Did you know the Toledo Bar Association is in the business of educating and training notaries public in Ohio? Through its co-ownership of Ohio Notary Services, LLC (ONS), the TBA is actively involved in Ohio’s notary business providing non-dues revenue to support the association’s mission.

Ohio Notary Services was created in 2019 in response to Ohio’s Notary Modernization Act which:
•    Centralized the notary commissioning processing through the Ohio Secretary of State (streamlining the application process, setting the fees required and creating a discipline process for notaries);
•    Standardized the education and testing requirements (establishing authority for approving the educational content); and
•    Created the ability for remote online notarizations.

So what does this mean for ONS? Anyone wishing to become a notary in Ohio can visit ONS at www.becomeanohionotary.com. New “traditional” notary applicants can register and take the required three hour educational course followed by a 30-question exam. Attorneys are not required to take the exam and earn free CLE credit from ONS for the class – plus they earn a commission that runs parallel with their license to practice law. Non-attorneys who need to renew their commissions may register and take the required one-hour refresher course (no test required) from ONS as well.

No longer does a notary public have to physically sit in front of a client seeking a notarization. Through the use of specialized software and identity proofing, Ohio notarizations can be performed remotely. The timing to permit this in Ohio couldn’t have been any more perfect prior to the start of the pandemic which clearly helped people understand the need. Please know, a notary is not permitted to notarize documents remotely using a simple signature attachment to a pdf document for example. There are special requirements clearly defined in the Ohio Revised Code to manage this process. ONS is the only business in Ohio that offers the required two-hour educational course and the exam (attorneys have to take this one!) that allow a “traditional” notary to receive the “authorization” to be a remote online notary (RON). These authorizations expire every five years – even for attorneys – so ONS offers the renewal course too.

The Ohio Notary Store is available through a partnership with an Akron-based supply company which provides all types of supplies a notary public might need to perform their role – including the digital notary stamp needed as a remote online notary. ONS provides free shipping for customers who order a notary supply bundle.

ONS is the one-stop shop for all things notary in Ohio. Please support the TBA by visiting the ONS website for details and to take advantage of the services it provides. 
 

The Toledo Bar Association hosted a donation drive, collecting new children’s hats, gloves and scarves of all sizes from November 1 through December 31, 2022. Throughout the Warm Hats, Warm Hearts Donation Drive, 144 items were collected and donated to the Friends of Lucas County Children Services (“Friends of LCCS”) to benefit children in foster care in our community. 

Friends of LCCS was started over twenty years ago through a Junior League project committee. TBA member and Spengler Nathanson attorney Clare C. Armbruster was on that committee and has been involved with Friends of LCCS ever since. She serves as the President of the Board of Directors and has been in this role since Friends of LCCS obtained its 501(c)(3) status in 2002. When asked what drew Clare to this mission, she shared:

“I am involved with this organization because it provides me with the opportunity to support children going through a tough time in their lives and I find that extremely rewarding. These children are under the supervision of LCCS due to allegations of abuse and neglect and they have had to deal with more adversity in their young lives than any child should ever be expected to face. It is important to me that an important goal of Friends of LCCS is to provide the positive and memorable childhood experiences that many of us had and take for granted. We try to support the children throughout the year by providing programs and activities like holiday gifts and a party, high school graduation and adoption celebrations, summer picnics, a birthday cake made just for them, and a brand new backpack filled with supplies at the start of every school year. I have three grown children now, but I remember how important these types of experiences are to children and how much joy they bring. I hope our efforts let the kids know that there are people in the community that think they are important and that we care about their wellbeing and future.”

Thank you to all of our members, staff and friends for helping make this donation a success! We were honored to partner with Clare and Friends of LCCS and hope that through this donation drive, we helped spread love and warmth this winter.

Craig Burns spends his days as an attorney at Marshall Melhorn, helping businesses and nonprofits resolve their many legal issues. This past year though, he also took up the task of starting a charity. Craig’s wife, Tatyana, grew up in Ukraine, so shortly after the war broke out, Craig and his family took action to help. “We saw photos of devastated homes and refugees, we felt called to help the children, so we started forming the charity,” said Burns.

The charity they formed is called America Cares for Ukrainian Children (“AC4UC”). This is truly a family endeavor, as Craig serves as the treasurer, his wife Tatyana is the president, and his sister-in-law Olha in Ukraine is the volunteer in-country manager. AC4UC has no paid staff, and all efforts are done by the volunteer board and local Ukrainian volunteer residents.

