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New MCBA president Kelly Johns discusses agenda

SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter

Published: July 25, 2019

When Kelly Johns took over as president of The Mahoning County Bar Association on June 24, she already had one major item on her agenda—to oversee the official unveiling of the organization’s new web-based membership and lawyer referral service platform.

It’s a major undertaking begun by immediate past president Gregg A. Rossi during his tenure as president and a project that will change the way the bar association provides services to members and the public.

“The new platform will bring the bar association into the 21st century,” said Johns, a shareholder at Reminger Co. “Once it is up and running, among other things, it will allow bar members to pay membership fees and register for seminars and events online.

“We currently send out paper forms to bar members and they sign and return them. This system will make the process more efficient for both the lawyers and the bar association staff.”

The platform will also include a revitalized lawyer referral service, which will provide improved assistance to community members in search of attorneys.

“In the past the public could call the bar association and ask to be matched with an attorney,” said Rossi, an attorney at Rossi & Rossi Co. “Everything was done manually and it eventually fell to the wayside.

“When I became president my mission was to resurrect it,” he said. “When I looked at the old program, I realized that the entire membership platform and website needed revamping.”

Rossi began by reactivating the lawyer referral service committee. With the assistance of bar association staff, the committee researched several providers to determine the best fit for the association.

Rossi then presented the proposals to The Mahoning County Bar Association Foundation, which provided the funding to purchase and implement the new platform. The foundation covered the cost using a small portion of the significant monies it received as a result of the dissolution of the Mahoning Law Library Association.

The funds were used to hire MemberCentral Inc. in Austin, Texas, which is the same company the Akron Bar Association relied upon to revamp its membership platform.

Johns has appointed Rossi as this year’s chair of the lawyer referral service committee.

“This project started as Gregg’s vision,” she said. “He should be the one to see it through to implementation.”

Rossi said the hope is to unveil the entire platform in September.

“In the past lawyers who were part of the referral service had to pay a $75 fee to register and remit a portion of the fees they made back to the bar association,” said Rossi. “The specifics of the new program are currently being formulated. We believe it is a win-win for the community and the bar association.

“Kelly has been extremely helpful with the project and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with her on the platform as well as on future projects over the next year,” said Rossi. “I’m sure she will bring many insightful viewpoints to the bar association that will help improve its operation.”

Johns will be working with Rossi to recruit attorneys to participate in the new lawyer referral service.

“We will need attorneys, who have expertise in numerous areas to get involved in the referral service so that when a member of the public needs help there are attorneys with the expertise available to help them.”

A longtime member of The Mahoning County Bar Association, Johns’ path to the legal profession was not a direct one.

Born in Youngstown and raised in Austintown, Johns initially planned on a medical career.

After receiving her associate’s degree in nursing from Youngstown State University, she worked as a critical care nurse at St. Elizabeth Hospital for about eight years.

Johns first became interested in switching to law after a friend was involved in an adoption case. She said she decided to try working as a nurse paralegal first to see if it was really something she wanted to do.

Not long after starting at Jacobson, Maynard, Tuschman & Kalur, Johns said she decided to go to law school.

Johns returned to Youngstown State University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in applied science in 1996. Later that year, she started attending night classes at The University of Akron School of Law.

She obtained her juris doctor in December 1999 and began her legal career as an assistant prosecutor in the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office. She left in 2004 to take a job as an associate at Reminger Co. She’s been a shareholder since 2008 and focuses mainly on civil litigation.

Johns served on The Mahoning County Bar Association’s grievance committee for ten years and is a former member of the inquiry committee. Prior to becoming president-elect, she was on the board of trustees.

A resident of Canfield, Johns has two adult children. Her daughter Ashley is a sole practitioner in Columbus and her son Daniel recently relocated to Chicago, where he serves as a quality supervisor for Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.

In addition to overseeing the rollout of the new platform, Johns said she will be working on a time-sensitive project involving the bar association’s notary testing services.

“As long as I can recall, The Mahoning County Bar Association has been a testing place for individuals seeking to become notaries,” she said. “When the state of Ohio announced changes to that process, we applied to continue providing those services. With the assistance of our bar members, the bar association will be providing the necessary education and testing to continue to provide that service to the community.”

She also plans to focus on getting newer attorneys to participate in the bar association.

“When the gavel was passed at the election banquet at the Youngstown County Club on June 24th, I directed most of my comments to our Bar Foundation scholarship award recipients,” she said. “They are in law school now and the future of our profession. I talked to them about the benefits of joining the bar association.

“When my daughter graduated from law school in 2013, one of the first things I did was encourage her to get involved in her local bar association. There is a wealth of information available to newer lawyers that comes from interacting with more seasoned attorneys.

“We need to make the bar association more attractive to the younger members.”

One way Johns is hoping to get newer attorneys to participate is by encouraging them to chair committees.

“After many years of dedicated service, some of our longtime chairs are stepping down from those roles in the committees. As president, I am tasked with filling those positions. I am encouraged by the increase in the number of new attorneys seeking out these leadership roles,” she said. “As they take on these leadership roles, they come up with new ideas and enthusiasm.”

On Aug. 27, Johns will meet with the new chairs and co-chairs of the committees during the annual bar luncheon to discuss their needs and suggestions.

“We have several new chairs and co-chairs, including on the social committee,” she said. “Last year the bar association held a Barrister’s Ball, which was a huge success. I will be speaking with these individuals to evaluate whether that should be an annual event,” said Johns.

“I want to keep the increase in membership that we experienced last year going and continue to keep existing members engaged.”

The bar association currently has 23 active committees, each with a different focus.

“If you want to be involved, there is a committee that will interest you,” said Johns.

Former bar president Tracie Schmidt, who served on The Mahoning County Bar Association Board of Trustees with Johns for several years said she is confident the organization will flourish under the leadership of Johns.

“Kelly is a well-respected attorney with a good reputation in the community,” said Schmidt, a partner at Friedman & Rummell Co. “She has been a pleasure to work with on the board of trustees and I think she will add to the success and camaraderie of the bar association.”


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