2022 OACTA Annual Meeting |
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Thank you to all the Exhibitors and Sponsors who helped make the 2022 OACTA Annual Meeting a success! |
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The new OACTA officers for 2023 were installed at the Annual Meeting. |
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Left to right: Elizabeth Smith, Treasurer; Daniel Richards, Secretary; David Orlandini, President; Benjamin Sassé, Immediate Past President
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The 2022 OACTA Hilary S. Taylor Inclusion & Equity Scholarship recipients were recognized. The recipients of the scholarship were:
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Victoria E. Bonds
Case Western Reserve University
School of Law
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Athena J. Williams
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
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Not pictured: Stephanie Darville, University of Cincinnati College of Law
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During the OACTA Annual Business Meeting & Legal Excellence Award Luncheon on Thursday, November 10, the following awards were presented to recognize attorneys for their service to OACTA, the profession and the community:
Excellence in Advocacy Award:
Cormac DeLaney, Esq., Manahan, Pietrykowski, DeLaney & Wasielewski Co., LPA
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Mark F. McCarthy, Esq., Tucker Ellis LLP
Respected Advocate Award:
K. James Sullivan, Esq., Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP
Distinguished Contributions to the Community Award:
Hilary S. Taylor, Esq. (posthumous)
Outstanding Young Lawyer Award:
Thomas N. Spyker, Esq., Reminger Co. LPA
Frank Seth Hurd Member of the Year Award:
Adelia A. Mohan, Esq., Weston Hurd. LLP
OACTA Committee Chair of the Year Award:
Gretchen Koehler Mote, Esq., Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Co.
Nicole A. Mitchell, Esq., Freund Freeze & Arnold
OACTA congratulates these award recipients for their outstanding contributions, as well as their contributions to the legal profession!
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Welcome New OACTA Members Since September! |
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Jesse Schmidt, McNeal Schick Archibald & Biro Co. LPA
Ariana Bernard, Tucker Ellis LLP
Nicholas Kanoza, Bruns, Connell, Vollmar & Armstrong, LLC
Michael Quinlan, Mansour Gavin LPA
Lynne Longtin, Cincinnati Insurance Company
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OACTA Receives Distinguished Award |
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OACTA Receives the DRI Rudolph A. Janata Award
On October 28th, during the DRI (Defense Research Institute) Annual Meeting at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown Hotel, OACTA was presented the DRI Rudolph A. Janata Award.
This national award is presented to an outstanding state or local defense bar organization that has undertaken innovative programing that contributes to the goals and objectives of the organized defense bar. OACTA was the first recipient of this award, named after OACTA past president (1968) Rudolph Janata and was honored to receive it in 2022. Thank you to all the volunteers and leaders of OACTA who made this award possible!
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Pictured from L-R: Douglas Burrell, DRI Immediate Past President; Ben Sassé, OACTA 2022 President; Debbie Nunner, OACTA Executive Director; Lana Olson, DRI 2023 President |
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Upcoming OACTA Lunch & Learn |
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FREE CLE FOR OACTA MEMBERS!
Lunch & Learn: "The Biomechanics of Injury Causation - Traumatic Brain Injuries" with Dr. Sam Wordeman, Sponsored by ARRCA
Wednesday, January 18, 2023 | 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Hear about the foundational methods used during biomechanical analyses of injury causation with a particular emphasis on traumatic brain injury (TBI). Dr. Wordeman will openly discuss core concepts regarding physics and engineering, as well as human anatomy and physiology in understandable terms using real-world examples and field experience.
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2023 OACTA Foundation
Hilary S. Taylor Law Student
Inclusion & Equity Scholarship Program
The Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys (OACTA) Law Student Inclusion & Equity, Scholarship program is open to the following incoming second and third-year law students who are enrolled in an Ohio law school or are a permanent Ohio resident: Minority law students; LGBTQ (Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, Questioning) law students, regardless of race or ethnicity; Female law students, regardless of race or ethnicity; or, Law students from economically impoverished families/backgrounds, regardless of race or ethnicity. The criteria include academic achievements; service to the community and to the cause of inclusion and equity; and experience or interest in a civil defense practice.