As a grassroots organization, AC4UC works to mobilize ordinary Americans to help Ukrainian children. “Our organization will never have the reach of the large international organizations, so we’re trying to fill the gaps between their programs,” explained Burns. “We generally purchase goods in Uzhhorod because we can stretch our dollars farther, avoid the cost and delay of shipping, be responsive to local needs, and support struggling local businesses. We know where every dollar goes.”

When asked why he felt moved by this cause, Burns explained, “we needed to do something tangible to help the children affected by the war. We had a unique opportunity, because our Ukrainian family is in Uzhhorod, which is one of the safest areas in Ukraine. Uzhhorod is overflowing with refugees, nearly all women and children who were forced to leave their homes but were reluctant to leave their motherland. We have been focused on providing direct aid in and around Uzhhorod to children affected by the war. Some are refugees, some are orphans, some are children whose fathers have been on the front for months; many fit multiple categories. Whatever anyone’s views on geopolitics, those children are innocent, so we’re trying to make this war a little less horrible for them.”

If you would like to learn more about AC4UC and Craig’s efforts, you can visit their page at AC4UC.org.

This article was originally published in the December 2022 issue of the TBA news, Vol. 70, No. 4. 

Our Mission: Justice for All

America holds close the ideal of equal justice for all, but all too often, justice is out of reach for many of its most vulnerable citizens. Civil legal aid steps in to ensure that this promise is made a reality for the thousands of individuals and families who need representation in the justice system, but could not otherwise afford an attorney. By giving to the Justice for All Campaign, you can make justice a reality for individuals and families in northwest Ohio.
 

The Justice for All Campaign is a fundraising partnership among

• Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE)
• Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc. (LAWO) and
• The Toledo Bar Association (TBA) Pro Bono Legal Services Program.

As the sole providers of free civil legal aid to low-income residents of northwest Ohio, the Justice for All Campaign unites our fundraising efforts to ensure that vulnerable and disenfranchised members of our community have equal access to the legal system.

Each year, thousands of people in our community request legal help from LAWO, TBA Pro Bono, and ABLE. Through gifts from our friends and supporters in the Toledo legal community, we are able to provide life-changing assistance to victims of elder abuse, veterans, survivors of domestic violence, and many families living, working, and raising their children in poverty who struggle to meet their day-to-day needs of housing, food, healthcare, or education for their children. But even though we served so many, there are still more who need our help, and we ask that you support us again this year.
 

Members of Our Community Need Your Help

Your investment in the Justice for All Campaign gives hope to our clients and creates stability in the community as their legal problems are resolved. Options for supporting the work of ABLE, the TBA Pro Bono Legal Services Program, and LAWO are as varied as the programs and services we offer. Whatever your interest—helping children, preventing homelessness, providing safety, rebuilding neighborhoods, protecting civil rights, providing for veterans—there is opportunity within this campaign.

DONATE

Thank you to all who have given, every donation helps support our mission to provide Justice for All.
 

When you support the Justice for All Campaign, you contribute to equal justice under the law – something we all care about.

The Toledo Bar Association invites recent law school graduates who will have a license to practice law in Ohio by January 2023 to apply for the 2023 Fellowship Collaborative Program. 

The Fellowship Collaborative is a 12 month, post-graduate program where each fellow will have the opportunity to work part-time at the Toledo Legal Aid Society, and will also establish and open a private practice. This is an exciting opportunity for the Toledo Bar Association to partner with the Toledo Legal Aid Society to help young lawyers start and grow their practice here in Toledo.

Applications are open through October 17, 2022. 

Apply

About the Program

The Toledo Bar Association, in partnership with Toledo Legal Aid Society, and University of Toledo College of Law, has created a fellowship program for recent law school graduates. The organizations involved identified a critical need to help mentor, guide, and train recently admitted attorneys so that they have the tools and resources to practice law here in the Toledo area. The goal of this fellowship is to provide new lawyers with the support and guidance they require to successfully start their own practice, while also helping to provide access to justice to those in need in Toledo.

Learn More

The Toledo Bar Association is happy to announce and welcome Peggy Mattimoe Sturgeon as Bar Counsel.

