Ryan Nowlin joined the firm in 2006 and became a Partner in January 2012, specializing in family law. He is a Fellow and a Certified Arbitrator with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a nationally recognized group of leading practitioners of family law, and he is board certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a specialist in the practice of Family Relations law.

Ryan represents individuals in every phase of divorce and custody proceedings and appears in Domestic Relations and Juvenile courts throughout Northeast Ohio. He was drawn to family law as an opportunity to help people who are going through some of life’s most difficult situations. As a father of five, he is also driven to find the best solutions for children and parents. He has experience with many different approaches to dissolutions, including collaborative and contested divorces and mediation, and he works with his clients to identify the best options for them.

Within family law, Ryan’s experience encompasses complex matters such as the valuation of assets, determination of premarital/separate property, allocation of parental rights and responsibilities, and establishment of appropriate child and/or spousal support obligations. He also prepares and reviews prenuptial agreements and represents clients in various types of trust and estate litigation. Additionally, he has experience in probate and commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution methods including arbitration and mediation.

Outside of his practice, Ryan volunteers for the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s 3Rs program, where he helps to teach Constitutional Law to tenth graders in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. He also previously served as Vice President of Membership for the CMBA, as well as Co-Chair of the CMBA Family Law Section. He is an Associate Member of the Judge John M. Manos Inn of Court and a member of the Center for Principled Family Advocacy.

Ryan and his wife reside with their five children in Lakewood, where he spent seven years on the City Council. He enjoys coaching his children’s sports teams, runs, and plays the guitar.

Practice Areas
  • Family Law
  • Litigation
  • Probate Litigation

Education

  • University of Maryland School of Law, J.D., 2005
    • Phi Delta Phi and Student Bar Association
    • Re-Entry of Ex-Offenders Legal Clinic
  • Loyola College in Maryland, B.A., 2002
    • English Literature, cum laude
    • Honors Program
    • Student Government Association, President
    • Study Abroad Program, Fall Semester, 2000, National University of Ireland, Galway

Admissions & Associations

  • State of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • American Bar Association, Member
  • Ohio State Bar Association, Member
  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Member 
    • Bar Admissions Committee
    • Former Vice President of Membership
    • Former Co-Chair of the Family Law Section
    • Former Co-Chair of the Bench-Bar Committee
  • American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Fellow
  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • Center for Principled Family Advocacy, Member
  • Judge John M. Manos Inn of Court, Member

Awards & Honors

  • Certified Specialists Family Relations Law - Ohio State Bar Association
  • Certified Arbitrator - American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML)
  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2018 for Practice Areas:
    • Family Law
    • Litigation - Trusts and Estates
  • Selected to the Ohio Super Lawyers® list: 2019-present
    • Top 50: Cleveland Super Lawyers list: 2024-2025
    • Top 100: Ohio Super Lawyers list: 2024-2025
  • Ohio Super Lawyers® Rising Stars 2011-2012, 2014-2018

Community Activities

  • Boys Hope Girls Hope of Northeastern Ohio, Associate Board Member
  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association's “3Rs” Program, Participant
  • Lakewood City Council, Former Member (2011-2017)

Articles & Presentations

  • Arbitration and Family Law, An Alternative Path to The End of The Road, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal, July/Aug 2024
  • Unpacking Spousal Support: Defining, Decoding, and Demystifying Divorce’s Financial Maze, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal, July/Aug 2023
  • Interstate Love Song: UCCJEA and UIFSA in Your Practice, AAML Ohio Chapter – 2022 Harold R. Kemp Annual Family Law Symposium, September 2022
  • The Highway Through The Great Divide: Dealing With Separate Property In Divorce, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal, July/Aug 2022
  • Marital vs. Separate Property, Columbus Bar Association’s 2022 AAML Symposium; February 2022
  • Taking Credit Before It’s Due: How to Effectively Navigate Changes to the Child Tax Credit, 33rd Annual AAML Ohio Chapter Harold R. Kemp Family Law Symposium; October 2021
  • Set It, But Don’t Forget It: Establishing and Modifying Child Support and Spousal Support Obligations, Cleveland Law Library, December 2021
  • How to Prepare for the End of a Love Story: Drafting, Attacking and Defending Prenuptial Agreements, Ohio State Bar Association, March 2021
  • What’s Ours Is Ours (Unless It’s Mine): The Allocation of Marital and Separate Property in Divorce, Ohio State Bar Association, November 2020
  • Domestic Relations Practice in a Post-Covid-19 World, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal, July/Aug 2020
  • Common Problem Areas in Probate Litigation, CMBA Litigation Section, April 2017
  • Calculating and Modifying Child and Spousal Support, Cleveland-Marshall Law Alumni Association, March 2017
  • Financial Misconduct by a Divorcing Spouse: How Should You Proceed? Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal, July/August 2015
  • Family Law Issues Involving Same-Sex Couples, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, May 2015
  • Domestic Relations, Gilbride & Co., October 2012 and November 2012
  • Managing the Domestic Relations Case, Gilbride & Co., November 2011