New OSBA Leadership Academy Includes Legal Aid Staff
January 20, 2010
OSBA Leadership Academy Announces Inaugural Class
CONTACT: Kenneth Brown – 800-282-6556 or 614-487-4426
Columbus, Ohio (January 19, 2010) – The Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) today announced the formation of the first class of its Leadership Academy designed to identify future leaders in the legal community and provide them with support and training.
Specifically, OSBA’s Leadership Academy seeks to:
- Identify and train lawyers for future opportunities for leadership in the Association, the profession and in the community;
- Nurture effective leadership with respect to ethical, professional and community service issues;
- Raise the level of awareness among lawyers regarding the broad range of issues facing the legal profession and to build relationships among legal leaders across state and experience levels; and
- Create a cadre of lawyers upon which the OSBA, state and local government entities, local bar associations and community organizations can call upon for leadership and service.
“We see the OSBA Leadership Academy as a way to identify fresh new faces in the legal community across Ohio, provide them with entrée to the vast resources of the Ohio State Bar Association and the legal community, and help them prepare to assume leadership roles in the Association and in their communities in the coming years,” said Barbara J. Howard, OSBA President.
This interactive leadership training program will be conducted during a six- month period consisting of five sessions beginning February 26 and concluding mid-June, 2010. The sessions will cover issues such as leadership, ethics and professionalism; state and local government; access to justice; community service, economic development and other pertinent topics. Participants will learn skills to become effective writers and public speakers. They will become problem solvers and effective lawyer leaders. Speakers and mentors will include leaders from the bench and bar, state and local government and the community. At least twelve credit hours of CLE will be available for the program.
Class size will be limited to 24 lawyers. Candidates must be in practice at least three years but less than 10 years. Invitation to the Leadership Academy is made by the president of the Association upon nomination. Selection is based on many factors, including stated commitment to the goals of the Academy and diversity (geographic, gender, ethnic, racial, age, disability, etc).
The participation fee is $350 (includes all meals, material and overnight accommodations).
“We are very excited to kick off the Leadership Academy,” said Howard. Our plan is to start with this core group of attorneys in 2010, develop the program further, and offer the Academy on an annual basis. We believe our Association and our members will benefit tremendously from the effort, as will the community at large.”
Members of the inaugural class include lawyers from large and small firms, in large cities and small towns, from a variety of legal disciplines. Here is the list of the 2010 participants:
Joseph L. Bruemmer Keating Muething & Klekamp, PLL Cincinnati
Caterina Cocca-Fulton Cocca-Fulton Law Office Chesterland
Amy L. DeLuca Wickens Herzer Panza Cook & Batista Co. Avon
Jessica A. Dipre Dinsmore & Shohl Cincinnati
Peter Georgiton Dinsmore & Shohl Cincinnati
Stephen D. Hartman Kerger & Hartman, LLC Toledo
Jason A. Hill Sixth District Court of Appeals Toledo
Lisa R. House Reminger Co., L.P.A. Columbus
Matthew O. Hutchinson Shindler, Neff, Holmes, Schlageter & Mohler Toledo
Lisa M. Jones Frantz Ward, LLP Cleveland
Kimberly P. Jordan Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio Hamilton
Nicholas Malone Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP Toledo
Melissa A. McKenna Legal Aid Society Cincinnati
Catherine L. Miller Thompson Hine, LLP Cleveland
L. Kate Mitchell Legal Aid of Western Ohio Toledo
Allison Bisig Oswall Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL Cincinnati
Tracie N. Ransom Porter Wright Columbus
Rhys J. Richards Casper & Casper, LLC Middletown
John Seeds Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis Cleveland
Patrick Skilliter Southeastern Ohio Legal Services Zanesville
Sarah Skow Cooper & Walinski Toledo
Nicole Swearingen-Hilker Brouse McDowell, L.P.A. Akron
Julita L. Varner Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc. Toledo
Veronica L. Zoltowski Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc. Toledo
The Ohio State Bar Association, founded in 1880, is a voluntary association representing approximately 25,000 members of the bench and bar of Ohio as well as nearly 4,000 legal assistants and law students. Through its activities and the activities of its related organizations, the OSBA serves both its members and the public by promoting the highest standards in the practice of law and the administration of justice.
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