Jeffrey T. Kirby

Question 1

List your judicial experience (courts and years)

Warren County Common Pleas, Domestic Relations, Judge 2017-present, Magistrate 2013-2017;

Springboro Mayor's Court, Magistrate, 1995-2016;

Franklin Municipal Court, Magistrate, 1991-2013.

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Question 2

What non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?

Because I was a domestic relations practitioner for 25 years before joining the Court, I know the anxiety and the pressures confronting the litigants and the attorneys, and I believe it helps them to know -- right from the beginning of their difficult journey -- the basic parameters within which their case will end. So while it may be tempting to "swing big," especially early in a case, with strong allegations made with intense emotions, I remind them of the benefit of pragmatic arguments made tactfully. Their anger, while understandable, may result in their case taking twice as long to complete and costing twice as much money than may be necessary. 

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Question 3

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

In addition to what I said above, I am especially committed to minimizing the negative effect divorce can have on children. In the children's perfect world, their parents would stay married and they would all live happily ever after, so even an amicable divorce will impact on children. But the impact is much worse when the parents wage war with one another. To prevent that, I invite the parents to bring the best of themselves for the betterment of their children, and I like to reward the parents who do that. It is sometimes difficult to take that high road, but doing so is no more difficult than all the other things good parents do for their children. If parents are focused on the best interest of their children, they will do all the right things. But if the parents are focused instead on themselves, they will not.