Peggy comes from a family of lawyers following the footsteps of her father and grandfather. Her brothers John (Toledo) and James (Columbus) are also attorneys. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and Xavier University, where she majored in English and Economics, graduating Summa Cum Laude, Peggy began her legal career an associate in the Energy, Environment and Government Affairs Department of the Columbus firm of Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur. She then returned home to clerk for U.S. District Judges Hon. Nicholas J. Walinski, Hon. David D. Dowd, and Hon. David A. Katz. While she originally intended to return to Columbus after her clerkship, she decided she preferred practicing here and stayed to raise her family here. After leaving the court, she practiced predominantly employment law, first with Eastman & Smith and more recently with Liebenthal Levine Ltd. Early in her career, she discovered that she enjoys practicing law that involves helping people which is why her focus shifted to employment law. She has also practiced both education and immigration law.

Since becoming a Toledo lawyer, Peggy has remained active with the Toledo Bar Association, chairing several committees, including the Grievance Committee, and having served on the TBA Board of Trustees. Peggy has served on the Civil Justice Program Review Committee and has graded bar exams for several years. Outside of her work with the legal community, she is involved in several volunteer opportunities with her church and daughters’ schools. She is very active in the Aurora Project, a comprehensive housing and life skills program that empowers homeless women and their children to achieve self-sufficiency and independence by providing resources and learning opportunities in a supportive and safe environment.

Working alongside Hon. Mike Bonfiglio and Joe Dawson as a member of the Grievance Committee is what originally drew Peggy to the position. Under their leadership, she saw the importance of the role for the legal profession and greater Toledo community. She is looking forward to continuing the collaborative and proactive approach that Joe took with attorneys to prevent ethical issues by offering an “open door policy” to field questions and concerns attorneys might have.

Peggy resides in West Toledo with her husband, Dave of 23 years, her daughters, Tierney, Erin and Megan and two crazy Airedales, Quinn & Skylar.

Welcome to the TBA, Peggy!

Sarah K. Skow Sworn In as President of Toledo Bar Association

Attorney Sarah K. Skow was sworn in as 122nd President of the Toledo Bar Association for the 2022-2023 membership year on Tuesday, June 14, 2022.

As partner of Spengler Nathanson, Sarah has a diverse trial and appellate practice, primarily in the areas of complex business litigation, professional malpractice defense, tort litigation, public entity defense, landlord/tenant, civil rights, and employment law. In 2002, Sarah became a graduate of The University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts degree, with distinction in English and Communications. Soon after, she enrolled in The University of Toledo College of Law, graduating cum laude in 2006. She was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 2006.

Sarah is very active in the Toledo community, serving our city as an Engage Toledo Ambassador. She is involved in a variety of boards that range from focusing on the arts and parks to various law-related organizations. She is deeply involved in the Toledo Bar Association Pro Bono Legal Services Program. Sarah is a Past President of the Toledo Jr. Bar Association, the Toledo Women’s Bar Association, and President of the Toledo Legal Aid Society-Public Defenders Board of Directors. Sarah took the oath of office from life-long mentor, Hon. Arlene Signer and formally assumed leadership duties for the Toledo Bar Association on July 1, 2022.

Other officers for 2022-2023 include:
1st Vice President, Cindy M. Kirby, Esq., Kirby & Kirby, Ltd.
2nd Vice President, Adam S. Nightingale, Esq., Eastman & Smith, Ltd.
Treasurer, Jeremiah P. O’Brien, Esq., LaValley, LaValley, Today & Schaefer Co., LPA
Secretary, Joseph K. Cole, Esq., Brouse McDowell, LPA

A complete listing of the Toledo Bar Association Board of Directors follows.

Service Awards Presented to Pariss M. Coleman II and Sean McNulty

The Toledo Bar Association also presented the following awards to members during the Annual Meeting held at the new Hilton Garden Inn, downtown Toledo.

The Community Service Award was presented to Pariss M. Coleman II, Senior Counsel at The Andersons, Inc., for his dedication to serve the community by sitting on many nonprofit boards. Most recently his involvement in Greater Toledo Community Foundation cannot go unnoticed. Since 1973, Greater Toledo Community Foundation has worked with individuals, families and businesses, assisting them in making effective choices that match their philanthropic interests and needs while creating a better community for generations to come. In addition to that of responsive grant maker, the Foundation plays a variety of other civic roles such as educator, catalyst or convener on key community issues and makes available the expertise of its professional staff to a wide range of community efforts. In the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, the Foundation launched an Equity & Access sub-committee which Pariss chairs. The goal of this committee is to provide equity and access to underserved communities by furnishing smaller nonprofits with the tools, knowledge and confidence to apply and compete for grants that larger nonprofits typically apply for. Through this initiative, the Foundation has provided 3 webinar training sessions for over 436 people. The initiative has proven to be a need and a success as $164,000 has been awarded to such organizations in the second round alone. Providing such education and insight for funding of nonprofits that will help the underserved is a true testament of his work and commitment to our community.

