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The ABA House of Delegates passed a resolution supporting reductions in licensing barriers for lawyer military spouses who must make frequent moves because of their spouses' work assignments. Click here to view the video update.

The Ohio Women's Bar Association is proud of its involvement in this issue. Click here to read the OWBA's military spouse resolution and recommendations.

The law firm of Bricker & Eckler LLP is pleased to announce that Sommer L. Sheely has been elected as a Partner of the firm.  Based in the firm's Columbus office, Sommer is a member of the firm’s Litigation group. She serves clients as lead and trial counsel before federal and state courts and administrative panels.
 
Sommer’s practice includes defending and pursuing claims on behalf of insurance companies in disputes with agents and insureds; vendors, suppliers, manufacturers and designers in various contract litigation, including with respect to UCC issues; trustees, individuals and beneficiaries in fiduciary disputes, including charitable giving, will and trust contests and other fiduciary challenges; and individuals and entities in partnership disputes, including dissolution issues.  Sommer’s practice also regularly involves defense of class actions.
 
A good steward of her community and profession, Sommer is actively involved in a number of organizations.  She is a regular presenter at the Ohio State Bar Association and National Business Institute on a variety of litigation topics.  Additionally, Sommer is a member of the inaugural class of the Ohio Women’s Bar Foundation Leadership Institute.  She also serves as chair of the Charitable Events Committee for Bricker & Eckler’s Women In Networking group.  She is a member of the Columbus Bar Association’s Bar Admissions Committee. Also of note, Ohio Super Lawyers has recognized her as a “Rising Star” since 2009.
 
Sommer earned her undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.  She earned her law degree, with honors, from The Ohio State University, where she was managing editor of The Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution, and a finalist and regional Best Oral Advocate on the National Moot Court team.
 

The Ohio Women’s Bar Association announced today its ratings for the 2012 contested March primary judicial candidates running for election in Cuyahoga County.

The purpose of the OWBA Judicial Selection Committee (JSC) is to objectively evaluate and rate judicial candidates and publish the ratings to the community at large. To see the most recent ratings, go to www.Judge4Yourself.com.  

The OWBA’s JSC is part of an organization known as the Judicial Candidates Ratings Coalition or “JCRC.” The JCRC consists of committees from the OWBA, the Norman Minor Bar Association, the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, and the Cuyahoga County Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Association. Before each primary and general election, JCRC conducts interviews of candidates running for judicial office in Cuyahoga County.

The evaluation process is confidential, non-partisan and independent. The candidates are evaluated based on the criteria of integrity, judicial temperament, diligence, professional competence and community involvement and understanding. Overall, the question is whether the candidate will be a competent, fair and trustworthy judge. The evaluations include a questionnaire which provides information regarding the candidates’ background, legal experience and motivation for becoming a judge.  Interviews of each candidate are also conducted by representative members of the organizations involved in JCRC. The candidates also provide writing samples and references. After the interview process is completed, each organization gives the candidates one of the following ratings:

Excellent: This rating means that the candidate is outstanding based on the criteria and is a superior choice for the office.

Good: This rating means the candidate substantially meets the criteria and is well-qualified for the office.

Adequate: This rating means the candidate meets the criteria passably, or, alternatively, fails to satisfy one or more of them.  A candidate rated adequate possesses at least the minimum qualifications for the office.  

Not Recommended: This rating means the candidate does not meet the criteria, lacking the minimum qualifications for judicial office.  

Refused to Participate: If a candidate fails or refuses to appear for an interview or fails to complete the questionnaire, the candidate’s rating will be “refused to participate.”  However, if the candidate fails or refuses to appear and there is enough information relative to the candidate’s qualifications, a “not recommended” rating may be given.

Well, I guess this is progressundefinedA majority of Americans don't give a hoot whether their boss is male or female. Harvard Business Review reports: "A recent online survey of more than 60,000 people by Kim M. Elsesser of UCLA and Janet Lever of California State University shows that the proportion having no preference now stands at 54 percent." Read more.

