FRANKEN PROFILE New judge

Some background on Atty. Timothy E. Franken, whom Gov. Ted Strickland appointed to fill a vacancy on the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court bench:

Age: 59.

Education: A graduate of Ursuline High School, he received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Youngstown State University in 1974 and his law degree from the University of Akron in 1978.

Career: An assistant Mahoning County prosecutor since 1997, he was in private law practice from 1979 to 2000. In his current post, he reviews criminal cases, supervises and trains trial lawyers and serves as lead counsel on death penalty and high-level felony cases. He has tried 12 death-penalty murder cases and also has tried civil, domestic relations, probate and juvenile cases and argued more than 40 appeals.

Other interests: He has taught business law at YSU and served as legal counsel and acting executive director for the Western Reserve Transit Authority.

Honors: In 1996, the Mahoning County Bar Association named him lawyer of the year.

Family: Two sons, Brad and Luke, and two daughters, Corey and Abigail. Brad is a master sergeant in the Air Force Reserve and a civilian employee at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station.

Sources: Franken and the governor’s office