Join us for the 2026 Access to Justice Awards Breakfast.

Hosted by ABLE, LAWO, and the Toledo Bar Association, this annual event recognizes individuals and organizations whose extraordinary public service and community advocacy help expand access to justice for underserved people throughout Northwest Ohio.

August 20, 2026
Glass City Center
401 Jefferson Ave., Toledo, Ohio

Doors Open: 7:30 AM
Program: 7:45 - 9 AM

Plated breakfast provided. Free on-site parking.

TICKETS

Interested in sponsoring the event or purchasing a table? Register online or contact Jennifer Snedigar at 937-535-4420 or Diana Anderson at 419-930-2515 for more information.

The Trustees Award is given annually by the Toledo Bar Association Board of Directors to a member of the Association who exemplifies professionalism in the practice of law and who has demonstrated a commitment to improving the legal profession through active involvement in the TBA.

The TBA Board is pleased to present the 2026 Trustees Award to Nicholas Davis Wittenberg.

Just about every attorney in town is familiar with the Toledo Way of practicing law—the collegiality, professionalism, and genuine commitment to helping one another succeed.

For the TBA’s 2026 Trustee Award winner, that ethos is a way of life that ties him to his hometown, even as he now lives and works about 500 miles away.

Nicholas Wittenberg may be based out of the D.C. area now—Alexandria, VA to be specific—but that hasn’t stopped him from giving back to the community he grew up in. Whether it’s serving as chair of the TBA Technology Committee or helping to coordinate CLEs as a member of the organization, Nick’s always thinking about how he can give back to the community that raised him. He even traces that desire as far back as high school, with the Toledo Way being a sort of expansion of the “Man for Others” mentality he learned at St. John’s Jesuit. 

Growing up, he always had an interest in technology. He remembers as a young kid waking his parents up in the middle of the night to ask them how light bulbs were made. So naturally, his birthday gift that year was the book “How Things Are Made.” That intellectual curiosity paired nicely with an interest in the law, which Nick believes is at its core about asking questions and challenging evidence. And marrying those two interests is ultimately how he ended up where he is today.

Nick laughs now about how his first brush with the law came as a driver in high school when dealing with a speeding ticket. He brought a legal pad with him and took the bold approach of recommending to the judge what an appropriate sentence for himself would be. “I’ve learned now that’s not the best 
thing to do,” he jokes, but that experience did help eventually lead to him taking the pre-law track at the University of Toledo. 

While in undergrad, Nick had a handful of internships in the D.C. area. But it was a one-credit flex class on weekends in law school at Toledo that connected him with a paid summer position at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that really got his foot in the door with government work. So when he was a few years into his career and a former boss at the EPA reached out, it was a no-brainer for Nick. 

After five years with the EPA, he was given the opportunity to make the move to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and jumped at the chance. What was supposed to be a six-month stint turned into a two-year tour of duty, but he loved it. In an office of just three attorneys, he got to touch on anything and everything in the law. And he even got the office’s director to sign his copy of “How Things Are Made,” which he was able to gift back to his parents as a thank you for their support of his interests and late night curiosity.

Now, Nick turned his attention to one specific thing he’s worked with throughout his entire tenure in the D.C. area: artificial intelligence. Nick understands the skepticism around AI—and not just because he grew up as a kid loving movies like “Enemy of the State” that cautioned against Big Brother and all its resources—but he also believes that the race to utilize AI to its capabilities is one that the country needs to win, as he doesn’t think the U.S.’s adversaries care about privacy or ethics in the same way. And his work touches on what he considers the “low hanging fruit” of AI. For example, while employed as corporate counsel and senior advisor for legal technology and innovation at Armedia in the D.C. area, he’s been a member of the FOIA Advisory Committee established by the National Archives for a couple years now and has particularly focused on shaping the future of FOIA processes by integrating AI to make them more efficient and accurate. But in general, he’s focused on privacy protections, policy and regulations, and the ways AI can be used in the legal sphere to help lawyers for the better—“we’re all building the plane as we fly it,” he explains.

But having been in the D.C. area now for the better part of the last decade, Nick acknowledges the biggest challenge is the limited interactions enjoyed with other attorneys in that community. Whereas attorneys in Toledo whose focus spans the gamut will run into each other at some point thanks to the TBA, Nick is amazed at how attorneys who work at the EPA like he once did may never meet attorneys working just across the street. And that’s why even being hundreds of miles away, he’s still looking to get back when he can and give back how he can. He wants the next generation of lawyers to see the value the TBA provides and take advantage of the opportunity it presents.

