Summit County Court of Common Pleas - Ohio

06/08/2026

Judge Jennifer Towell was at the helm on Friday, successfully leading the June Pro Bono Collaborative in providing FREE legal assistance to the 30 residents who showed up seeking help.

A special thank you to the partners, volunteer attorneys and staff who continue to serve with excellence!

It’s not too early to start spreading the word for the August clinic! Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative

06/04/2026

Our 2026 Settlement Week kicks off on Monday, October 19th and ends Friday, October 23rd.

We are in need of experienced civil trial attorneys to volunteer as mediators for this event. Please see the press release below for additional information.

For direct access to the Settlement Week Volunteer Mediator Form and the Settlement Week Case Request Form, scan the QR code or click on https://www.summitcpcourt.net/settlementweek/

To learn more about resolving disputes through case mediation, visit https//www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/opinions-cases/clerk-of-court/case-mediation/.

06/03/2026

Friday, June 5th is almost here and we are looking forward to providing FREE legal help to Summit County residents who are in need. You can help us by sharing this info and encouraging people to preregister at https://info.communitylegalaid.org/scpbc
Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative

Get FREE legal help on Friday, June 5th at the NEXT Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative clinic. Doors open at 8am and the clinic runs from 9 to 11am. You can save time and avoid long lines by registering now at https://info.communitylegalaid.org/scpbc

Please share this to your page.

05/29/2026

Congratulations to Magistrate William (Bill) Rininger, whose hard work with Settlement Week recently drew the attention of Court News Ohio (CNO).

The article, titled “Settlement Week Successes Expand” and authored by Kathleen Maloney, highlights a contentious commercial case that had been pending before our court for more than two years. Bill scheduled the matter for Settlement Week and thoughtfully paired the case with a former litigator who possessed relevant subject-matter expertise. As a result, the case was successfully resolved.

The article further explains how Settlement Week successes are increasing across the state and features Bill as a respected voice on the process. He is quoted multiple times throughout the article, and Summit County’s Settlement Week program is referenced both statistically and descriptively.

This recognition provides excellent exposure for our court and highlights the meaningful results stemming from the hard work and collaboration of Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands, Magistrate Bill Rininger, Grant Administrator Heidi Day, and many others involved in the Settlement Week initiative.

Please stay tuned for more information regarding Settlement Week 2026, which kicks off the week of October 19th.

To read the article, please click this link: https://www.courtnewsohio.gov/happening/2026/SettlementWeek_052726.asp

05/28/2026

Get FREE legal help on Friday, June 5th at the NEXT Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative clinic. Doors open at 8am and the clinic runs from 9 to 11am. You can save time and avoid long lines by registering now at https://info.communitylegalaid.org/scpbc

Please share this to your page.

05/21/2026

Today Judge Alison Breaux's HOPE Court hosted a Brown Bag Luncheon in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.

NAMI Summit County's Executive Director Jamie Messenger was the keynote speaker. Jamie did a fabulous job presenting NAMI's mission, programs, services and sharing her lived experience.

The Court's Operations Director LeAnn Backer won the prize for the "Two Truths & a Lie" icebreaker. Congratulations LeAnn!

Today's luncheon was informative and fun! And those green treats were very tasty!

Thank you to Judge Breaux and her staff for doing such an outstanding job with this court initiative. Your weekly emails promoting Mental Health Awareness helped to engage the court's staff and elevated the topic within the courthouse. Keep up the great work!

05/18/2026

L👀K who got caught twinning and celebrating Spring today….…Administrative Judge Alison McCarty and her Bailiff Shay Christopher!😎

05/13/2026

Congratulations to Kiel Freeman, Emily Willard and Christina Claar!

All three were selected to present sessions at the Ohio Supreme Court’s 2026 Specialized Dockets Fall Educational Conference taking place in Columbus on October 14, 2026. The conference is held annually and designed to assist Specialty Dockets in fulfilling their educational requirements.

Specialty Docket Judges are required to complete 6 hours of education during each 3 year certification cycle. Specialized Dockets are also required to ensure continued interdisciplinary education for their advisory committee members, treatment team members and personnel.

The Ohio Supreme Court offers this annual conference along with roundtables and webinars to assist with the aforementioned requirements.

Kiel and Emily manage our Reentry Court and will present “The Reentry Court Playbook: Building Programs that Work.”

Christina manages our Domestic Violence Intervention Court (DVIC). She and staff from Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center and the Summit County Prosecutor's Office will present “The Ripple Effect: How System Decisions Shape IPV Cases.”

Congratulations again to Kiel, Emily and Christina on this accomplishment!

We are certain their presiding Judges are as equally proud. Judges McCarty, O’Brien and Rowlands preside over Reentry Court and Judge Michael presides over DVIC. Congratulations to all!

05/12/2026

Shout out to Judge Joy Malek Oldfield who was named a 2026 Woman of Distinction Honoree by Girl Scouts of North East Ohio (GSNEO). Judge Oldfield was selected from a highly competitive pool of nominees and will be among 10 women recognized for their leadership, service, and lasting contributions to the community.

The formal recognition will take place at GSNEO’s 2026 Women of Distinction event on Thursday, May 14th at the InterContinental Hotel in Cleveland.

The Women of Distinction program supports Girl Scouts of North East Ohio’s mission to build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. Please see the attached press release for more information.

Judge Oldfield will also be the Keynote Speaker for ARC Recovery Services’ Gala & Silent Auction on Friday, May 15th at Quaker Station located at 135 S. Broadway Street here in Akron at 6:30pm.

For more information, please visit https://www.arcrecoveryservices.com/event-details/arc-gala-silent-auction All proceeds will benefit a new recovery house where healing begins and futures are built for women and children.

ARC Recovery Services is a local not-for-profit organization that provides recovery services to Summit County residents who are facing addiction. The organization is a proud provider of ORH (Ohio Recovery Housing) and is certified by the Ohio Behavior Health Department to provide outpatient treatment. Their aim is to teach the spiritual, emotional and mental tools necessary to recover from addiction.

Congratulations Judge Oldfield on receiving this honor and for continuing to share your time and talent with our community.

05/04/2026

The kickoff of the Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative was a success! Thank you to the sixteen volunteer private practice attorneys, as well as many others from Community Legal Aid Services and The University of Akron School of Law, who volunteered from 9-11 am to assist more than fifty people in need of legal advice and other community resources. We had a special appearance from Judge Joan Synenberg, founder of the Cuyahoga County Pro Bono Collaborative who helped Judge Jennifer Towell and Judge Joy Malek Oldfield to bring it here. Special thanks to CLAS, Summit Legal Defenders, Elliot Kolkovich, Summit County Prosecutor, Summit County Clerk of Courts, Summit County Fiscal Summit County Fiscal Office, Ohio, and Fiscal Officer Kristen Scalise, Summit County Executive's Office, Department of Job & Family Services, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, United Way of Summit & Medina, Summit County Children Services, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Fair Housing Contact Service, Summit County Sheriff's OfficeSummit County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Kandy Fatheree, and METRO Regional Transit Authority. We have enormous gratitude for this group effort. See you on June 5 for the next one! Let’s keep working to help those in need.