Login | July 26, 2025
Mahoning County lawyer Dennis Haines remembered
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: July 24, 2025
A preeminent labor law attorney who had the courage of his convictions and was well respected by members of the bench and bar––that’s how colleagues sum up the career of Mahoning County lawyer Dennis Haines.
“Dennis had a reputation as someone who fought the good fight,” said Green Haines Sgambati Co. partner Dan Dascenzo. “He was a true professional. I sought him out after finishing law school because I wanted to work for him and learn as much as possible. Fortunately, he hired me and became my very first mentor.
“He represented unions and employees,” said Dascenzo, former Mahoning County Clerk of Courts. “He stood up for workers. He had a clear and innate understanding of fundamental fairness and when situations were lopsided, he worked hard to come up with fair solutions. He was very intelligent, but also tough; he wouldn’t hesitate to take on a legal battle in order to get the best results for his clients and he would pursue cases right to the end if necessary.”
Retired Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Lou D’Apolito said Haines was a “fine gentleman” whose career should serve as an example for any young lawyer.
“I met Dennis when I first started practicing 50-plus years ago,” said D’Apolito, now a deputy law director for the city of Youngstown. “We had one case together where we represented co-defendants and after I became a judge he had cases in my court.
“Dennis was a talented negotiator,” said D’Apolito. “He was always prepared, focused, fair and effective. He respected the rule of law and the people that it affected.”
Haines passed away on Feb. 20 after a brief illness at the age of 87.
Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge R. Scott Krichbaum said Haines was “a man of quiet dignity,” who contributed to the community and the bar association.
“I met Dennis 50 years ago when I was a bailiff to Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Clyde Osborne,” said Judge Krichbaum. “He became a dear friend.
“He represented unions and he appeared before me several times,” said Judge Krichbaum. “He was as competent a lawyer as I have ever met. He was a true gentleman and a genuine professional. While he always kept his composure, he was a zealous advocate for his clients.
“He spoke his truth quietly, but firmly,” said Judge Krichbaum. “Dennis represented the best of our profession in everything he was and did. He was one of a kind.”
Born in Youngstown on March 9, 1937, he was one of Morris and Bess Haines’ two children.
Haines earned his B.S.C. from Ohio University in 1959, where he met his wife Janet.
They were married in 1967 and have two daughters, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Haines received his juris doctor from George Washington University National Law Center in 1962.
Haines began his career at Traxler Malkoff in 1962.
About two years later, he joined the firm now known as Green Haines Sgambati Co.
In addition to labor law, Haines focused on pension and retirement, civil rights and employment matters.
He went on to serve as managing partner of the firm from 1983 to 2011.
Joe Schiavoni, managing partner at Schiavoni, Schiavoni, Bush & Muldowney Co. said his grandfather, Joseph Schiavoni, hired Haines.
“Dennis was a young lawyer at the time, but I remember my grandfather talking about how smart and hardworking he was,” said Schiavoni. “He loved Dennis. They worked together for about 20 years until my grandfather retired and started the firm where I currently work with my dad.
“The first time I met Dennis I was a little kid, but I looked up to him because my grandfather spoke so highly of him. After I graduated law school I would see Dennis socially and years later I appreciated that he supported me in my various political campaigns and was always there to give sound political and/or legal advice,” said Schiavoni, a Mahoning County court judge.
“Dennis worked for so many years at such a high level,” said Schiavoni. “He earned the respect of people across the state. He had a great attitude about life and believed in straight talk just like my grandfather.”
Joe’s father Lou Schiavoni, former managing partner of Schiavoni, Schiavoni, Bush & Muldowney Co., worked with Haines for about three years at Green Haines Sgambati Co.
“Dennis was one of the brightest labor lawyers ever to practice in Youngstown,” said Lou. “He was hardworking, dedicated and never afraid to go in on a Saturday and work an eight-hour day.
“He was the managing partner of the firm,” said Lou. “He was a no nonsense guy, who ran the firm very thoroughly, paying close attention to every detail.”
Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Magistrate Tim Welsh met Haines in 1983 while working as a bailiff to then Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Peter C. Economus.
“My father Gordon Welsh was very fond of attorney Haines,” said Welsh. “In the 1960s my dad was an investigator for the Mahoning County Humane Society, which primarily dealt with child neglect and dependency cases and child support. He would often call on Dennis to represent some of the people the agency served.
“I got to know Dennis while a bailiff and later as a practicing attorney,” said Welsh. “He also appeared before me after I became a magistrate.
“Dennis had great knowledge of the labor laws and the judges really respected his abilities,” said Welsh, Judge Krichbaum’s magistrate. “He was very professional and a nice person but was a tenacious advocate for his client. If Dennis Haines was on the other side of a case, you knew you would have to work hard because he was very good at what he did.”
Haines was a longtime member of the Ohio State and Mahoning County bar associations.
According to his obituary, he contributed to three cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court and handled a number of pro bono matters involving the protection of civil liberties. He was also instrumental in establishing the northeastern Ohio chapter of the Legal Services Association (Northeast Ohio Legal Services).
In 2005 Haines received the Mahoning County Bar Association’s Professionalism Award.
He was also recognized by the Ohio Education Association, the Fraternal Order of Police and firefighter unions for his advocacy on behalf of their members.
Haines and his wife Janet were both diehard fans and supporters of Youngstown State University athletics, including providing a scholarship endowment for two YSU student athletes—one male and one female.
They also sponsored the Haines Family “Player of the Game” for football as selected by the Penguins’ radio broadcasters and provided financial support for the Haines Radio Room from which all YSU football games are broadcast.
In addition, they made a sizeable contribution to The Penguin Pack, YSU’s official student fan group as well as donating to the YSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Named Penguins of the Year in 2012, the two were inducted into the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame as contributors in 2016.
More recently in 2023, Haines was inducted into the Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame as a contributor.
Haines was also a Detroit Lions fan and was said to be thrilled by the success of the team in recent years.
But the main love of Haines’ life was always his family, his obituary stated, noting that nothing made him happier than his grandchildren attending YSU events with him when they were younger.
Haines also reportedly enjoyed taking family and friends to restaurants and was a local history buff, loved poetry, classic films and the music of the 1940s and 1950s.
The obituary noted that Haines lived his life in accordance with a favorite inspirational quote by Robert Browning, “…a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?”
It stressed that Haines “ultimately reached everything he grasped for,” adding “he lived a life of honor, service, joy, and most of all love.”
A memorial service was held for Haines on Feb. 25 at the Shriver-Allison-Courtley-Weller-King Funeral Home in Youngstown.
In May, Haines was among six attorneys remembered during a special ceremony held annually by the Mahoning County Bar Association before Memorial Day.
Haines’ cousin Ira Mirkin, of counsel at Green Haines Sgambati Co., delivered the eulogy at the event. He stated “For more than 60 years, Dennis practiced law with dignity, yet also with a great sense of humor and accessibility.
“He was a shrewd and strategic litigator, but did it with humility and a deep respect for his colleagues and adversaries, but especially his clients. He wasn’t just a lawyer, he was the lawyer other attorneys––in and outside of our firm––looked to for guidance and example. He shaped the lives of so many attorneys who passed through our firm during his career, but also the hundreds more who stood beside him––or across the aisle from him––in courtrooms across the state.”