.) or under state law (such as the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, etc.), Nelson guides clients through the litigation and pre-litigation process as expeditiously as possible, so they can return their focus to their businesses as soon as possible.
Experience
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School District Board of Education v. Village
Trial victory obtained in favor of a school district, allowing the construction of a multi-million dollar sports, storage and bus facility project to proceed. This dispute arose after the village revised its zoning code during the district’s planning process for the new facility. Bricker attorneys Nelson Reid and Tarik Kershah established that the facility would have been permitted under the previous zoning code, the district has immunity from the village’s zoning code under the Brownfield Doctrine, and also brought to light the minimal impact that the overall project would have on the surrounding area.
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Protection of BWC funds
Pursued injunctive relief against the Ohio Office of Budget and Management (OBM) on behalf of several national and state trade associations to prevent the OBM from using up to $2 billion in Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation funds for state purposes. Secured memorandum of understanding on behalf of the associations prohibiting the OBM from raiding the funds and preventing other state agencies from taking similar action in the future.
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Unanimous ruling against controversial ballot issue
Represented the Ohio Renal Association in an original action brought in the Ohio Supreme Court resulting in a favorable 7-0 ruling. At issue was a controversial ballot issue related to the provision of dialysis services. The opposition, who represented out-of-state interests, collected signatures to place on the ballot an industry-altering price control measure in the form of an amendment to the Ohio Constitution. By using state-of-the-art technology built by the firm to facilitate ballot review and petition signature analysis, Bricker's legal team proved that the ballot proponents violated Ohio law thereby disqualifying the issue from voter consideration.
Professional & Community Activities
- Member, University of Findlay, Parents Executive Council
- Committee Chair, BSA Boy Troop 268, Worthington, Ohio
- Committee Chair, BSA Girl Troop 752, Worthington, Ohio
- Past Member, Franklin County Republication Central Committee
- Graduate, Leadership Columbus
Bar Admissions & Activities
- Admitted, Ohio Supreme Court; U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio; U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit; the U.S. Supreme Court
- Member, Columbus Bar Association; Federal Bar Association, Columbus Chapter
Awards & Recognition
- Listed, Best Lawyers in America (Commercial Litigation), 2020-2023
- Ohio Rising Star, Ohio Super Lawyers, 2007, 2009, 2011
Education
- Duke University School of Law (J.D., 1997)
- Dartmouth College (B.A., 1994)