Frederick R. Nance is Squire Sanders’ regional managing partner, operating out of the firm’s Cleveland office (founded in 1890). His legal practice focuses on sports and entertainment law, commercial litigation, client counseling and public-private partnerships. A graduate of Harvard University (B.A., 1975) and the University of Michigan (J.D., 1978), Nance began his career at Squire Sanders directly from law school. From 1991 to 2001 he served as the primary outside counsel to the City of Cleveland and former Cleveland mayor Michael White in a variety of initiatives and projects, including spearheading the battle to keep the Browns football team in Cleveland. In 2006, he was selected as one of five finalists for the position of commissioner of the National Football League. In 2009, Nance joined the Browns’ front office, where he served for three years as general counsel while remaining a Squire Sanders partner. He is currently the Browns’ senior advisor and special counsel.

Nance has served on the boards of the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Foundation. He is a member of the executive committees of the Greater Cleveland Partnership and the Ohio Business Roundtable, and serves on the board of the Cleveland Clinic. In 2004–05, he chaired the Cleveland Defense Industry Alliance, which successfully retained 1,100 Department of Defense jobs that had been targeted for elimination. He was recently appointed by Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson to two boards dedicated to downtown and lakefront development.