Whetstone Legal, LLC

The Roof Lawyer®

About Us
About Our Firm

Us, At A Glance

Whetstone Legal, LLC provides The Roof Lawyer® legal services for the restoration industry, and is primarily focused on insurance law to help policy holders all over Ohio. While Steve is known as Ohio’s Roof Lawyer within the insurance restoration industry, the firm also handles a broad spectrum of legal issues for its allies and existing customers. Those services range from drafting and reviewing contracts to advising on regulatory matters. In addition, the firm helps protect Ohio consumers through pursuing class actions against large corporations. And as a Thornville, Ohio general practice firm, the firm regularly helps local residents with anything from their estate planning to their small business needs.

Being of maximum service is a key value here at Whetstone Legal, LLC. To that end, Attorney Whetstone continues to utilize his experience in personal injury and business litigation. Our office continues to handle premises liability claims, car accident cases, and small business disputes.

While we prefer assisting clients in avoiding disputes through proper legal planning, the firm is also dedicated to helping individuals resolve those conflicts, especially against large companies. In fact, Attorney Stephen G. Whetstone founded the practice in response to homeowners' frustrations with handling their claims process after having their homes damaged by wind or hail. Steve welcomes the complexities that come with Insurance Law. The firm thrives on helping homeowners get the coverage they paid for. And we take pleasure in making sure they’re treated in good faith by their insurer throughout the claims process.

Here at Whetstone Legal, we are honored to be the only thing standing between our clients and huge corporations. We know how these companies operate and are used to forcing corporations to do right by their customers. Whetstone Legal highly values doing that, but finds answering clients' questions to be the most important aspect of practicing the law. So always feel free to call with any question or concern.

We are honored to be the only thing standing between our clients and huge corporations. We strive to bring calm after the storm.
Stephen Whetstone
Practice Areas

How Can We Help You?

Coverage Issues, Denied Claims, Bad Faith Litigation, Class Actions, Storm Damage (Wind & Hail Claims), Fire and Water Insurance Claims, Ohio Insurance Umpire, Ohio Insurance Appraisal, & Consulting.

Denied Ohio hail damage claims. Underpaid hail damage claims. Misapplied engineering standards. Biased reports. Battle of the experts. Reasonably comparable appearance issues in making repairs.

Denied Ohio wind damage claims. Insurance company wants to patchwork repair roof. Underpaid wind damage claims. Battle of the experts. Reasonably comparable appearance issues in making repairs. Roof not repairable.

Disagreements over the amount of loss. Electable Ohio insurance appraisal umpire. Underpaid claims. Lowball offers by the insurer. Patchwork repair versus replacement. Valuation issues.

Disagreements over the amount of loss. Can’t agree on price or scope. Alternative dispute resolution in Ohio property insurance policies. Lawsuits aren’t always the answer.

Small business. Contract review. Regulatory compliance. Business litigation. Turning around your customer’s problematic Ohio property insurance claims. Consulting. Umpire services.

Ohio unfair claims settlement practices. Unreasonable delay, denial, or underpayment. Inadequate investigations.
 
 
 

Wills. Living wills. Healthcare power of attorney. General power of attorney. Appointment of representative for funeral purposes. Transfer on death deeds.
 
 

General practice. General litigation. Contract review. Landlord tenant disputes. Serve as co-counsel on workers’ compensation, social security disability claims, civil rights cases and class actions.

Pricing

Common Customer Requests

Hourly Rate

200$

Per Hour
  • Billed at Tenth of the Hour Increments
  • Detailed Invoices Describing Each Billable Event
  • Flat Fees May Be Proposed Where Appropriate
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Contingent Fees

25%

Pre-Litigated
  • 33% For Litigated File
  • No recovery, No Fee
  • Case Screening Required
  • Contractors Call
  • For Preferred Pricing
  •  
  •  

Basic Estate Plan

600$

Individual
  • $750 for Married Couple
  • Package Includes:
  • Will
  • Living Will
  • Health Care Power of Attorney
  • Durable General Power of Attorney
  • Appointment of Represenative for Funeral Purposes
Testimonials

What Our Clients Say

Roof Law 101

Industry Rules & Regulations

Ohio Law
Claims Guidelines

Here in Ohio, the Unfair property/casualty claims settlement practices act spells out what insurers must do in the adjustment of claims. For instance, under a replacement cost policy: “(a) When a loss requires replacement of an item or part, any consequential physical damages incurred in making such repair or replacement not otherwise excluded by the policy, shall be included in the loss. (b) When an interior or exterior loss requires replacement of an item and the replaced item does not match the quality, color or size of the item suffering the loss, the insurer shall replace as much of the item as to result in a reasonably comparable appearance.”

See Regulation
Ohio Law
Unauthorized Public Adjusting

Here in Ohio, only public adjusters or attorneys may adjust claims on behalf of policyholders. “’Public insurance adjuster’" means any person, firm, association, partnership, or corporation who, for compensation, acts on behalf of or aids in any manner, an insurer or insured or another in negotiating for, or effecting the settlement of a claim or claims for loss or damage under any policy of insurance covering real or personal property, and any person, firm, association, partnership, or corporation who advertises, solicits business, or holds itself out to the public as an adjuster of such insurance claims, and any person who for compensation investigates, settles, adjusts, advises, or assists an insurer or insured with reference to claims for such losses, on behalf of any such public insurance adjuster.”

See Regulation
Ohio Law
Ohio Roofing Code

Ohio roofers are required to follow both the Roofing Code and the manufacturer’s specifications. This often causes issues when adjusters either inadvertently leave Code items off their estimates or flat out refuse to pay for them in the supplement process. The code can be helpful in resolving estimating differences. For instance, there are often disputes over whether metal components should be replaced, even if they’re not storm damaged. The Code answers this in 908.5, reinstallation of materials, when it states “[a]ny existing flashings, edgings, outlets, vents or similar devices that are a part of the assembly shall be replaced where rusted, damaged or deteriorated.” There are also issues about whether the code is actually enforced in each particular jurisdiction. Quality roofers will follow the code, regardless, understanding that “[t]he provisions of this chapter govern the design, materials, construction and quality of roof assemblies under the Residential Code of Ohio.”

See Regulation
Contact Us

Call, Mail, or Visit Us

Business Phone:

740-785-7730

Mailing Address:

PO Box 6

Thornville, OH 43076

Office Address:

2 N. Main St.

Thornville, OH 43076

Contact

Send Us Your Issue