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Former Mahoning judge honored as Woman of the Year
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: October 19, 2017
Over the past eight months Reminger law clerk Rachel Coles said she’s been given an in-depth look at what a civil defense practice would entail, all courtesy of her mentor attorney Shirley Christian.
“Shirley has given me practical advice, taken me to depositions, client intake meetings and had me sit in on phone conferences,” said Coles a 3L at The University of Akron School of Law. “She has many years of experience as a trial lawyer and is a former judge, yet she still asks for, and values my advice and opinions.
“She has really helped me prepare for my legal career.”
Christian’s willingness to assist young women with their legal careers is just one of the many reasons she received the 2017 Woman of the Year Award from Youngstown Business and Professional Women (YBPW), said Dee McFarland, president of the nonprofit YBPW, an affiliate of Ohio BPW and the national BPW Foundation.
Christian was given the award on Oct. 17 at The Lake Club in Poland during National Business Women’s Week, which recognizes the achievements of working women.
In keeping with the tradition, each year YBPW honors one local woman at its dinner, which also serves as a fundraiser to support the Dr. Anne McMahon Scholarship award, an annual scholarship given to a woman studying business at YSU.
“The Woman of the Year Award honors a woman who has excelled in her profession, empowered and encouraged other women to excel in their careers and has given back to the community,” said McFarland, an employee benefits consultant at Assured Partners Consulting.
“Shirley has been a force in the community for years, encouraging other women and serving as an excellent role model,” said McFarland. “She has attended some of our fundraisers in the past and excelled in a profession that was once traditionally a ‘boys club.’”
“When Dee called to tell me I had been chosen, I was absolutely speechless, which is saying a lot for a lawyer,” said Christian. “It is an incredible honor particularly in light of the successful professional women in the Valley.”
The Mahoning County Bar President Tracie Schmidt, a past president of YBPW, said Christian is an excellent choice for the Woman of the Year Award.
“Shirley and I served on The Mahoning County Bar Association Board of Trustees together when she was president so I’ve gotten to know her professionally and socially through our bar events,” said Schmidt. “Shirley has dedicated a tremendous amount of time to the bar association over the years as well as to the community.
“I have always considered her a role model,” said Schmidt, a partner at Friedman & Rummell Co. “She gives of herself because she wants to, not because she is seeking accolades.”
Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, Christian is the second youngest of six children.
A graduate of McDowell High School in Erie, Christian received her bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Edinboro State College (now Edinboro University) in 1976. The following year, she secured a master’s degree in educational psychology from the same school.
After teaching recreational therapy and coaching volleyball, basketball and softball at Villa Maria College in Erie, she enrolled in law school at Ohio Northern University, receiving her juris doctor in 1986.
“I decided to go to law school after attending a sports law conference with a friend,” said Christian.
In 1986, she began her legal career as an associate at the firm now known as Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell.
Shortly after her arrival in Youngstown, she met her longtime husband Robert Christian, a sole practitioner and former president of The Mahoning County Bar Association.
During her 28 years at HHM, she successfully defended doctors, hospitals, nursing homes and other providers against medical malpractice and wrongful death claims and represented businesses in discrimination, wrongful termination and other employment lawsuits.
“I was drawn to medical malpractice because every case allowed me to learn something new,” said Christian, who became a member of the firm in 1992. “I found my clients to be some of the most caring individuals I have ever met.”
While at HHM, she established the Mahoning County Justice and Advice Clinic, which the law firm manned for two years. Her efforts earned her a certificate of recognition from the Supreme Court of Ohio.
Christian left the firm in October 2014 after Gov. John Kasich appointed her to the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, where she filled the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge James C. Evans.
As a common pleas judge, she worked to reduce the backlog of civil and criminal cases and presided over thousands of cases and multiple jury trials, one of which was the largest single indictment drug case in the county’s history (State of Ohio vs. Michael Cain et. al.), with 37 defendants and 261 charges.
She also started the honor court, which serves veterans charged with low-level, nonviolent felonies.
“The honor court was something I began working toward at the start of my tenure and we got the certification just as my tenure came to a close at the end of 2016,” said Christian. “I consider it my crowning achievement as judge.”
Seventh District Court of Appeals Judge Carol Ann Robb described Christian as a person of “high character” with “a strong work ethic.
“I’ve known Shirley for many years before she became a judge,” said Judge Robb. “She is a woman who never abandons her principles and has many positive attributes.”
After losing her bid for a full six-year term on the bench, Christian took a job as of counsel in the Youngstown office of Reminger.
A former president of the bar association, Christian also served on the Ohio State Bar Association Board of Governors and was appointed by former OSBA President Jonathon Hollingsworth to serve on the board that evaluates Supreme Court candidates.
She was also appointed by the late Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer to what’s now the Board of Professional Conduct and served as a mentor for the Ohio Supreme Court’s Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program.
Since its inception several years ago she has been a member of the Nathaniel R. Jones Inn of Court, a chapter of the American Inns of Court.
Christian, who lives in Beaver Township, sits on the board of directors of Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries, Ohio Living Park Vista, the Buechner Hall Foundation and Ebony Lifeline Support Group, which assists those recovering from substance abuse and their families.
She is also a member of the Youngstown Lions Club, Women United! (United Way), the Boardman Civic Association and St. Jude Catholic Church.
“I believe as women and professionals we have a responsibility not just to complete our own journey but to use our knowledge to speed up the process for other young female professionals,” said Christian.