The recipient of the Trustees Award for outstanding service and involvement in the Toledo Bar Association and legal community is M. Sean McNulty, Chief Public Defender of the Toledo Legal Aid Society.

In 2018, he became an integral partner in the development, launch and continued success of the Fellowship Collaborative, a post-graduate program for recent law school graduates developed by the Toledo Bar Association, Toledo Legal Aid Society and The University of Toledo College of Law. The goal of this fellowship is to provide new lawyers with the support and guidance they require to successfully start their own practice, while also helping to provide access to justice to those in need in Toledo. Since its launch, Sean continues to work with TBA staff in the selection, training and ongoing mentorship of fellows participating in this 12 month program. This partnership allows the fellows to receive paying work by serving as a public defender while they work with the TBA and its volunteers on developing and launching their own private practices here in the Toledo Region. This approach is truly unique to bar association incubator programs throughout the country and ultimately helps strengthen the Toledo legal community.

In 2019, the TBA Pro Bono Program worked with Toledo Municipal Court to bring Driver’s License Clinics to the area. The amnesty program was designed to help low-income Ohioans regain their driving privileges after their licenses were suspended. Sean was one of many critical partners in these clinics by not only providing flow charts for the program but by also recruiting public defenders to give their time and share their knowledge on the law which ultimately helped nearly 750 Toledoans regain their driver’s licenses.

In addition to his work on the Fellowship Collaborative and the Pro Bono Program, he is an active participant in the TBA Diversity, Inclusion and Race Equity Committee. Sean’s energy and innovative ideas continues to motivate the student outreach sub-committee of DIRE to reach as many youth in the area at all levels of education.

Retired Judges Recognized

The TBA also honored the retirements of Hon. Arlene Singer and Hon. Connie M. Zemmelman. Their years of service and dedication to the Toledo community continues to be an inspiration as they both remain involved in the legal community.

Judge Arlene Singer was first elected to the Sixth District Court of Appeals in 2002, after serving 12 years on the Toledo Municipal Court bench. She also served as state legislator in the 117th Ohio General Assembly.

Judge Connie Zemmelman spent three years as Magistrate in Lucas County Probate Court before being appointed as a Lucas County Juvenile Court Judge by Governor Strickland in May 2007.

2022–2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Effective July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023
President:  Sarah K. Skow
First Vice President: Cindy M. Kirby
Second Vice President: Adam S. Nightingale
Secretary: Joseph K. Cole
Treasurer: Jeremiah P. O’Brien

Directors:
Mag. Carmille L. Akande
Dean D. Benjamin Barros
Timothy W. Effler
Valerie J. Fatica
Mag. Trevor N. Fernandes
Stevin J. Groth
Kayla L. Henderson
Evy M. Jarrett
Tammy G. Lavalette
Hon. Christine E. Mayle
Jeremy T. Rodriguez
Joseph W. Shinaver
Kyle A. Silvers
Carasusana B. Wall
Patricia A. Wise
Craig M. Witherell
Monica J.D. Yvonne

Hon. Myron C. Duhart – Past President

Bradley J. Lagusch – Executive Director, Toledo Bar Association and Toledo Bar Association Foundation

The Toledo Bar Association has gathered a list of local, seasoned attorneys and members of the Bar to offer guidance in certain areas of the law. If you’re stumped on a case or need to pick the brain of an attorney who practices in a specific area of law, we invite you to reach out to any of the attorneys on these ‘members only’ lists to gain more knowledge as you continue to grow in your practice. 

The protocol for the Lawyer-to-Lawyer Guidance Service should be as follows:

• The calling attorney should present the inquiry as a hypothetical – without names.

• The L2L panelists are only providing guidance and do not need to know more.

• L2L panelists need to remind callers of the need for anonymity.

• This protocol will comply with the duty of confidentiality owed to the client, and avoid conflict issues with the panelist’s clients.
   

If this protocol is followed, it should proceed as anticipated – just a call by one attorney to another that results in helpful guidance to the caller.
 

If the calling attorney wants to engage the L2L panelist as co-counsel, then it proceeds in that fashion – the panelist does a conflict check and the caller gets the client’s written consent to employ additional counsel. Assuming all agree on the engagement, retention follows the L2L panelist’s standard procedures – a written agreement, and a malpractice policy in place as maintained for the panelist’s practice.
 

ACCESS L2L
 

This page is password protected to help maintain confidentiality and its intended use is for TBA members only. 

