Dwight serves on the Board of Directors for Safe Haven Farms, Inc., an organization offering residential, day, and community services for individuals on the autism spectrum. This fall, Dwight participated in Safe Haven's second annual Walk On for Autism fundraiser.

Dwight is a member of the Firm’s Business Services and Personal Client Services Groups. He has experience assisting clients in both the court room and the board room. Although he has an extensive background in commercial and fiduciary litigation, most of his practice is now devoted to helping individuals and businesses in the areas of commercial transactions, business succession planning, corporate mergers and acquisitions, commercial loans and financing, wills and estate planning, real estate and zoning law. He has assisted several clients in the food packing and tech industries. He has extensive experience with software and mobile application development companies.

Dwight is licensed to practice in Ohio, Florida and various federal jurisdictions. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida, where he earned a dual-major B.A. He earned his law degree at the University of Dayton School of Law.

Dwight grew up in West Chester, Ohio and now represents many individuals and business in the Greater Cincinnati area, with particular emphasis on the Butler and Warren County areas. He currently resides in Warren County with his wife and three daughters. He is active in the community as a volunteer coach and mentor. He also serves on several civic and charitable boards in his community.

Education

University of South Florida, B.A., cum laude, 1993

University of Dayton School of Law, J.D., 1996

Professional Activities

The Florida Bar - Member

Ohio State Bar Association - Member

Warren County Bar Association - Member

Warren County Small Business Development Alliance

Warren County Area Progress Council

Warren County Bar Association Certified Grievance Committee

Safe Haven Farms Inc. - Board Member

Women Walking West

Inc. - Board Member

LifeSpan

Inc. - Board Member

Now that Dwight Packard’s three daughters are older, he’s thinking about taking up a few outdoor adventures again. Like the time he climbed Mount Kathadin at the northern tip of the Appalachian Trail in Maine to mark his 40th birthday.

Much of his free time during the girls’ formative years was given to coaching their various teams, mostly soccer. Although his coaching days are over, he looks back fondly on that part of his life. He had a few learning years, he says. But overall, his teams posted winning records. And he picked up this lesson:

“You have your natural athletes. But most of the time, different kids have different talents. A kid can be great at scoring but lousy at defending. It takes a while to learn. But once you figure out what individual players do well and put them in positions that play to their strengths, your team does a whole lot better.”

Dwight grew up in West Chester when it was mostly cornfields. From around the age of 8 through college, he spent summers with his grandparents’ on Sebec Lake in Maine. He came to feel at home exploring the forest, looking under creek rocks for crawdads and fossils, occasionally finding a snake or a snapping turtle.

“Those summers helped me build confidence. I had time to think, look around in my mind and imagine things, just being out there on my own.”

Becoming an attorney was always part of the picture. Dwight’s father was a lawyer, as was his grandfather on his mother’s side. Dwight’s parents were his single biggest influence. They were good at finding ways to motivate him, he says.

“My high school career could be described as mediocre. At the same time, I really wanted to go away to college, to the University of South Florida. But they weren’t interested in paying-out-of-state tuition if I wasn’t going to be a serious student.

“So the deal was, if I earned anything less than a B in any class my first semester at the University of South Florida, it would be considered flunking out and I’d have to come home. I thought, ‘Fine, I’ll show them.’

“The turning point was when I actually found myself enjoying the academic side, along with the rewards of working hard and applying yourself. I did very well. My parents were thrilled, especially when the school waived my out-of-state tuition.”

Dwight and his wife, Danielle, live with their daughters Rebecca, Megan and Madison in, oddly enough, Maineville.

He was attracted to the Firm through its emphasis on innovation. “They’ve gone through a serious process of rethinking themselves. It’s the oldest firm in town, but it’s cutting edge. Graydon is nimble, able to adjust. Their philosophy on the modern practice of law requires so much more than my father and grandfather had to do in terms of adapting to the world of technology.”