Retired Judge Ford returns to court on the other side of the bench

The ex-judge stepped in to
finish the work left undone by the sudden death of his
51-year-old son.

By ED RUNYAN

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

HOWLAND — After serving 36 years as a judge in Trumbull County, Don Ford Sr. of Warren retired last February and looked forward to traveling and spending more time with family, including his son, Howland attorney Don Ford Jr.

Within a month or so, an addition had been built onto the son’s East Market Street law office, and the retired judge started spending time there, preparing for a career in arbitrating and mediating such matters such as labor contracts. He also planned to work in probate law, which involves issues such as guardianships and estates. His name was added to the sign out front.

Then the unimaginable happened.

The 51-year-old Don Ford Jr., a husband and father of three, died unexpectedly June 13.

Though reeling from the loss, the 75-year-old former municipal, common pleas and appeals court judge filled the void and went to work on the cases his son had left behind. A couple of other local attorneys also helped out.

Back to court

Though he never intended to get back into the business of being a general practice lawyer again, someone had to keep the practice viable for the sake of his daughter-in-law, Sharon, and his grandchildren. Sharon is the firm’s office manager.

It wasn’t long before a case came up for a hearing in common pleas court — this one for a defendant in a criminal case before Judge Peter Kontos.

And though the retired judge had served on the common pleas court bench 25 years earlier and had spent 24 years as appeals court judge, he couldn’t help but feel “awkward.”

It had been 36 years since he had last served as a defense lawyer.

“Certainly it is a very different role and an adjustment, after all those years on the bench, to be in the advocate role,” Ford said.

And for Judge Kontos?

“I believe he treated me just like any other lawyer,” he said.

Codes of conduct place strict limits on the actions of judges and even dictate to them the types of conversations they may have outside of the courtroom. All of this is designed to ensure fairness for all parties involved in legal matters.

In many ways, it gives the lawyer more freedom than the judge. Judge Kontos declined to be interviewed for this story.

A certain awkwardness

Ford admits that his presence in the courtroom does present at least one other type of awkwardness for the lawyers and judges he encounters now.

For one thing, what to call him.

“I don’t expect to be addressed as ‘Judge’ or ‘Your Honor’ or anything like that at all,” he said.

Ford says he expects his return to lawyering to be brief. He hopes to find another lawyer soon to take over his son’s cases.

Though he enjoyed his time as a lawyer early in his career and still finds the work interesting, his main interest is in being the person in the middle, not the advocate. Arbitrators and mediators are like “pseudo judges,” Ford noted.

Eventually, he plans to devote more time to traveling with his wife, like the trip to Alaska they took recently.

“I’m still hoping to do some fishing,” he said.

runyan@vindy.com