Nicholas Schneckenburger, '15

Nicholas Schneckenburger | Communication Studies | Class of 2015

As the Managing Partner at Maguire Schneckenburger Legal Group, Communication Studies alumnus Nicholas Schneckenburger, ’15, continues to find his background in Communication Studies beneficial to his career.

After graduating, Schneckenburger began law school at The University of Akron in 2015 and graduated with his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in 2018.

During law school, Schneckenburger started as a law clerk at his current firm and later got hired as an associate. While working as an associate, he was asked to join the firm as a partner and after a year, became the managing partner. Additionally, he was recently named a Rising Star Super Lawyer for a third consecutive year by Thompson Reuters and was only one of two attorneys in Ohio to receive the honor.

Schneckenburger says he always knew he wanted to pursue law, and when he came to Kent State, an advisor recommended Communication Studies as a major would help him in law school and as a lawyer.

“My Communication Studies degree was actually very beneficial for my career now,” he said. “It involved a lot of public speaking and a lot of writing. As a lawyer, I do two things quite often – a lot of speaking and a lot of writing."

Schneckenburger believes an important skill to have as a lawyer is storytelling, especially the ability to tell a convincing story.

“The Communication Studies major was helpful to develop those skills and learn how to effectively speak and write,” he said. “I learned to think on my feet, develop an argument, persuade people, and tell a convincing story. All of which are extremely critical to being a lawyer, especially one that litigates.”

The Maguire Schneckenburger legal group, where he is managing partner, grew from a small practice to more of a smaller full-service law firm that specializes in estate planning, probate and trusts, guardianships, business and corporate law and real estate work. So far, Schneckenburger’s career has been developing the business and managing the law firm with strategic planning; his law practice has focused on estate and trust litigation and estate planning.