John Seiller
Originally from Middletown, Ohio, a steel town, my journey began with blue-collar summer jobs, from a fifth-grade paper route to two summers in the steel mill. My parents emphasized education, leading me to Miami University’s honors program (BA in economics, 1989) and Ohio State Law School (graduated 1992).
Between my first and second years, I clerked for a boutique domestic relations attorney who taught me that finding your legal niche transforms work into an exciting daily challenge. The next summer, clerking for a judge, I grew disillusioned with litigation’s financial excess and big-firm hierarchies. Everything changed July 4th, 1991, on a horseback trip into Idaho’s Little Wood drainage near Sun Valley. Recognizing the physical and social capital in this tight-knit community, I applied to every local firm and joined Hogue Speck & Aanestad before graduation, working there two years before I had the privilege of working for the following 26 years alongside my esteemed mentor, estate planning attorney Tom Praggastis.
My practice now encompasses business law, public charities, HOAs, real estate, estate planning, and probate. I especially value clients focused on education and environmental causes, humanity’s best hope. I aim to simplify the law for clients through comprehensive cost-benefit analysis. My daughter teaches in Seattle; my son attends BSU hoping to follow my path. I’ve rekindled my childhood passion for horses and continue to pursue lifelong dreams of hockey and skiing.
However, a turning point came during the Fourth of July in 1991 when I was invited on a horseback trip into the scenic Little Wood drainage in Sun Valley, Idaho. It was a moment of profound revelation, as I recognized the immense physical and social capital embedded within this tightly-knit community. Inspired, I promptly applied to every law firm in the area, and before my graduation, I was offered a position by the Hogue Speck & Aanestad law firm. I dedicated two years of diligent work to the firm.
Over the ensuing 26 years, I had the privilege of working alongside my esteemed mentor, estate planning attorney Tom Praggastis. Presently, my legal practice encompasses a wide spectrum of business law facets, ranging from public charities to homeowner associations, private entities, real estate, estate planning, and probate. What I find most fulfilling in my legal practice is the interactions with my clients. They present me with intricate puzzles to solve each day.
Among my cherished clients, I hold a special affinity for public charities dedicated to education and environmental causes, as I believe these endeavors represent our best chance for the survival of humanity on this planet. The law, emerging from the fundamental principle of the Golden Rule, defines the parameters of human conduct, while economics serves as the framework for our decision-making within those bounds. My aspiration is to simplify my clients’ engagement with the law and its application to their unique circumstances, employing a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis that considers both financial and emotional factors.
As for my personal life, my children, who were born and raised in this community, have now grown into independent adults. My daughter has become a teacher in Seattle, while my son works locally for FMAA. I have rekindled my childhood passion for horses and continue to pursue my lifelong dream of playing hockey, as well as indulging in various forms of skiing whenever the opportunity arises.