Firm History

Five generations of Sitterleys and three generations of Vandervoorts have all enjoyed living in the Lancaster area.

The first two generations of Sitterleys were farmers. Kermit Sitterley attended a one room school house in Bloom township, graduated from Canal Winchester High school and attended college and law school at The Ohio State University. Kermit Sitterley's father-in-law, Ray E. Hummel, was in the second graduating class from Ohio State Law School in 1902, practicing in Carroll, Ohio and serving in the Ohio House of Representatives.

Following his 1933 graduation from law school, Kermit joined Judge Brooks Shell to found a law practice in Lancaster. Judge Shell, who had recently stepped off the Fairfield County Common Pleas bench, lived only a short while thereafter. Kermit established an office in the corner of what was then the Equitable Building, (currently Chase), where Sitterley & Vandervoort Ltd currently has a suite of offices. During World War II, from 1943 to 1945, Kermit maintained his practice in Lancaster while serving as a Naval Officer in Washington, D.C.. For 65 years, Kermit practiced in Lancaster, working for clients throughout Fairfield County and the surrounding areas. Kermit spent part of this time on his own and part of the time associated with other local attorneys.

In 1973, Kermit invited his son, William J. Sitterley, and his son-in-law, Peter M. Vandervoort, to become partners with him. Craig M. Vandervoort joined the firm in 1992, followed by Jeffrey K. Vandervoort in 1999. Our firm, now in its fourth generation, includes four attorneys and five legal assistants.