43
New lawyers welcomed as court 'opens'
By Joe gorman
youngstown
New lawyers shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions and should watch other lawyers in action to learn the ropes, 20 new members of the Mahoning County Bar Association were told Monday.
The new lawyers as well as other members of the legal profession were in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for the “Opening of Courts” ceremony, where the bar association also honored current members with awards.
On hand were the county’s common-pleas and county-court judges as well as the judges of the 7th District Court of Appeals and Judge Elizabeth Kobly of Youngstown Municipal Court.
Common Pleas Judge John Durkin, who is the administrative judge of that court, told the new lawyers that they must always work hard to treat clients, other counsel and court staff with dignity and respect at all times — not just judges.
He said new lawyers should not to be afraid to ask questions of judges and their colleagues and that the best way to learn is to watch other lawyers in action during trials.
“You can learn so much more sitting in the back of a courtroom than sitting in a classroom,” Judge Durkin said.
Ed Hartwig, president of the association, urged new lawyers to get involved in the community as well as on one of the several committees the association has. He also said new lawyers should not be afraid to ask for help if they need it.
Afterward, at a luncheon at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Social Hall, several awards were presented. Charles Dunlap won the association’s Professionalism Award; Sam Amendolara was named Lawyer of the Year; and Alan Wenger won the Distinguished Service Award.
Hartwig said the origins of Monday’s ceremony come from the days when the court was closed for the summer so that jurors would not be forced to report for duty in oppressive heat. It then always reopened at the beginning of fall.