Today we interview Indiana/Ohio/Kentucky out of home attorney Michael Galasso as part of a series of interviews with out of home law specialists.

OOH Attorney:  Michael Galasso

Firm:  Robbins, Kelly, Patterson, Tucker

Email: mgalasso@rkpt.com

Phone: 513-721-3330

States of Practice: Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana

How did you get involved in out of home law?

I got started in out of home at the very beginning of my career.  While in law school I worked as a law clerk in my current law firm Robbins, Kelly, Patterson & Tucker.  Most of the work performed by summer law clerks is research.  The firm represented Norton Outdoor Advertising and I worked on several research projects mostly related to administrative appeals and permit issues.  As a new attorney I continued to work on billboard matters.  One of the first cases I worked on as a lawyer involved an order by a township to deactivate the exterior lighting on a static sign.  While we were successful in that case I learned that interacting with state and local governments was very intense and there seemed to be no limit on the resources they would dedicate to what most would view as routine permit matters.

What kinds of out of home law do you practice and in which states?

One case led to another and 24 years later out of home has become a substantial practice area for me.  I primarily practice in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana and it runs the gamut of whatever needs arise for clients:  zoning appeals, permit issues, lease disputes, eminent domain, amortizations, etc.  We recently successfully challenged a billboard tax in Cincinnati and new regulations implemented by Kentucky in 2021.

I hear you recently won a lawsuit against the Ohio Dept of transportation? 

I’m somewhat hesitant to comment on the ODOT case because it is not final.  After filing suit, the permits were issued by ODOT but we still have a claim for attorney fees pending.  I hope to have that case wrapped up soon and I will send you a note on it.  There are a couple of other cases with local governments that I will email you on with once they are final.

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