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 William C. Hicks, of Cole Action Harmon Dunn in Springfield, to chair the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee for 2009-20010. 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.

Hicks, who received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1965 and his law degree, cum laude, from The Ohio State University College of Law in 1973, serves as  president of the Springfield Bar Association. In his community, he serves as president of the Springfield Kiwanis Club, the YMCA, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the Family Service Agency, and the Springfield Symphony Foundation. He also serves on the boards of the Clark County Red Cross, the Springfield Arts Council, and the Choral Arts of Springfield, and serves on the Vestry of Christ Episcopal Church. He and his wife, Gretchen, have two sons: William Christopher and Joseph.

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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