When Al Adams was attending Padua Franciscan High School, he did not know where the path was going to lead him. However, Adams ’69 was certain of one thing: he was going to be well prepared when he arrived.
After graduating from Padua, Adams went to Harvard University, and he earned a Bachelor of Arts and an MBA in business before pursuing, and ultimately, graduating with a JD (Juris Doctor). While those impressive degrees required a lot of work after arriving at Harvard, Adams credits his time at Padua for giving him the proper foundation to succeed at the highest levels of academia.
“I was very lucky to go to a school that was full of guys who had prepped at some of the most expensive and prestigious prep schools in the country, Andover, Exeter, and I felt, and still feel, none of them were better prepared than I was,” Adams said.
“I got a wonderful education at Padua, and it wasn’t just book learning. It was, in large part, a lesson on how to conduct yourself. It was a very special place. I was the fourth graduating class, and there were only a couple hundred of us in the class and a couple hundred in the class above that. Everybody knew everybody, and it really was like a family. It was just a wonderful place to go to school.”
While Adams learned a lot in the classroom that propelled him to the successes he experienced at Harvard and beyond, that education extended far beyond the classroom.
Along with earning the status of Salutatorian for the Padua Class of 1969, Adams was a member of the National Honor Society, served as the Vice President of the Senior Class and was active in athletics, too. He played basketball and was an East-West All-Star and All-Crown Conference selection as a standout pitcher for the Bruins’ baseball team.
During his time at Padua, Adams was positively influenced by many teachers and coaches, including his German teacher, Mr. Ralph Torowski, whom he described as “a wonderful man.” In particular, Fr. Mario DiCicco, OFM and Coach Chuck Priefer were impactful on his journey, both at Padua and in the decades that followed.
“I think everybody who was impacted by Fr. Mario came away a better person, and Coach Priefer was the same thing,” Adams said. “It isn’t just that he was very good at what he did, it was the way he did it. He always conducted himself with real integrity and always took the view that how you did things in many ways was more important than what you did. I think he helped influence a lot of people.”
After graduating from Padua and earning three degrees at Harvard, Adams had one goal in mind: returning to Cleveland.
Fortunately, Adams was at the right place at the right time, as there were many “great law firms in Cleveland” for whom he could achieve his dream of being a business lawyer because he “never wanted to do litigation.”
Adams landed at BakerHostetler and has spent the last 48 years building his career there.
As a lead lawyer, Adams has represented 12 issuers, including five real estate investment trusts, in their initial public offerings (IPOs), and helped numerous limited partnerships to form public companies. Additionally, he has served as general outside counsel to two public funds and eight public companies, been a director of seven public companies and acted as engagement partner in connection with public offerings of more than $25 billion of various securities.
Adams was “Recommended in Real Estate” in the 2019 Legal 500 United States, selected among The Best Lawyers in America® for Ohio: Corporate Law (1999-2025), named Ohio’s “Super Lawyer” (2004-2017) and the Martindale-Hubbell: AV Preeminent (Peer and Client Review Ratings system). He holds memberships in the American Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Association and Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association.
“It’s all about people,” Adams said. “I really think that the world would be better off if we all worried more about people instead of what you’re doing. When I was going through the interview process, there were just a lot of people I met from BakerHostetler that I thought were really great people, and that was the distinguishing factor for me and why I went to Baker and not some other firms.”
In addition to his personal successes, Adams always remembered his roots at Padua and enjoys giving back to others.
He has contributed to many organizations throughout Northeast Ohio, including the Cleveland Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Centers for Families and Children, the Greater Cleveland Roundtable, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, the Corporate College, the Western Reserve Historical Society, and Karamu Playhouse, among many others.
Also, Adams is a Lifetime Fellow at the American Bar Association Foundation.
“It really does tie back to Padua,” Adams said. “It’s not just what you do, but how you do it. I have tried all my life to give back because I am incredibly lucky to be where I am, and I’m very grateful for it. My dad worked in the post office. My mom was a stay-at-home homemaker, and to come from where I came to find myself in Harvard Yard, in many ways, was like a miracle.”
Adams is hopeful that his story serves as a reminder to current and potential future Bruins that with the right foundation and a solid work ethic, there is no such thing as an unattainable goal.
“I am really hoping that my story is clear evidence that almost anything is possible,” Adams said. “You have to work hard, and you have to get lucky, but if you work hard, and you do get lucky, you can achieve almost anything.”
“If I were a parent, and I was reading about my story, I would like to think that it’s proof that you can go to Padua and get the same success you can get if you went to another school. It is a very special place.”