He’s extremely grateful to the many lawyers, judges, and leaders who have helped him throughout his career, and he thinks their impact is embodied by the Trustee Award. “I want to continue to pay it forward and keep the lifeblood of the Toledo Legal Way alive.” 

Article by Benjamin Padanilam

The Community Service Award is given by the Toledo Bar Association Board of Directors to a TBA member who demonstrates a commitment to the community by unselfishly giving of their time in service to community organizations or activities that are not law related.

The Toledo Bar Association is proud to present the 2026 Community Service Award to Emily C. Samlow.

Emily Samlow is the latest recipient of the Toledo Bar Association’s Community Service Award, presented at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the bar, held June 9th at the Hilton Garden Inn. The Community Service Award is given by the Toledo Bar Association Board of Directors to a TBA member who demonstrates a commitment to the community by unselfishly giving of their time in service to community organizations or activities that are not solely law related.

A full recitation of Ms. Samlow’s extensive community involvement and volunteer work was given at the Annual Meeting. Examples of why Emily’s community service efforts are being recognized with this year’s Community Service Award include mentoring young lawyers through the Ohio Supreme Court’s New Lawyer Mentoring Program. Emily is currently working with her sixth mentee. She has managed to stay in contact with all of her mentoring protégés, all of whom are doing well in the profession. Emily works each election as a poll worker, a thankless but vitally necessary role in our election system. Emily serves on the Board of the League of Women Voters of Bowling Green. She served two terms as a commissioner on the Supreme Court’s Professionalism Committee, and as Chair in 2021. She volunteers with Let’s Build Beds, Bowling Green City Schools, coaches youth soccer and softball and she coordinates Mock Trial competitions for high schoolers. The list goes on…

Ms. Samlow is a native of NW Ohio, having grown up in Napoleon and graduated from Napoleon High School. Emily attended Ohio University, graduating with a degree in social work in 2004. While in college, Emily landed a position as an Intern at a Community 

Based Correctional Facility. Her career interests were initially more in the area of corrections, rather than in counseling, despite her undergraduate degree in social work. While serving in that CBCF internship, a caring supervisor suggested the law as a profession and nudged Emily towards the idea of attending law school. Emily embraced the idea and applied to and was accepted at UT Law. 

After graduation from Ohio University, Emily took on law school, graduating in 2007. Emily explains that, in candor, she did not enjoy her “1L” first year law student experience, not at all… She was in fact ready to bail out. But before she pulled the plug on an education and career in the law, Emily had the opportunity to discuss the law as a profession with Sandusky County Common Pleas Court Judge James Sherck. Judge Sherck not only encouraged her to stay the course in law school, but offered her an externship at his court. Emily’s experiences during the summer of 2005 as an extern in a common pleas court, under the mentorship of Judge Sherck and with real courtroom opportunities, helped her find her enthusiasm for “the law” writ large, and for law school. Her externship with Judge Sherck was a sorely needed and great experience, and she considers Judge Sherck a primary mentor in her legal career. 
Emily’s first job was as a staff attorney in the Sandusky County Court of Common Pleas. She feels fortunate to have passed the bar examination on her first attempt, but after just a year on the job as a newly-minted lawyer, her position was eliminated by the court. She was then hired as Staff Attorney for Wood County Common Pleas Judge Reeve Kelsey, serving there for eight years. This job had similarities to her previous position, however she often served as a courtroom bailiff during trials, which she enjoyed greatly. Emily genuinely enjoyed her work with Judge Kelsey, both behind the scenes and as a courtroom bailiff.

Emily’s current job is as Staff Attorney for Sixth District Court of Appeals Judge Christine Mayle, having volunteered for her campaign some ten years ago and working as judge Mayle’s Staff Attorney for the nine years since her election. Emily says she finds the work mentally stimulating interesting (mostly…). It’s a good job for someone who loves to read and write, as Emily does. 

On the personal side, Emily’s been married for four-plus years to her husband, Dave. They enjoy the company of their German Shepherd, Heidi, although it is worth noting that Heidi was inherited by Emily and her husband from Emily’s late mother-in-law… Dave is a middle school teacher with Toledo Public Schools. Our honoree is a “retired runner” having given up the long runs due to the physical toll on her body. Emily also has two sons, Robbie, an auto body technician, and 17-year-old Will, a student at Penta Career Center. 

Congratulations to Emily C. Samlow, the 2026 TBA Community Service Award recipient.

