Julie A Schafer For Judge of the Medina County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Candidate Details

Residence
Wadsworth
Email
campaign@schaferforjudge.com
Website
SchaferforJudge.com
Social Media
facebook.com/CitizensforJulieA.Schafer
Age
64
Occupation
Judge, Medina County Domestic Relations Court
Education
University of Akron, JD/MBA 2002

Hiram College, 1999

Medina High School
Work Experience
On July 15, 2022, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine appointed me to the Medina County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division. Immediately prior to my appointment, I was a trial magistrate in Summit County Domestic Relations Court. In 2014, I was elected judge for the Ninth District Court of Appeals which serves a 4-county area, including Medina County, and served for six years, including as visiting judge in the Ohio Supreme Court. I was elected Judge of Akron Municipal Court in 2013 and served one year prior to the Court of Appeals.

I started my career in law as an attorney and then partner at Schafer & Carr, Co., LPA. and was a private practice attorney for 11+ years focusing primarily on domestic, juvenile and probate matters in numerous counties in northeastern Ohio. My domestic relations practice encompassed divorce, dissolution, child custody, child support, post-decree and civil protection orders. In juvenile court, I represented children and parents as court appointed counsel in hundreds of juvenile court/child protective services (dependency, neglect and abuse) cases. I have served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and Guardian ad litem for children in juvenile courts and domestic relations courts. I've completed Ohio Supreme Court Mediation training twice - once in 2005 and the second time in 2021. In probate courts, I was counsel for estate administrators, guardianships and adoptions both private and agency. While I have experience as counsel in civil litigation, I focused primarily on helping people find resolution to the matters that caused them the most angst.

I also served as an arbitrator for the Better Business Association.
Family
I grew up in Falling Oaks and am a 1975 graduate of Medina High School. I went on to attend college and ended up in Los Angeles working in various aspects of costuming, wardrobe, and custom sewing, including for Lucas Films Star Wars characters. After 11 years in Los Angeles, I moved back to Ohio in 1988 with my daughter who is now an Assistant United States Attorney in Wheeling, WV and the mother to my two grandsons. I am a single mother and currently live in Wadsworth with my three children (ages 15, 12, and 9).
Affiliations
I served as a foster parent for fifteen years for Summit County Children Services, fostering over 30 children and adopting three.

I was elected four times to the Copley-Fairlawn City Schools Board of Education and served on the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee for the Ohio School Boards Association. I was President of the Northeast Region of the Ohio School Boards Association, which included Medina County.

I am currently on the Board of Directors for Northeast Ohio Classical Academy, a public charter school providing classical education that is in the process of being organized for Medina County, projected to open in Fall 2024.

I am a member of the Medina County Bar Association, Akron Bar Association and the Ohio State Bar Association.

My children and I regularly attend The Chapel in Wadsworth.

Julie A Schafer

Question 1

List your judicial experience (courts and years)

I was elected as Judge of the Ninth District Court of Appeals which includes Medina, Summit, Wayne and Lorain Counties and I served from 2015-2021. I sat on a three-judge panel for over 1,400 cases and was the author judge for over 450 cases. The Court of Appeals hears appeals from common pleas general division, municipal, domestic relations, juvenile, and probate courts and administrative appeals from school districts, zoning boards, tax boards, workers comp, unemployment and others. During that time, I also had the honor to sit as a visiting Judge for the Ohio Supreme Court and the 5th and 6th District Courts of Appeals.

I was elected Judge to the Akron Municipal Court in 2013 and served from 2014-2015, presiding over criminal arraignments, hearing criminal misdemeanors and civil cases. My duties also included performing marriages.

Abbreviated Candidate Answers

Question 2

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

I became a lawyer at 44 years of age, after exploring other careers and endeavors. Much of what I learned prior to becoming a lawyer has brought me greater wisdom and vision as well as many an "Aha!" moment as those life experiences collide with current fact patterns. I have a broad experience base and knowledge in many areas that has served me well on the bench. In addition to practicing all kinds of law in many courtrooms for over eleven years, I am currently a Trial Magistrate in Summit County Domestic Relations Court where my primary responsibility is to monitor divorce settlement negotiations and preside over divorce trials when negotiations break down. I also preside over child support enforcement contempt actions when an Obligor is failing to make payments.

I completed mediation training through the Ohio Supreme Court twice and utilize these skills on a daily basis. This training and experience is invaluable to a Judge as a majority of the cases a Judge hears settle - either through a plea deal, private negotiations or mediation. What the mediation training brings is a mindset that fosters resolution - encouraging lawyers and pro se litigants to think broader and bigger. My passion to help people find stability and peace in their lives by facilitating closure to their most stressful and unsettling matters is an excellent qualifier to be a judge.

Abbreviated Candidate Answers

Question 3

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am running for this court seat because I love the interaction with the public and lawyers in the context of the courtroom. At the Court of Appeals level, I became intimately familiar with civil, criminal and administrative disputes as a reviewer after the action had been resolved at the trial courts. I came to truly miss the dynamics of the courtroom - engaging first hand in the judicial system to assist in resolving civil disputes and ensure justice for criminal prosecutions. Before taking the bench in 2014, I became quite adept at managing a busy law practice and that skill transferred well to the bench, managing a docket and ensuring timely management of cases.

At the common pleas general division, a significant portion of the docket is criminal cases, with strict timelines and sentencing guidelines. Civil litigation requires the Judge to be knowledgeable of the process, to provide guidance to the litigants and counsel as to how the case will proceed and then to ensure timely compliance. Having been an appellate court judge, I have acquired a broad knowledge base of all of the kinds of cases that come before a trial court. I believe my experience and passion will serve the citizens of Medina County very well as Judge of the Court of Common Pleas.

Abbreviated Candidate Answers