Guest Speaker: Former Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton
Eve is of counsel in the Vorys Columbus office. Prior to joining Vorys, she served for 16 years as a justice on the Supreme Court of Ohio and for seven years as a trial judge in the Court of Common Pleas. She counsels clients on variety of practice areas, including appellate issues, litigation and health care.
Eve has decades of trial and appellate experience. She uses this experience to counsel attorneys and law firms throughout Ohio, providing case preparation and trial consultation. This counsel includes offering judicial decision process-observations; case assessment and strategy analysis; the review and analysis of briefs; and the development and presentation of litigation themes. Eve also helps attorneys prepare for trial and oral arguments and assists with mock hearing and trial runs.
Eve also assists Vorys Health Care Advisors, a wholly owned subsidiary of the firm that helps health care providers, business decision makers, professional associations and other stakeholders deal with the challenges of a complex, rapidly changing state and federal health care environment.
Eve spent the first nine years of her legal career as a central Ohio trial lawyer. In 1988, she became the first woman elected judge of the Franklin County Common Pleas Court. She was appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court by Governor George Voinovich in 1996 and was elected by Ohio voters to three six-year terms.
Eve is also a dedicated public servant. While serving on the Ohio Supreme Court, she formed and chaired the Supreme Court of Ohio Advisory Committee on Mental Illness & the Courts, which since its formation in 2001 has helped establish 38 mental health courts, recommended changes to Medicaid and advocated for a new Juvenile Competency Statute. Currently, she serves with Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine as co-chair of the Attorney General's Task Force on Criminal Justice and Mental Illness. Eve has also advocated for the development of veterans’ courts, which assist returning veterans with post traumatic stress and other issues that may lead them to criminal activity. In addition, she currently serves as president of the Ohio Military and Veterans Legal Assistance Program, a non-profit which operates as Operation Legal Help Ohio (OLHO). OHLO connects veterans and military families to a statewide system of referrals to pro bono lawyers, bar associations, legal aid and law school clinics.
Eve's work has resulted in many honors, such as the Congressional Coalition on Adoption’s Angels Award, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Adoption Excellence Award and the Ohio State Association of Veterans’ Service Commissions Outstanding Service Award. In 2008, she received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Ranking among the nation's most prestigious awards, this honor pays tribute to American citizens of diverse origins for their outstanding contributions to their communities, their nation and the world. referrals to pro bono lawyers, bar associations, legal aid and law school clinics. Eve has two awards named in her honor: the Justice Stratton Award for Court Security, which has been awarded yearly since 2004, and the Justice Evelyn Stratton CIT Champion of the Year, which has been awarded yearly since 2012.
Eve is a member of the American, Ohio and Columbus Bar Associations. She is also member of the Ohio and Columbus Bar Foundations and Women Lawyers of Franklin County.
Eve received her J.D. from The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law. She earned her B.A. and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Akron. Eve also has an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Capital University Law School and an Honorary Doctorate of Community Leadership from Franklin University.