Reminger partner Michelle J. Sheehan has been certified by the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) as a specialist in Appellate Law. This distinction makes Michelle one of only 29 Certified Appellate Law specialists in the State of Ohio. Attorneys who pursue certification as specialists must pass an extensive written examination in their specialty field, demonstrate a high level of involvement and expertise in the specialty area, fulfill ongoing education requirements and be favorably evaluated by other attorneys and judges familiar with their work.

Michelle concentrates her legal practice on appellate advocacy and post trial matters as well as general litigation including insurance coverage matters, premises liability, and government liability issues. Michelle has argued cases before the Ohio Supreme Court, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and most appellate courts in Ohio.

Administratively, Michelle is a chairperson of the firm's judicial liaison and marketing/public relations groups. She is also a frequent lecturer for professional associations and continuing legal education seminars dealing with appellate, insurance coverage and risk management issues.

In support of the firm's community and charitable commitments, Michelle has served as President of the Ohio Women's Bar Association, and the Visiting Committee to the Dean of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She is currently a Board of Trustee for EcoWatch, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Alumni Association and serves on the Rocky River Civil Service Commission. She was also a 2011 ATHENA Award Finalists. She is married to Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge Brendan Sheehan.

"We have one of the best appellate practices group in Ohio. Our partners, Michelle Sheehan and Holly Wilson are two of only twenty nine attorneys in the state that share this distinct honor. Their expertise further enables us to provide results for clients at the trial court and appellate court level.” remarked Reminger Managing Partner Stephen E. Walters.

Marilena DiSilvio gets up to close her office door during an interview, but her assistant  asks her to leave it open. Everyone, it seems, wants to hear DiSilvio’s stories. That’s a good thing for any lawyer, but particularly for a medical malpractice litigator whose every case pits her against a patient with a heart-tugging tale. Read more

The Ohio Women's Bar Association officially launched its mentoring program. The OWBA Law School Mentor Program matches women attorneys with women law school students from Ohio law schools. Mentors are drawn statewide from the OWBA membership.

The goals and objectives are to continue OWBA’s mission of promoting the leadership, advancement and interests of women attorneys through professional education, networking and the exchange of ideas between our members, local bar associations, business and the community.

For more information, click here.

Fourteen municipal court judges and three common pleas court judges across the state will retire. They are:

•     Ashland Judge Jacob M. Fridline
•     Barberton Judge Greg Macko
•     Bellefontaine Judge John L. Ross
•     Bellevue Judge Kenneth P. Fox
•     Chardon Judge Mark J. Hassett
•     Chillicothe Judge Thomas E. Bunch
•     Fostoria Judge John D. Hadacek
•     Fremont Judge Michael L. Burkett
•     Girard Judge Michael A. Bernard
•     Miamisburg Judge Robert E. Messham Jr.
•     New Philadelphia Judge Mary Wade Space
•     South Euclid Judge Patricia Ann Kleri
•     Toledo Judge Francis X. Gorman
•     Willoughby Judge Larry Allen
•     Pike County Juvenile/Probate Court Judge Jerry D. Catanzaro
•     Scioto County Domestic Relations Court Judge David E. Spears
•     Van Wert County Juvenile/Probate Court Judge Rex D. Fortney

Read more

Attorney Deborah Read will join a distinguished group as one of just 10 women heading the nation’s largest law firms.

The Plain Dealer reports that Read, 54, will take over as managing partner of Cleveland-based Thompson Hine next May. She will succeed David Hooker, 61, who’ll remain a partner at the firm with 363 lawyers and seven offices, including one in Columbus. Read more

Deborah J. Michelson was recently appointed as an adjunct professor at Case Western Reserve School of Law teaching trial tactics to third year law students.

Michelson is partner at Miller Goler Faeges. She focuses her practice on business and complex commercial litigation, representing publicly traded companies, small businesses, and individuals in matters involving intellectual property rights, business torts, securities fraud, employment discrimination and retaliation, breaches of contract, commercial real estate, business "break-ups" and wind-downs, breaches of fiduciary duty, insurance coverage, estate and probate disputes, corporate governance, executive compensation, and ERISA-related issues.