About

Rapp Law Office

Our Team

Bill is a retired Colonel, United States Marine Corps Reserve (1987–2016), having served in such legal and non-legal billets as senior Defense Counsel, Admin Officer, Trial Advocacy Instructor, and as Military Judge presiding over Special and General Court Martial, including a tour in Iraq as the Sole Military Judge in Theatre. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati (UC Clermont Class Valedictorian 1982 / UC Bachelor of Science Summa Cum Laude 1984 / UC Law School 1987), Bill began Rapp Law in Hamilton County, Ohio, in October 1991, where he quickly established himself as a leader amongst criminal defense lawyers, providing zealous, aggressive representation before State and Federal Courts involving all types of criminal charges. He earned his first murder jury trial acquittal in Hamilton County in 2000. Known as a straight shooter and a persuasive trial attorney, his many clients feel comfortable when explaining their legal issues and are given an honest assessment and seasoned advice based on more than 31 years of legal experience in the legal trenches. In 2001, Bill moved the Rapp Law Office to his hometown of Amelia, Ohio, and today, together with his like-minded team of outstanding Associate Attorneys, Rapp Law proudly serves as the Clermont County “go-to” law firm for the entire community’s legal needs, representing individuals honorably in Clermont County, Brown County, Hamilton County, Highland County, Adams County, Warren County, and Butler County. Bill is married with four children, including two stepchildren. He has served as a member of the Clermont County Republican Party Central Committee since 2002. Bill seeks to satisfy his competitive nature as owner of The Cincinnati Defenders Baseball Organization, which now has four select baseball teams that train at his indoor baseball training facility.

Joshua Crousey is a 2004 graduate of Grove City College and attended the University of Pittsburgh Law School on a Dean’s Scholarship. He clerked for the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Western District of Pennsylvania, and worked for a medium-sized law firm in Minneapolis. Since moving to Clermont County, he has focused the majority of his practice on OVIs and other traffic-related cases, as well as cases involving drugs, manslaughters, rapes, weapons, and weapons while under disability. In 2020, he was selected to speak at the Peace Officer Research Association of California Conference in Las Vegas about responding to officer-involved vehicular manslaughter and assault cases. Josh has been named to the National Trial Lawyers 40 Under 40 and the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyers. Josh loves his work, and it shows.

Alicia M. Gifford, of Brown County, Ohio, graduated from Georgetown Jr./Sr. High School in 2014. Alicia received a Bachelor of Arts from Wilmington College with a major in Criminal Justice and then went on to attend Salmon P. Chase College of Law. Alicia earned her law degree in 2022 and was admitted to the practice of law.

While in law school, Alicia worked full time for the Brown County Municipal Court and later completed an internship at the Brown County Prosecutor's Office. In both positions, Alicia became well acquainted with the functioning of the court system and legal process. She is currently an active member of the Ohio Bar Association and the Cincinnati Bar Association.

Alicia currently works on domestic relations matters such as divorces and custody cases. She also works with last wills and testaments, expungement of records, and some small claims matters. As with the rest of Rapp Law, Alicia is dedicated to her clients and their needs and devotes herself to providing quality legal representation in all matters.

Robert D. Barbato graduated from Kenyon College in 2013 with a degree in Psychology and a concentration in Neuroscience, where he was also a member of the college football team. He went on to attend Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, graduating Magna Cum Laude. During law school, Robert served as President of the International Law Society, tutored first-year law students, and competed on a nationally recognized moot court team, earning Top Oralist honors in national competitions. While in law school, Robert gained valuable legal experience through internships with both state and federal prosecutors' offices. He also worked with the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, assisting with cases involving genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other serious international offenses. In addition, Robert served as an Honors Intern with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where he assisted with complex federal investigations. 

Robert spent nearly a decade with the Clermont County Prosecutor's Office, where he worked closely with law enforcement agencies on complex criminal investigations, presented cases to grand juries, and prosecuted a wide range of misdemeanor and felony offenses. His experience includes handling matters involving homicide, sexual assault, violent crimes, burglary, drug trafficking, and white-collar crime. Robert has successfully tried numerous bench and jury trials, including cases involving aggravated murder, rape, child sexual assault, aggravated robbery, and aggravated burglary. He has also been featured on national and international crime documentaries, including Snapped and Forensic Factor: A New Era. 

Today, Robert focuses on providing skilled and dedicated legal representation to his clients. Drawing on his extensive courtroom and trial experience, he is committed to helping clients navigate difficult legal matters while delivering the personalized attention and advocacy they deserve.

About Rapp Law Office

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