Greg Reichenbach has spent his career fighting for justice for his clients. A consumer lawyer who specializes in used car sales fraud, repossession issues, and fighting unfair debt collection, Reichenbach thrives in the area of law that he calls a “specialty within a specialty.”
It’s a path he landed on back in law school at the University of Toledo College of Law.
“I was originally thinking about labor law, but when I was in law school, I started getting telemarketing calls,” he said. “I discovered some consumer protection laws that dealt with telemarketing, which led to this flood of discovery that there’s an entire field of law for consumer protection.”
Now well into a successful career as a solo practitioner in northwest Ohio, Reichenbach is among a few attorneys in the state who focuses on car sales fraud. He’s so passionate about the work that he enthusiastically shares his knowledge with others, a generosity that led the Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO) to nominate him for the 2026 John C. and Ginny Elam Pro Bono Award.
The Elam Award recognizes an attorney who selflessly donates their time and talent to pro bono causes and the community. Missy LaRocco, LAWO’s pro bono director and a managing attorney, said that Reichenbach has taken on complicated consumer rights cases for LAWO on a pro bono basis and that he consults with legal aid attorneys on consumer-related questions. He also regularly conducts training for LAWO and Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio with the goal of equipping as many lawyers as possible.
“He has a heart for making sure that consumer rights are upheld and that the scales of justice are balanced,” LaRocco said.
Reichenbach is motivated to help train newer and pro bono attorneys in consumer law, particularly auto sales fraud, because he sees every day the impact his work has on his clients, the majority of whom are low-income. With few attorneys familiar with the statutes, layers of administrative regulations, and case law common in his specialty, Reichenbach is eager to bring new faces into the fold.
“It’s a community, so we’re always talking,” he said of Ohio’s consumer attorneys. “We are all incentivized to help each other out. Whether it’s informal back and forth on case review or just running ideas back and forth.”
While he has given many hours to pro bono service, he is humble about his substantial contributions, choosing instead to see the Elam Award as a call to action to engage more lawyers.
“The work I do with legal aid is not something I have thought of as being worthy of an award,” he said. “We need to do more to provide legal services to people who need them but can’t afford a lawyer.”
The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation annually presents the Denis Murphy, Dick Pogue Access to Justice, Elam, Rising Star, and Voice of Justice awards to outstanding leaders. Learn more about the Foundation’s awards.