Candidate Details
- Residence
Ashtabula - Email
colleenotoole@icloud.com - Website
otooleforjudge.com - Social Media
- Age
63 - Occupation
Elected County Prosecutor - Education
Juris Doctorate or J.D from Cleveland Marshall College of Law
Master of Law or LLM from Duke Law School, North Carolina.
John Carrol University Batchelor of Arts, History, Political Science
- Work Experience
Colleen O'Toole is currently serving as the elected County Prosecutor in Ashtabula, Ohio. She is the chief law enforcement official in the County. Her office represents all 70 Ashtabula County entities and safeguards public funds. Her office Prosecutes All felonies, Appeals to Supreme Court Filings, Civil litigation concerning County Entities, and County court misdemeanors.
Colleen M. O'Toole served two terms (12 years) on the Eleventh District Court of Appeals, where she was active in the Ohio Judicial Conference and many Supreme Court Commissions, Authoring over 800 Appeals.
Colleen also served as a judiciary member/legal expert on the Commercial Court of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department ("ADJD"). She was selected from 400 applicants as the first American and female judge to sit in the Expert Chamber Commercial Court in Abu Dhabi, UAE. During her tenure there, she adjudicated complex commercial cases and assisted the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department in developing and pioneering international common law commercial best practices throughout their legal system. She consulted with the top leadership of ADJD to modernize and improve its procedures and practices commensurate with modern international best practices. She served on the World Bank Doing Business Committee during her tenure there to increase the UAE's global standing on economically efficient systems favorable to international commerce.
She is an adjunct faculty member conducting international symposia for the Abu Dhabi Judicial Academy.
She founded ODIS, LLC., an award-winning technology startup company that provides legal interpretation services for courts in 170 languages, including ASL, on personal and mobile devices.
- Family
The mother of three grown children and one grandchild, Ella Loiuse. - Affiliations
O'Toole sits on multiple local boards and commissions as part of her prosecutorial responsibilities. She is a member and on the speaker's bureau of the National District Attorneys Association. She is a member and on the witness victim committee of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association. She is an active member of the American Bar Association, Judicial Division, as a lecturer, and a former Board Member of the Appellate Judges Education Institute affiliated with the National Judicial College. She presently serves on the Court Technology Committee, is a Judicial Liaison for the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Commission, Rule of Law (ROLI) Middle East North Africa Committee, Is a member of the Ethics and Professional Responsibility Judges Advisory Committee, and is a Board Member of the Lake County Alliance Against Human Trafficking.
- Endorsements
Pending
- Bar Association Ratings
Pending
![Photo of Colleen Mary OToole](/assets/inc/timthumb.php?w=300&h=300&src=/cdn/OIP.jpg)
Question 1
List your judicial experience (courts and years)
OHIO 11TH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS FEB 2005- FEB 2011 AND FEB 2013-FEB 2019
JUDICIAL OFFICER ABU DHABI JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT FEB 2019-DEC 2020
Abbreviated Candidate AnswersOHIO 11TH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS FEB 2005- FEB 2011 AND FEB 2013-FEB 2019
JUDICIAL OFFICER ABU DHABI JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT FEB 2019-DEC 2020
Question 2
What non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
My experience as a prosecutor, public defender, and international legal consultant has allowed me to learn the justice system's strengths and weaknesses from many different perspectives. This experience made me learned and wise in discipline, training, understanding, and judging. The need for impartiality and thoughtfulness can only be truly appreciated through experience. This makes me uniquely qualified to return to this role better than when I left it 6 years ago.
Abbreviated Candidate AnswersMy experience as a prosecutor, public defender, and international legal consultant has allowed me to learn the justice system's strengths and weaknesses from many different perspectives. This experience made me learned and wise in discipline, training, understanding, and judging. The need for impartiality and thoughtfulness can only be truly appreciated through experience. This makes me uniquely qualified to return to this role better than when I left it 6 years ago.
Question 3
Why are you running for this particular court seat?
Judges are essential to the rule of law and maintaining access to justice. A fair, impartial, and accountable justice system is the seminal cornerstone of a sustainable democracy. An Effective and efficient justice system is necessary for economic development and the general welfare of our citizenry.
My entire legal career has been dedicated to preserving this country's core values, as identified by our founding fathers. My experience and dedication are needed now, and they are the best way I can serve my country, our Constitution, and the rule of law.
Abbreviated Candidate AnswersJudges are essential to the rule of law and maintaining access to justice. A fair, impartial, and accountable justice system is the seminal cornerstone of a sustainable democracy. An Effective and efficient justice system is necessary for economic development and the general welfare of our citizenry.
My entire legal career has been dedicated to preserving this country's core values, as identified by our founding fathers. My experience and dedication are needed now, and they are the best way I can serve my country, our Constitution, and the rule of law.