Article by C. Drew Griffith

UPDATE YOUR PROFILE:


Does the TBA have your most current contact information for the upcoming print-version of the TBA Legal Directory?

Please login to the TBA website to review your membership profile today. While you're reviewing what address you'd like listed in the directory, we encourage you to also upload a photo to accompany your profile.  

Any changes must be made by September 15, 2026. Changes made after September 15 are NOT guaranteed to be included in the 2026 print directory but will be immediately updated in the online directory.

Update Your Profile

HIGHLIGHT YOUR FIRM:

The TBA Directory is the reference guide used daily by legal professionals in NW Ohio. Make sure your firm is represented in the law firm listings section. A law firm listing will ensure easy, quick access to a comprehensive list of attorneys and staff, plus direct contact info to your firm. 

Deadline is September 15, 2026

List Your Firm

CERTIFIED SPECIALIST LISTING:

Are you recognized as a Certified Specialist by the Supreme Court of Ohio? Consider placing a listing in the Certified Specialist section of the legal directory. When you purchase your listing in the print directory, it will automatically be added to our online directory at no additional charge!

Deadline is September 15, 2026

Place a Listing

PLACE A DISPLAY AD:

Want to stand out even more? Consider placing an ad in the Gold Pages. This section of the directory has it's own index with easy to access phone numbers and display ads with more info to help attract new business. 

Deadline is September 15, 2026

Place an Ad

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2026 Access to Justice Awards Breakfast. This is your opportunity to nominate individuals, organizations and businesses for their extraordinary assistance in helping people living in poverty in northwest Ohio receive fairness and equal justice. The deadline for entries is Monday, June 22, 2026.

Nominations may be submitted for the Public Interest Law Award for attorneys and law firms, and the Community Advocacy Award for activism and long-term enhancements for people living in poverty. Honorees will be recognized at the 2026 Access to Justice Awards Breakfast to be held on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at The Glass City Center.

Please direct any questions to Diana Anderson, Director of Development and Communications at danderson@ablelaw.org; or Jennifer Snedigar, Regional Director of Development at jsnedigar@ablelaw.org.

CLICK TO NOMINATE

The Lucas County Court of Common Pleas – General Division has received reports of scam messages, mailings, and phone calls claiming recipients have unpaid tickets, missed jury duty, or must pay a fine to avoid court action.

These communications are NOT from the Court.

Protect yourself and your loved ones by staying informed and verifying any suspicious requests before providing personal information or making payments.

Click to read more and learn how to spot these scams.

CLICK TO READ MORE

Congratulations!

Mag. Christy L. Cole Bio
 

Matthew D. Harper Bio
 

Chuck Hatch Bio
 

Kayla L. Henderson Bio

As part of the First Gen Lawyer’s Project, Toledo Bar Association member Noah Woods, Esq., interviews the Hon. Myron C. Duhart, Sixth District Court of Appeals, about his career journey and the path that led him to the practice of law. 

LISTEN TO PODCAST

Through meaningful mentorships, programming and podcasts, the TBA hopes to create a network of resources and connections to help first generation attorneys and law students establish their careers and find a home within the Toledo legal community. Learn more about the First Gen Lawyer's Project at www.toledobar.org/firstgen.

A Perfect Start to the Week at Toledo Country Club!

On Monday, May 18 we hosted our 2026 Annual Golf Outing at Toledo Country Club, featuring 18 motivated teams.

Congratulations to our winning team:
Connor Gavin, Brendan McHugh, Andy Nagy, and Tony Glase!

Special shoutouts:

• Longest Drive (Sponsored by Eastman & Smith):
  Men – Marc Streeter
  Women – Michelle Kranz

We’re also thrilled to share that the Pro Bono Program raised $1,069 through mulligan sales, the betting hole, and the 50/50 raffle. Thank you to everyone who contributed!

Congrats to our 50/50 winner: Cole Lewis (SRVD Legal), who generously donated his winnings back to the TBA Pro Bono Program!

A heartfelt thank you to Kyle Silvers, Cindy Kirby and Susan Hartman Muska for volunteering their time to staff the betting hole—we couldn’t have done it without you!
 

And finally, thank you to all our generous sponsors for helping to make this event such a success:

• Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Company - TBA Platinum Sponsor

• AREA Title Agency, Inc. - Agent for Stewart Title - Complimentary Lunch Hole Sponsor

• Huntington National Bank - TBA Gold Sponsor

• SRVD Legal - TBA Gold Sponsor

• Jason Harris, Equitable Advisors LLC – Beverage Hole Sponsor

• Law Office of Anthony J. Richardson II, LLC - Beverage Hole Sponsor

• RCO Law - Beverage Hole Sponsor

• Zoll & Kranz, LLC - Beverage Hole Sponsor

• Eastman & Smith - Prize Hole Sponsor
 

Hole Sponsors:

• Cubbon & Associates Co., L.P.A.

