This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in
Ohio. It includes the year in which the women were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are women who achieved other distinctions such becoming the first in their state to graduate from law school or become a political figure.
Firsts in Ohio's history
Law School
First female law graduate: Clara Millard in 1911[1][2]
First African American female (Judge and Chief Judge;
United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio): Jessica E. Price Smith in 2011 and 2024 respectively[28]
Florence E. Allen (1914):[5] First female to serve as Cuyahoga County's Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Edna Smith Shalala:[43] First female of Syrian-Lebanese descent to practice law in Cleveland, Ohio
Evelyn Lundberg Stratton:[44] First female elected as a Judge of the
Franklin County Common Pleas Court in Ohio (1988)
Katherine (Kay) Lias:[45] First female elected as a Judge of the Franklin County Common Pleas Court, Division of Domestic Relations and Juvenile Branch, Franklin County, Ohio (1988)
Yvette McGee Brown:[11][46] First African American female elected to serve as a Judge of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas
Irene A. Lennon (1930):[54][55] First female lawyer in Lake County, Ohio. She was also the first female to serve as the President of the Lake County Bar Association in Illinois (1950).
Francine Bruening:[54] First female elected as the Judge of Common Pleas in Lake County, Ohio (1991)
Karen Lawson:[54][56] First female to serve as the Juvenile Court Judge in Lake County, Ohio (2008)
Geraldine Macelwane:[60] First female to serve as a Judge of the Toledo Municipal Court (1952) as well as a Judge of the
Lucas County Court of Common Pleas (1956), Ohio
Carla J. Baldwin:[61] First African American female elected as a judge in
Mahoning County, Ohio (2017)
Julia Bates:[2] First female elected as the Lucas County Prosecutor
Luann Cooperrider (1983):[66][67] First female judge in
Perry County, Ohio. She was also the first female assistant prosecutor in the county's history.
Blanche Harris:[68] First female to practice before the Portage County courts (1920s)
This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in
Ohio. It includes the year in which the women were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are women who achieved other distinctions such becoming the first in their state to graduate from law school or become a political figure.
Firsts in Ohio's history
Law School
First female law graduate: Clara Millard in 1911[1][2]
First African American female (Judge and Chief Judge;
United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio): Jessica E. Price Smith in 2011 and 2024 respectively[28]
Florence E. Allen (1914):[5] First female to serve as Cuyahoga County's Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Edna Smith Shalala:[43] First female of Syrian-Lebanese descent to practice law in Cleveland, Ohio
Evelyn Lundberg Stratton:[44] First female elected as a Judge of the
Franklin County Common Pleas Court in Ohio (1988)
Katherine (Kay) Lias:[45] First female elected as a Judge of the Franklin County Common Pleas Court, Division of Domestic Relations and Juvenile Branch, Franklin County, Ohio (1988)
Yvette McGee Brown:[11][46] First African American female elected to serve as a Judge of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas
Irene A. Lennon (1930):[54][55] First female lawyer in Lake County, Ohio. She was also the first female to serve as the President of the Lake County Bar Association in Illinois (1950).
Francine Bruening:[54] First female elected as the Judge of Common Pleas in Lake County, Ohio (1991)
Karen Lawson:[54][56] First female to serve as the Juvenile Court Judge in Lake County, Ohio (2008)
Geraldine Macelwane:[60] First female to serve as a Judge of the Toledo Municipal Court (1952) as well as a Judge of the
Lucas County Court of Common Pleas (1956), Ohio
Carla J. Baldwin:[61] First African American female elected as a judge in
Mahoning County, Ohio (2017)
Julia Bates:[2] First female elected as the Lucas County Prosecutor
Luann Cooperrider (1983):[66][67] First female judge in
Perry County, Ohio. She was also the first female assistant prosecutor in the county's history.
Blanche Harris:[68] First female to practice before the Portage County courts (1920s)