Thank you for joining us for the 83rd Annual Joint Ceremony of the Toledo Bar Association, Lucas County Bar Association, Thurgood Marshall Law Association, Toledo Women’s Bar Association to pay tribute to the members of the Bar who have passed away during the last year. The Memorial Committee has released a pre-recorded video below. 

OPENING OF COURT
John A. Coble
    
INVOCATION
Reverend Robert Reinhart, retired Pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

READ BY
John A. Coble
Krys E. Beech
William G. Meyer
    
ADJOURNMENT
John A. Coble

IN MEMORIAM

Robert C. Treat, Jr.    
    Time:  0:03:44
    October 5, 1957 – July 6, 2021
    Admission to bar:  Jan. 24, 2015 (OH)
    Bonnie R. Rankin, Chair    
    
Ronald R. Henderson    
    Time:  0:05:58
    June 1, 1943 – July 28, 2021
    Admission to bar:  November 3, 1973
    William Bingle, Chair
    David F. Cooper
    Guy Barone

Hon. William G. Kroncke    
    Time: 0:09:29
    July 15, 1934 – August 14, 2021
    Admission to bar:  May 6, 1964
    Michael Bruno, Chair
    
Douglas King Jordan    
    Time:  0:12:34
    April 27, 1938 – September 12, 2021
    Admission to bar: November 2, 1967
    Hon. James G. Carr, Chair
    
Justice Andrew G. Douglas    
    Time:  0:15:01
    July 5, 1932 – September 23, 2021
    Admission to bar:  May 13, 1960
    Jude T. Aubry, Chair
    George Gerken
    Sue Douglas
    Hon. Michael Goulding
    
Theodore B. Riley    
    Time:  0:20:56
    September 22, 1962 – September 29, 2021
    Admission to bar:  May 16, 1988
    Jeff Madrzykowski, Chair
    John Arnsby
    James Hart

George R. Royer    
    Time:  0:23:56
    June 18, 1936 – October 17, 2021
    Admission to bar: October 19, 1966
    Martin McManus, Chair
    Kevin McManus
    Heather Rudolph

Sharon A. Neuhausel Fitzgerald    
    Time:  0:26:04
    August 23, 1944 – October 20, 2021
    Admission to bar:  May 7, 1984
    Christopher Parker, Chair
    Cathy Garcia-Feehan
    Krysten Beech
    
Richard W. Edwards, Jr.    
    Time:  0:27:21
    June 2, 1935 – October 24, 2021
    Dean D. Benjamin Barros, Chair
    Prof. James M. Klein
    Prof. Benjamin Davis

Timothy A. Dugan    
    Time:  0:30:43
    November 17, 1981 – November 2, 2021
    Admission to bar:  November 5, 2007
    Stevin Groth, Chair
    Hon. Stacy Cook
    Julie Jacek Bookmiller

Hon. Francis X. Gorman  
    Time:  0:32:58
    September 22, 1940 – November 9, 2021
    Admission to bar:  October 27, 1967
    Jon Richardson, Chair
    Hon. Stacy Cook, Jane Roman
    Carrie Connelly, Hon. James G. Carr

John Allen Galbraith    
    Time:  0:35:50
    August 23, 1923 – December 21, 2021
    Admission to bar:  August 24, 1949
    William Meyer, Chair
    Jude T. Aubry
    Christopher Parker

Michael J. D’Arcangelo    
    Time:  0:38:00
    July 25, 1932 – December 23, 2021
    Admission to bar:  October 16, 1963
    Joseph M. D’Arcangelo, Chair
    Bradley M. D’Arcangelo

Anthony “Tony” Bayford    
    Time:  0:40:35
    August 22, 1943 – January 4, 2022
    Admission to bar:  November 8, 1974
    Ralph Denune, Chair
    Teresa Bacho
    Linda Jones

Marvin E. Keller    
   Time:  0:42:39
   March 29, 1947 – January 23, 2022
   Admission to bar:  May 10, 1975
   Hon. Jack Puffenberger, Chair
   Mag. Nancy Miller
   Mag. Trevor Fernandes

C. Soren Holmberg    
    Time:  0:44:43
    December 2, 1937 – February 8, 2022
    Admission to bar:  October 27, 1967
    Hon. James G. Carr, Chair
    
John F. Potts    
    Time:  0:46:41
    October 13, 1952 – February 26, 2022
    Admission to bar:  October 20, 1978
    Martin Mohler, Chair
    Hon. James G. Carr
    Richard M. Kerger

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