Wade M. Fricke
Awarded Practice Areas
Employment Law - Management Labor Law - Management
Biography
Wade Fricke has practiced management-side labor and employment law since 1989. He was one of three attorneys who founded the Cleveland office of the firm. Prior to joining the firm, Wade was a partner in Cleveland’s oldest law firm, and before that, he worked for the Cleveland office of a national full-service law firm.Wade represents companies of all sizes across the country in virtually all aspects of employee relations in union and non-union settings. In both settings, Wade’s practice focuses on issue avoidance and positive employment practices. In union settings, Wade has extensive experience in contract negotiations and, where necessary, grievance resolution and arbitration, and strike management and resolution. His experience in non-union settings includes extensive employment relations auditing, supervisor training, union representational election work, drafting and reviewing employee handbooks and work rules, sexual harassment and other training, and most aspects of preventative-maintenance labor and employment counseling regarding state and federal regulation of the workplace. Wade’s employment counseling experience includes practice before the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board. Wade is one of eight attorneys serving on the steering committee of the firm’s 125-plus member Traditional Labor Practice Group.
Overview
- Washington and Lee University, J.D., graduated 1989
- Princeton University, AB, graduated 1984
- Ohio, Ohio State Bar Association
- American Bar Association - Member
- American Employment Law Council - Member
- Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association - Member
- Labor and Employment Relations Association - Member
- Ohio Bar Association - Member
- The Court of Nisi Prius - Member
- Ohio, Ohio State Bar Association
- American Bar Association - Member
- American Employment Law Council - Member
- Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association - Member
- Labor and Employment Relations Association - Member
- Ohio Bar Association - Member
- The Court of Nisi Prius - Member
- Washington and Lee University, J.D., graduated 1989
- Princeton University, AB, graduated 1984
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus

Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
- Employment Law - Management, Cleveland (2022)
- Labor Law - Management, Cleveland (2019)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
- Employment Law - Management
- Labor Law - Management
Special Focus:
- Management
Awards:
- Ohio Super Lawyers
- Chambers USA – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
- AV rated with Martindale-Hubbell
News & Media
Case History
Cases
- Experience
Wade has extensive experience working with unionized public and privately-held companies of all sizes – from over $10 billion in annual sales to $1 million in annual sales. Wade has negotiated collective bargaining agreements and shut down agreements across the country with a variety of unions, including the Teamsters, the Steelworkers, the Auto Workers, the Machinists, the Food and Commercial Workers and UNITE HERE. He has successfully first-chaired contract interpretation and discipline arbitration cases with most of those unions.In non-union settings, Wade has served as the point person advisor for objection-free R-case elections at companies of all sizes across the country. Wade has developed and implemented a simple, user-friendly management training and preventative maintenance issue identification program that he has delivered all over the country. His training sessions have occurred around-the-clock in front of all sizes of audiences to accommodate all shifts and impact as many managers as possible, and his preventative maintenance issue identification analysis consistently has been credited with saving his clients significant time, energy and resources.
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