Lisa Forbes Supreme Court of Ohio

Candidate Details

Residence
Shaker Heights
Email
info@ForbesForJustice.com
Website
ForbesForJustice.com
Social Media
facebook.com/ForbesForJustice
instagram.com/ForbesForJustice
x.com/Forbes4Justice
Age
60
Occupation
Judge
Education
Cornell University, 1981 to 1985, B.S. (recipient of a Regents Scholarship all 4 years; recipient of Cornell Tradition scholarship junior year)

Case Western Reserve University School of Law, 1989 to 1992, J.D. summa cum laude (recipient of Fink scholarship (half-tuition all three years); Order of the Coif; Member, law review; Executive Notes Editor, law review; note selected for publication)
Work Experience
Since college, my work experience is as follows:

8/1985 to 8/1987
Legislative Correspondent; Legislative Aide
Office of the Honorable Joe Kolter, United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C.

8/1985 to 8/1987
Waitress (evenings and weekends)
Blossom Restaurant
Washington, D.C.

9/1987 to 2/1988
Field Organizer
Bruce Babbitt for President
Concord, NH

Spring 1988 to 11/1988
Director of Field Operations
Jim Donchess for Congress
Nashua, NH

1/1989 to 8/1989
Legislative Aide
Office of the Honorable Nita Lowey
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC

8/1992 to 8/1993
Judicial Law Clerk
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Chambers of the Honorable Frank J. Battisti
Cleveland, OH

8/1993 to 8/1997
Associate (Litigation)
Squire, Sanders & Demsey LLP (nka SquirePattonBoggs),
127 Public Square
Cleveland, OH

8/1997 to 12/2020
Associate (Litigation): 8/1997 to 12/2002
Partner (Litigation): 1/2003 to present
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
200 Public Square
Suite 1400
Cleveland, OH 44120

12/2020 to present
Judge
Eighth District Court of Appeals
Family
Married 31 years with three adult children (Emily (26), Nick (24), Charlie (21))
Affiliations
The Centers (fka Center for Families and Children), Board of Directors, 2008 to present; Circle Health (formerly the Free Clinic), Board of Directors, 2017 to present; El Barrio, Board of Directors, 2011 to present; Cleveland Christian Home for children, Board of Directors, 2022 to present

The Centers provides high quality healthcare (physical and mental), HeadStart, workforce development and adolescent residential services to 15,000 to 20,000 of Cuyahoga County's most vulnerable residents.

I became the chair of the combined boards of these affiliated organizations in May of 2022. In that role, I was part of the team that brought the Cleveland Christian Home into the organization and that oversaw the expansion of services to include residential and wrap around services to teens with nowhere else to go.

I have been involved with The Centers since 2008 when I first joined the board. Since then, The Centers and the Westside Ecumenical Ministries joined forces, which added El Barrio to the corporate family in 2011. In 2017, Circle Health affiliated with The Centers.

Over the years, I have served as the Chair of the Program and Operations Committee from 2013 to 2019, and as vice chair of the board from June 2019 to May 2022.

Eighth District Court of Appeals, Policy and Procedure Committee 2022 to present

The work of the Policy and Procedures Committee is to review and revise our local rules, and internal policies and procedures to enhance the operations of the court.

William K. Thomas Inn of Court, member 2021 to present; membership liaison to the executive committee, 2023 to present

The W.K. Thomas Inn is dedicated to enhancing collegiality within the legal profession. I am a proud member.

Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, member, 1993 to present (prior to creation of CMBA, I was a member of the Cuyahoga County Bar Association)

o   Bar applicant admissions committee, member 2021 to present As a member of this committee, I review bar applications and interview candidates who are applying to sit for the bar exam to ensure that they meet the standards for character and fitness to practice law in Ohio.

o Rights, Responsibilities and Realities teacher

o Inaugural Ladder Down class, member 2019

o   Certified Grievance Committee, member 2018 to 2020

Ohio State Bar Association, member 1993 to present

o   Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Section council, member, 2017 to present

Ohio Women’s Bar Association, member (est. mid-1990s to 2005, intermittently between 2005 and present)

o   Eighth District Trustee, 1999 to 2002

o   Program and Projects Committee Co-Chair, 2002-2004

o   Recipient of the Ohio Women’s Bar Association President’s Choice Award, 2002

Cornell University Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network, member, 2011 to present

Ohio Democratic Party Voter Protection Program, roughly 2000 to 2018 I worked on election day during presidential and gubernatorial elections to ensure that all registered voters could cast a ballot and have it count.