• Groth & Associates

• Heban, Murphree & Lewandowski, LLC

• Kayleigh Summerville Law Co.

• Lucas County Bar Association

• Lucas County Prosecutor's Office

• Spengler Nathanson

• Trust Company Family Offices

Thank you for joining us for the 87th 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 of the Memorial Service below. 
 

Hon. James R. Knepp II, Presiding
 

OPENING OF COURT
John A. Coble
    
INVOCATION
Rabbi Lisa Delson, Temple Shomer Emunim

ROLL CALL OF DECEASED
Krysten E. Beech
John A. Coble
William G. Meyer

Edward V. Clark
Time: 0:8:45
October 12, 1942 – April 4, 2025
Admission to bar: October 27, 1967
Richard Kolb, Chair

Merle E. Pheasant, Jr.
Time: 0:10:41
December 29, 1945 – May 18, 2025
Admission to bar: January 12, 1971
Marv Robon, Chair
Cynthia Tesznar

Cheri A. Budzynski
Time: 0:13:37
September 10, 1972 – May 30, 2025
Admission to bar: November 5, 2007
Mechelle Zarou, Chair
Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP

Guy T. Barone
Time: 0:16:55
September 9, 1946 – June 6, 2025
Admission to bar: May 5, 1973
Mary Sue Barone, Chair
Ted Kurt
Tom McCarter

Donna J. Williamson
Time: 0:20:40
August 10, 1960 – June 9, 2025
Lisa Small, Chair 
Brad Lagusch
Rachel Flippo

Hon. Arlene Singer
Time: 0:24:15
October 10, 1948 – June 29, 2025
Admission to bar: November 19, 1976
Jack Wilson, Chair
William G. Meyer
Hon. Myron Duhart

Louise A. Fender
Time: 0:27:48
September 23, 1950 – July 4, 2025
Admission to bar: November 6, 1981
Ruth Meacham, Chair
Bonnie Rankin
Drew Griffith
Chris Parker
Toledo Junior Bar Association current members and alumni

Stephen J. Herwat
Time: 0:30:58
June 6, 1954 – July 12, 2025
Admission to bar: May 9, 2003
Mark Schmollinger, Chair
Paul Syring
Eileen Granata
Julie Gibbons

Steven M. Spitler
Time: 0:34:18
May 24, 1954 – July 15, 2025
Admission to bar: November 1, 1981
Marc Williams-Young, Chair
Alex Marzec
William R. Menacher, Jr.

William I. Barkan
Time: 0:36:24
January 21, 1930 – September 5, 2025
Admission to bar: August 31, 1955
Marv Robon, Chair
The members of Barkan & Robon Ltd.

Walter J. Graff
Time: 0:40:02
June 21, 1955 – September 15, 2025
Admission to bar: November 15, 1982
Michael Mikkonen, Chair
Sydney Schreibman Ross

James H. Hart
Time: 0:42:38
August 21, 1949 – November 20, 2025
Admission to bar: November 9, 1974
Gerald M. Kobil, Chair

James E. Schaefer
Time: 0:43:50
March 2, 1957 – December 28, 2025
Admission to bar: November 15, 1982
Michael J. Todak, Chair
Richard G. LaValley, Jr.
Daniel J. LaValley

Michael D. Bell
Time: 0:48:33
November 25, 1972 – January 11, 2026
Admission to bar: November 8, 1999
Jonathan Ashton, Chair
Kevin Boissoneault
Michael Dansack

Kenneth I. White, Sr.
Time: 0:52:22
October 19, 1935 – January 18, 2026
Admission to bar: May 25, 1961
Michael Repass, Chair
Hon. Judge James Carr
Toledo Junior Bar Association current members
Alumni over the last 50 years and all real estate lawyers

Alfonso J. Gonzalez
Time: 0:58:10
September 5, 1968 – February 9, 2026
Admission to bar: May 22, 2000
Amber VanGunten, Chair
Kim Kuhn
Scott Hayes

Donna L. Kiroff
Time: 1:01:34
September 7, 1948 – March 24, 2025
Admission to bar: November 7, 1980
Lawrence Kiroff, Chair
Julia Bates
Hon. Lynn Schaefer
 

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