Welcome to the Central Ohio Association for Justice. This great organization, which has been in existence since 1962, consists of lawyers practicing in central Ohio, representing the interests of individuals and promoting civil justice, consumer rights, right to trial by jury and fair access to the courtroom. Members practice in a variety of areas, including consumer law, criminal defense, domestic relations, employment, bodily injury, probate, workers compensation, ethic and professional responsibility, to name a few.

Our mission of supporting justice for individuals, serving the citizens of Ohio, assisting the legal community and improving the judicial system is best summarized by the benefits of membership and our focus on community programs.

THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

Membership includes bi-monthly lunch and dinner meetings at BoMA, a unique setting in downtown Columbus that embodies a spirit of inspiration and comradery. Meetings are an opportunity to meet others, make new professional acquaintances, connect with familiar faces, enjoy great food and be entertained by high quality guest speakers. Our past speakers have included justices of the Supreme Court of Ohio, federal judges, state trial and appellate judges, public officials, professors and OSU athletic directors. Unique to most professional organizations, the entire cost of the meals and meetings are included within the annual dues.

COAJ provides high quality, affordable continued legal education seminars that deal with relevant topics and are presented by premier speakers. All members have use of the COAJ listserve, providing access to every other member for exchange of ideas and resources to assist any lawyer's practice. Also, membership enables you to discounted rates from preferred vendors providing useful professional related services, including experts, investigation, subpoena service, witness location and website design and marketing. We value our preferred vendors and are appreciative for their commitment to COAJ and its members. The list of our preferred vendors will continue to expand.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

COAJ's commitment to serving the community gives members a wonderful opportunity to assist the public with vital information about and education of the legal process. In 2010, we will conduct screenings of judicial candidates for Franklin, Delaware and Licking Counties. The organization's final rating of each candidate, decided by the membership, will be published in local media outlets, for consideration by voters. Our judicial screening efforts serve our organizational goal of assisting the legal community, serving the judicial system and serving the citizens of Ohio.

COAJ will also reach out to local schools and civic organizations, with whom volunteer members will meet and discuss the judicial branch and legal process. In past years, volunteer COAJ members have entered classrooms and been guests of civic groups to promote education about the judicial system and answer questions. These community presentations are meant to bring practicing lawyers together with the non-legal community.

Finally, our newly established mentoring program will pair volunteer members with law students and young lawyers, strengthening the tie between COAJ and the legal community and providing new lawyers with invaluable insight from experienced practitioners.

We are proud to promote our ideals of justice, service and professionalism. On behalf of the current COAJ membership, I invite you to become a member and add your talents to this organization of rich tradition. Please contact me directly with any questions or inquiries, by email at bob@todaro-wagoner.com or by phone at (614) 242-4333.

Respectfully,

Robert J. Wagoner

President, COAJ