David E. Nager

Making Ohio a Safer Place for Workers by Founding the State’s Largest Workers’ Compensation Law Firm

David E. Nager is the Founding Attorney of Nager, Romaine & Schneiberg Co., L.P.A. (NRS Injury Law). After joining a personal injury law firm in 1990 and becoming a partner in 1995, David opened his own law firm in 1999. In 2004, along with Dan Romaine and Jerald Schneiberg, David formed NRS Injury Law. David launched the firm with the goal of one day managing the largest workers’ compensation law firm in Ohio. David achieved this goal, and he credits service, compassion, empathy, and fierce loyalty to his clients and co-counsel as the values that helped him get there.

A Background Built on Service

“I remember when I delivered that first newspaper, I realized I was doing something meaningful in service to others,” David said when asked to describe his work background. “It taught me from a very young age how to run a business, be organized, and serve others.”

At age 10, David was spending his mornings going out at 5:30 a.m. to deliver Cleveland’s Plain Dealer newspaper to residents in his community. By age twelve, he was cutting lawns for a local landscaping company for $1.90 an hour and working 50 hours per week during the summer. “Our kids don’t believe us,” David said, referring to the stories he and his brother tell their adult children. “They’ve never heard of kids that age working odd jobs to help make ends meet. But that’s what we did.”

David learned two life-changing lessons at a young age. One was the importance of work ethic combined with good business practices. The other was the value of service. “My most memorable childhood job was selling flowers on street corners during holidays,” David said. “A friend of my father’s would set us up with several bouquets of flowers and my brother and I would stand on a street corner in Detroit and sell them to folks going to Memorial Day and Veterans Day services. Seeing the effects those flowers had on people during meaningful and sometimes emotional moments had an impact on us, as well.”

Entering Law

Most attorneys say their interest in law began early on, from watching iconic lawyer films or having an attorney in the family. But that’s not how David became interested in the profession. Though his father had always wanted him to become an attorney, David was a criminal justice major at Kent State from 1982 through 1987 with aspirations of becoming a police officer and serving his community that way. In his last year at Kent State, the University’s dean took David aside and convinced him to take the LSAT and consider law school. 

“From there on, there was no looking back,” said David. He attended law school at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law while also managing a pizza parlor. While still in his first year at Cleveland-Marshall, David added a second job clerking at a workers’ compensation law firm so he could pay the bills. David took the bar and passed it in 1990. “I simply had to pass the bar that year,” recalls David. His wife Ellen was pregnant with their first child, and David had to pass the bar in order to support his growing family.

Shortly after David passed the bar and became an associate attorney at the firm he’d clerked for, his father experienced a horrific work injury that permanently changed his life. David successfully represented him in securing workers’ compensation benefits. “My parents almost lost everything because of that injury,” David said. “But I was able to get them benefits which enabled them to hold onto their house and keep their heads above water. The experience made me want to keep doing workers’ compensation for the thousands of other Ohioans I knew were getting hurt on the job every year.” 

Constructing the Core Tenants of NRS Injury Law

“You tend to grow into what you’ve grown from,” David said when asked to describe the core tenants of NRS Injury Law. Then he listed them out, emphasizing each. “We’re about Knowledge, Experience, Service, Size, and a willingness to Litigate,” David said. “Our Knowledge base from the sheer Size of our client roll combined with our Experience winning thousands of cases every year since 2004 and our willingness to Litigate when others won’t means we have the edge needed to secure the results our clients need.”

“But most importantly, it’s about Service,” David concluded. “Many attorneys act like they sit on a throne. But I’ve always just wanted to be a man of the people, and I hire attorneys who have that same value. We’re all in this together, so we may as well treat each other with dignity and respect. We may as well serve one another, because in so doing we’re leaving this world a lot better than we found it.”

Making Ohio a Safer State for Workers

David Nager’s list of career accomplishments is long and storied. In addition to founding and growing the largest workers’ compensation law firm in the history of Ohio, David has personally helped thousands of injured workers obtain compensation and medical benefits. He’s successfully argued cases before every level of the Industrial Commission of Ohio, and he’s won cases at the Trial Level and all State Appellate Levels up to and including the Ohio Supreme Court. He’s secured compensation and medical benefits for his clients totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.

David has actively worked to improve the landscape in which injured workers seek compensation. David served on the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Nominating Committee, holding a central role dedicated to nominating individuals for the BWC’s Executive Board. David spent years meeting with BWC leadership to help direct the agency towards pro-worker policies that benefit injured workers in Ohio. David is involved in several organizations statewide and nationally that represent injured workers.

Community Involvement

Core to David’s ethos is a commitment to community, a lifestyle choice manifested in David’s frequent volunteer activities. David volunteers at the Cleveland Food Bank and local shelters, and he frequently hosts donation drives for hospitals and adopts families during the holidays. He also hosted the firm’s annual turkey giveaway during Thanksgiving. David has coached and sponsored multiple youth and adult sports programs, including The Miracle League, a baseball program for children and adults with serious physical and mental disabilities.

Work/Life Balance

David has been active in sports since his childhood. As an adult, he became a two-time state racquetball champion and a member of several nationally ranked men’s softball and hardball teams. When he’s not working, playing sports, or visiting his adult children, David can often be found working out in the gym, riding his bike, or going on long walks in his Cleveland neighborhood or traveling with his beloved wife of 30+ years and their three dogs.

Don't Wait to Seek Legal Help from David Nager

Having built NRS Injury Law from the ground up, David Nager exemplifies the firm’s mission to: “Provide empathetic and patient service to every person who calls the firm, and to relentlessly pursue the best possible outcome on behalf of every client by putting collective experience, knowledge, and passion to work every day.” To retain an effective legal team with a proven track record and to speak with David and the firm about your case, call 855-468-4878 (855-GOT-HURT) or fill out a convenient online contact form.