St. Dominic Church, Shaker Heights, Ohio, member 1994 to present
Endorsements
Daily Kos; Cleveland.com / The Plain Dealer; The Toledo Blade; The Chronicle-Telegram; Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb; Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval; Cuyahoga; County Executive Chris Ronayne; Matriots Ohio; Nurses for America; Ohio AFL-CIO; Ohio Association of Public School Employees; Ohio Citizen Action; Ohio Education Association; Ohio Federation of Teachers; Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio; Working Families Party; Ohio Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW); Teamsters Ohio D.R.I.V.E.; Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund; Abortion Forward; Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters; Sierra Club Ohio; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (A.F.S.C.M.E.); Asian American Midwest Progressives (AAMP); People For the American Way; Association of Cleveland Firefighters IAFF Local 93; Cincinnati Women’s Political Caucus; Cleveland Stonewall Democrats Communications Workers of America District #4; Communications Workers of America Local 4340; Ironworkers Local #17; Painters & Allied Trades District Council No. 6 State of Ohio and Central Kentucky; Pipefitters Local #120 UAW Region 2b; Journeymen Plumbers' Union Local No. 55; Summit County Progressive Democrats PAC; Cleveland American Middle East Organization (C.A.M.E.O.)
Bar Association Ratings
Judge Forbes is rated "EXCELLENT" by the Asian American Bar Association, Cuyahoga County Criminal Defense Attorneys, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, and Norman S. Minor Bar Association. Judge Forbes is also "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED" by the Lake County Bar Association.

Lisa Forbes

Question 1

List your judicial experience (courts and years)

Eighth District Court of Appeals, December 14, 2020 to present

As a judge on the court of appeals, I hear direct appeals of matters originally decided in a trial court. Three judges who have been randomly assigned sit on each panel. In preparation for oral arguments, I read and analyze the briefs submitted by the parties, along with the legal authority (case law, statutes, ordinances, regulations) governing the matter. I also analyze the evidence that was before the trial court. After oral arguments, I confer with the other panel members to decide the matter. If the parties waive oral argument, we confer on the date the oral argument would have been heard. Then, I set about to prepare an opinion or to review opinions drafted by another panel member. Where we are unable to reach concensus on either the analysis or the outcome, I draft a concurring in judgment only opinion or dissent, as appropriate. In addition, my court regularly reviews requests for en banc consideration, as well as original actions, such as writs of mandamus, procedendo and prohibition.

I had the honor of sitting by assignment on the Ohio Supreme Court when one of the justices needed to recuse from a case.

Question 2

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

The depth and breadth of my knowledge of the law, coupled with my understanding of the impact legal decisions have on clients, provides the right mix of experience to interpret and apply the law fairly and justly as a justice on the Ohio Supreme Court.

For 27 years I practiced law in trial and appeals courts all over Ohio, helping clients resolve disputes ranging from complex business litigation to consumer class actions to legal malpractice claims to trust and estate disputes, and more. I have represented clients in legal disputes ranging from a complex business dispute involving a $40 million indemnification claim to helping a daughter and her stepmother divide the father's assets (and ashes) after he died. Representing individuals and businesses in a wide variety of disputes gave me deep understanding of substantive and procedural law.

I saw first hand the impact legal decisions have on parties. The first appeal I argued resulted in reversal of the trial court and entry of judgment in my client's favor. After years of litigating and a devastating jury verdict, my client was in dire straits because the trial court had not applied the law correctly. The court of appeals fixed the mistake and changed my cleint's life. I saw firsthand the importance of the court of appeals.

While in private practice, I dedicated myself to learning the intricacies of the law and understanding the impact the law has on our communities. I regularly wrote and spoke on developments in the law.

Question 3

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am running for the Ohio Supreme Court because I want to do my part to ensure that the Ohio Supreme Court is an effective firewall protecting our democracy and the rule of law. I have the expertise in the law, experience in our community, and work ethic to bring the intellectual rigor and common sense to the Court, so that our laws are applied fairly and equitably.

Ohio needs a new justice who will stand up for all Ohioans and stand firm against political pressure. My deep respect for and knowledge of the intricacies of the law would enhance the work of the court. Along with my work ethic, love of the law, and commitment to the community, my expertise in the practice of the law provides the right mix of experience to interpret and apply the law fairly and justly.

I believe that we need to reinvigorate the work of establishing a sentencing database and I would work along with Justice Donnelly in this effort. This is about fundamental fairness. The sentence a defendant receives should be based on the individual’s conduct, not the courtroom to which his or her case was assigned. In particular, a database may help courts assess proportionality in respect to the seriousness of an offender’s conduct when it comes to imposing consecutive sentences.

When I ran for the Court of Appeals four years ago, I believed the greatest issue courts faced was the erosion of respect for the institution. That concern has only grown in the time I have been on the bench. In particular, partisanship – real or perceived – has come to be accepted to explain the outcome of any particular case – not justice, not fair application of the law, not reasoned analysis.

If the citizens of Ohio do not have trust and confidence in the courts to dispense justice and to apply the law fairly, we risk a breakdown of orderly democratic society. When questions arise about the political motivations behind judicial decisions, it weakens respect for all judges and courts in general, not just the specific judge or opinion that is the subject of the criticism.

If elected to the Ohio Supreme Court, I will commit myself to the fair and just application of the law without regard to any agenda. That includes how I will assess which cases the Court should take in for consideration, as well as how I will draft substantive opinions.

Abbreviated Candidate Answers

Ohio needs a new justice who will stand up for all Ohioans and stand firm against political pressure. My respect for and knowledge of the intricacies of the law would enhance the work of the court.

When I ran for the Court of Appeals four years ago, I believed the greatest issue courts faced was the erosion of respect for the institution. That concern has only grown in the time I have been on the bench. In particular, partisanship has come to be accepted to explain the outcome of any particular case – not justice, not fair application of the law, not reasoned analysis.