County Judge, Common Pleas Court, General/Domestic Relations Division - 6 year term commencing 1/1/2023Responsibilities: To preside at trials of both civil and criminal cases; to supervise the jury commission, grand jury, and other departments of the court.Salary, County Portion $ 14,000Salary, State Portion $149,792Salary, Total $163,792 Visit judicialvotescount.org for a more thorough presentation of judical candidates credentials.
Education
Case Western Reserve University School of Law, J.D., January, 1981; Mount Holyoke College, A.B. in Political Science, cum laude, May 1978
Experience
Judge, Ohio Court of Appeals; Visiting Judge, Ohio Supreme Court; Partner, Thrasher, Dinsmore & Dolan, L.P.A; Managing Partner, Apicella & Trapp-General civil, criminal trial and appellate practice in complex tort, small business, child custody, and probate litigation.
Volunteer/Community Service
Past President, Ohio Bar Association. Officer, Geauga Bar Association. Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. Geauga United Way Women’s Initiative. St. Anselm/St. Francis of Assisi parish
I returned to the bench in February 2019, having previously served six years as a judge on the Eleventh District Court of Appeals from 2007 to 2013. I have served as its Presiding/Administrative Judge on four occasions. I have also served as a visiting judge on the Supreme Court of Ohio and in four sister appellate districts by assignment of the Chief Justice. As the court’s Administrative Judge, I managed the “business” side of the court, including its budget, IT, and HR issues.
I have authored over 1,000 opinions and heard more than 2,000 cases. I am honored to have had over 100 opinions selected for publication. I have also authored numerous articles for local, state and national legal SEE COMPLETE RESPONSE AT WWW.JUDICIALVOTESCOUNT.ORG
I bring my 37 years in private practice I bring to the court my extensive courtroom experience as a civil and criminal trial and appellate litigator practicing in the trenches of our justice system helping ordinary people with their extraordinary problems. I represented working families, children at risk, and small business owners in courts across the state from small claims court to the Supreme Court of Ohio. My career as a practicing attorney included service as lead counsel in more than 50 major appellate cases, including cases before the Ohio Supreme Court, and 40 major civil and criminal jury trials. I was certified as co-counsel in death penalty cases. I have also served as counsel SEE COMPLETE RESPONSE AT WWW.JUDICIALVOTESCOUNT.ORG
With an impending retirement, I was asked by community leaders to come home to Geauga County to serve as a trial judge rather than serve another term as an appellate court judge in Geauga and four other counties in the district. These leaders want a judge with extensive experience as both a judge and a litigator who has civil and criminal jury trial experience. They want a judge with a proven track record of legal scholarship, fairness and impartiality, and administrative efficiency. I look forward to returning to my roots in the law-the trial courtroom. My career has given me invaluable years of experience as a judge scrutinizing decisions of trial courts, coupled with a rich tapestry SEE COMPLETE RESPONSE AT WWW.JUDICIALVOTESCOUNT.ORG
