CONTACT:  Kenneth A. Brown   800-282-6556 or 614-487-4426

Columbus (Sept. 9, 2009) - Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) President Barbara J. Howard has appointed five Cincinnati-area lawyers as chairpersons of OSBA committees and sections for 2009-2010.  The OSBA maintains 41 standing committees and 11 sections, each of which monitors a particular area of law.  Committees and sections work to improve the justice system by keeping Ohio lawyers informed about the latest court decisions and regulatory changes.  In addition, they comment on bills before the Ohio General Assembly and draft their own legislative proposals to improve existing laws.

Daniel E. Burke, an attorney with Graydon Head & Ritchey’s Cincinnati office, has been re-appointed to chair of the Workers’ Compensation Committee.  Having received his bachelors from University of Notre Dame and his law degree from University of Cincinnati College of Law, Burke has been chosen by his peers as one of Ohio’s “Super Lawyers” in the areas of Employment & Labor, Workers’ Compensation and Health Care since 2004. He was also named in The Best Lawyers in America for his work in labor and employment law and workers’ compensation law. He is also involved in his community, serving as chair of the board for the Drop Inn Center, and as a member of the board of the Otterbein Homes. Burke currently resides in Hyde Park with wife, Anne, and three children, Shannon, Will and Sean.

Deborah M. McKinney, a sole practitioner in Cheviot, has been re-appointed to chair the Paralegal Committee.  A 1990 graduate of the College of Mount St. Joseph, she currently serves there as an adjunct instructor of paralegal studies. Prior to earning her law degree from Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law in 2006, she worked as a probate paralegal at the Cincinnati law firms of Cors & Bassett, LLC and Santen & Hughes, LPA. Currently, she chairs the Certification Commission of the American Alliance of Paralegals, Inc. In the community, McKinney serves as the vice-mayor and president of Cheviot City Council and belongs to the Cheviot/Westwood Community Association. She also works through the “Save the Dream” program to assist homeowners facing foreclosure. McKinney has three grown children:  Chris, 32; Jennifer, 30; and Rachel, 28; as well as seven grandchildren.

Michael J. Newman, chair of the Labor and Employment Appellate Practice Group of Dinsmore & Shohl LLP’s Cincinnati office, has been appointed to chair the Federal Courts and Practice Committee.  Newman earned his undergraduate degree from New York University, and graduated cum laude from American University’s Washington College of Law. Newman practices in the areas of labor and employment, commercial and business litigation, and mediation/arbitration. He is a member of the Cincinnati Bar Association Board of Trustees, and has been elected to serve as Sixth Circuit Vice President for the Federal Bar Association (FBA). He previously served as a national co-chair for the FBA’s Professional Ethics Committee and the FBA’s Conference Leadership Training & Agenda Committee, and as president for the organization’s Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Chapter.  Newman also serves on the editorial board for The Federal Lawyer Magazine, and is a master of the Potter Stewart Inns of Court. He has been named a “Leading Lawyer” for the past five years by Cincy, a business magazine, and has been named one of the “Best Lawyers in America in Labor & Employment Law” as well as an “Ohio Super Lawyer.” In his community, he chairs the Friends of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, serves on both the Community Board for Cincinnati Public Radio and the Fine Arts Fund Grants Committee, and assists in the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program.  Newman and his wife, Rachel, live in Cincinnati and have triplet daughters: Anna, Brigid and Clare.

Rhys J. Richards, an attorney with the Middletown firm of Casper & Casper, has been re-appointed to chair the Insurance Law Committee. Richards received his undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University, magna cum laude, and his law school degree from the University of Cincinnati. He is a member of the American Bar Association, both the Ohio and the American Association for Justice, the Cincinnati Bar Association, and the Butler County Bar Association. Richards’ practice areas include personal injury law, negligence/insurance law, employer intentional torts, and product liability. Within his community, he is a member of the Middletown City School Facilities Committee and serves on the Butler County American Lawyer Society Advisory Board and the Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre Board.

James A. Shriver, who recently chaired the OSBA Traffic Law Committee, has been appointed to chair the Criminal Justice Committee.  Having earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Cincinnati, Shriver has served as a judge of the Clermont County Municipal Court for 15 years and is currently that court’s administrative judge and the judge for the OVI (Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated) Court. An active member of the Ohio Judicial Conference, Shriver serves on its Criminal Law and Procedure Committee, Committee on Community Corrections, and Strategic Planning Committee, and co-chairs its Court Administration Committee. He was recently appointed to the State Task Force of Law Library Associations and serves as first vice-president for the Association of the Municipal/County Court Judges of Ohio. Before becoming a judge, Shriver served as a Clermont County assistant prosecuting attorney for more than 10 years. He has received numerous awards, including the 2009 President’s Award for Judicial Excellence from the Association of Municipal/County Court Judges of Ohio and the 2006 Wasserman Champion Award, given for championing innovative services for consumers of mental health, alcohol and drug addiction services. Shriver is a member of the Union Township Kiwanis, has served on the Clermont Senior Services Board and the Clermont County Special Olympics Board, and is president of the Ohio River Valley District Mission Foundation of the United Methodist Church.

The Ohio State Bar Association, founded in 1880, is a voluntary association representing approximately 25,000 members of the bench and bar of Ohio as well as nearly 4,000 legal assistants and law students.  Through its activities and the activities of its related organizations, the OSBA serves both its members and the public by promoting the highest standards in the practice of law and the administration of justice.

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