Up to three (3) scholarships in the amount of $2,500 each will be awarded to successful applicants. Applicants are required to submit an application, law school transcript and a cover letter addressing the following: academic, personal and professional accomplishments, and why they should be selected as a recipient of the scholarship. Applicants must also submit at least one letter of recommendation but may submit a total of three. Applications must be submitted online with a cover letter. Transcripts and letter of recommendation may be mailed to the OACTA office.
The completed application and all other requested material must be received by May 10, 2023. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Scholarship recipients will be announced in June and recognized at the OACTA Annual Meeting in November. Funding is provided by the OACTA Foundation.
OACTA believes that a diverse membership makes a stronger organization. OACTA encourages inclusion and equity in all aspects of its activities and is committed to nurturing a culture that supports and promotes it.
For more information or to complete an application, visit www.oacta.org.
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Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor |
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Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor: Profile in Integrity and Courage
By Stu Harris, Nationwide Insurance
As time winds down on Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor’s service to the State of Ohio, it is clear she exemplifies all that is good in the third branch. Unfortunately, Ohio requires judges and justices to retire at age 70. Her tenure as Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court will be remembered for her integrity, independence, and fortitude. Earlier in her tenure on the Court, Chief Justice O’Connor reflected: "I will continue to champion what I know is right, and do so, I hope, with a sense of reason, respect, and civility…." Then she added clairvoyantly: "That's how I'd like my time on the bench to be remembered." Select this link to review speeches.
Looking back on her career, being the first women to serve as the Chief Justice is historic; however, her stands on the death penalty, bail, and most notably gerrymandering reflect her tenacity and principles. In her last year, Chief Justice O’Connor’s position on redistricting drew the ire of many in her own party at a time when they should be celebrating her service to Ohio. During her tenure, her resolve was certainly tested and never did the Chief Justice waiver in her reason, respect or civility.
Historically, Chief Justice O’Connor’s achievements are worth noting for both her length and breadth of service to Ohio. Prior to serving the state of Ohio in both the executive and judicial branch, she served as a judge and the elected County Prosecutor for Summit County. After serving locally, Prosecutor O’Connor successfully stood for election as Lieutenant Governor with Governor Bob Taft in 1998. Her career highlights include:
- Held statewide elected office longer than any woman in state history.
- Was the second woman to serve as Ohio lieutenant governor.
- Joined the supreme court in 2002 and became the first woman to serve as chief justice in 2011.
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On the court, she heard more than 2,500 oral arguments and wrote 421 majority opinions and 77 dissents. See Columbus Dispatch, November 22, 2022 (Laura A. Bischoff).
Signaling her willingness to take on significant challenges early in her tenure, Chief Justice O’Connor, during her swearing-in in 2011, called for a review of Ohio’s death penalty to comport with the ABA death penalty review. In so doing, she set up the Ohio Joint Task Force to Review the Administration of Ohio’s Death Penalty. See ARTICLE: Phyliss L. Crocker, O'Connor's Firsts, 48 Akron L. Rev. 79 (2015). Eventually, some of the recommendations were implemented. Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty is unconstitutional for juveniles and the mentally disabled. In 2020, the Ohio General Assembly moved to prohibit the death penalty in cases involving mental illness claims that fall short of the severity that would lead a trial jury or judge to return a "not guilty by reason of insanity" verdict.
Next, the Chief’s steadfast resolve was tested in the backlash to the decision in DuBose vs. McGuffey, 168 Ohio St.3d 1, 2022-Ohio-8 (2022). In DuBose, Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor joined Justices Brunner, Stewart, and Donnelly (The Chief is a Republican and the aforementioned three Justices are Democrats) in finding that excessive bail is unconstitutional and when setting bail, a court should only evaluate whether the accused is a flight risk not the seriousness of the crime or public safety concerns. In seeking to place this issue in front of Ohio voters, opponents including legislators labelled DuBose "a really reckless decision" that disregarded public safety and "tied judges' hands." In response, the Chief Justice, who clearly understands criminal prosecutions, noted that the opponents twisted the effects of the court's ruling, since safety considerations are incorporated into the arguments prosecutors make when requesting bail. See The Plain Dealer, September 15, 2022 (Andrew J. Tobias) Finally, the Chief noted: "To manufacture fear and a continual pattern of jailing the people who can least afford release doesn't protect society," O'Connor said. "It only assures that money determines the level of freedom and civil rights that someone enjoys." Id.
With regard to the gerrymandering case, the Chief again joined Justices Brunner, Stewart, and Donnelly, with the Court speaking primarily through Per Curium decisions in a continuous back and forth with the Ohio General Assembly. See League of Women Voters of Ohio v. Ohio Redistricting Comm., 164 Ohio St. 3d 1444, 2021-Ohio-3377, 2021 Ohio LEXIS 1898, 173 N.E.3d 1234 (2021) et seq.
In seeking to support the premise: "It's time to end gerrymandering—which protects party politics at the expense of the American people—and allow true democracy to flourish." Id. In a concurring decision, Justice Donnelly summarized the majority’s decisions as follows:
[These cases confirm] that relatively little has changed in how legislative-district plans are drawn. The design of legislative districts remains firmly in the grip of the majority party's legislative politicians to the exclusion of all others. The Ohio Redistricting Commission is independent in theory only. Indeed, the commission's plans in these cases have consistently been drafted by the majority party's political staffers to the exclusion of the minority party and at times even to the virtual exclusion of the majority-party commission members in order to maintain dominance by the majority party.
Id.
On this issue, amongst her friends in the legislature, the Chief was mentioned early and often for impeachment. Unfortunately, a Republican legislator texted his colleagues a Wheel of Fortune meme that said, "I would like to buy a vowel" with the phrase "Impeach Maureen" as the game show answer. Meanwhile, at Ohio Republican Headquarters, there is an empty space where her photo was previously. See The Columbus Dispatch, 'I'd like to buy a vowel': Republicans turn impeachment of Ohio chief justice into a meme; July 6, 2022 (Laura A. Bischoff).
The Chief Justice continues to eschew any descriptions of her using the word: courage anywhere in the accolades. This in and of itself illustrates her judicial demeanor—always taking the high road and maintaining a sense of reason, respect, and civility. Of course, there is much more to Justice O'Connor's legacy on the bench than reflected in this article. Among initiatives she has championed in Ohio and nationally are racial justice; attorney representation for the poor; sentencing fairness; cameras in courtrooms; and grand jury reform. “There are high costs for any independence, and the costs of judicial independence come in many forms-personal, professional, and political.” ARTICLE: Pierce J. Reed, Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor: A Legacy of Judicial Independence, 48 Akron L. Rev. 1 (2015). Clearly, based on this standard, when lawyers and historians look back, they will begin their description of Chief Justice O’Connor with the word “courage.”
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Need CLE Before the End of the Year? |
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Did you miss any of the OACTA Lunch & Learn webinars? No problem! You can view OACTA Lunch
& Learn webinars on-demand for self-study CLE credit!
Available Lunch & Learn Webinars On-Demand
"Pavement Defects in Injury Cases"
"Collision Reconstruction and Injury Causation Analysis"
"Utilizing Experts on 'Complex' Large Loss"
"The Synergy of Biomechanics and Human Factors in Claims and Litigation"
"A Holistic Approach to Construction Disputes"
"How to Persuade a Jury"
"Maintaining Mental Health in Our New Work World"
"Marketing 101 for Lawyers"
"Mediation Tips from a Mediator in the Pandemic World"
"Civil Rights: The Impact on Trials in Light of BLM"
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Member Resource - Member Request Network |
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The OACTA Member Request Network is a service OACTA provides to its members to facilitate quick and helpful communication and interaction between members on legal issues, research matters, expert witnesses, practice tips, and other matters of member interest. For example, if you need to identify an expert witness in a particular field or if you need information about a particular expert witness, you can use this service to seek input from your fellow OACTA members.
When a member submits a Member Request, an email is generated by the OACTA staff and is sent to the entire OACTA membership. Members with helpful information are asked to respond directly to the member who made the request.
To submit a Member Request, simply fill out the form at the link below and click "Submit."
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OACTA requests that authors who republish articles that were originally published in an OACTA publication, reflect that the article first appeared in the OACTA publication. |
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