Program sponsored by the Young Lawyers Professional Development Network
Panelists will address how incivility affects the administration of justice, public confidence in the courts, and the reputation of the profession, and will offer practical guidance and examples illustrating how young lawyers can maintain civility even when faced with difficult opposing counsel, clients, or high-conflict matters. The panel will connect these themes to Ohio’s Professional Ethics standards, specifically Prof.R. 1 and 3.5(a)(6), as well as the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Lawyer’s Creed.
Duration:
- Judicial perspectives on civility in modern practice
- Practical guidance and stories from the bench
- Civility as a career asset and role of young lawyers
By the end of this program, participants will be able to:
- Explain how civility and professionalism promote public confidence in the courts and the integrity of the legal system, consistent with Ohio’s Professional Ethics.
- Identify common forms of incivility in written and oral advocacy, including in remote proceedings, and their impact on judicial decision-making and client outcomes.
- Describe at least three concrete practices that demonstrate civility and respect toward judges, opposing counsel, clients, and others, as reflected in Ohio’s Lawyer’s Creed and Judicial Creed.
- Apply practical strategies offered by judges for responding to uncivil behavior while maintaining professionalism and adherence to Ohio’s standards of conduct.
Presenters:
Judge Zach Gwin, Franklin County Municipal Court
Judge Zach Gwin was elected to the Franklin County Municipal Court in 2023. He is a former Victim Witness Advocate, Assistant Prosecutor, defense attorney, and Senior Assistant City Attorney. While at the Columbus City Attorney’s Office, he handled civil and criminal matters, including public nuisance litigation.
Judge Gwin is a member of the Columbus Bar Association, Ohio Judicial Conference, Ohio Municipal Judges Association, American Judges Association, Ohio State Bar Association, and American Constitution Society. He is appointed an eligible hearing officer for the Ohio Supreme Court Grievance Committee.
The Judge received his bachelor’s degree at Miami University and his juris doctor at Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
Judge Gwin is credited with helping to create the Owner-Occupied Initiative (OOI) in the Municipal Court’s Environmental Division. The initiative works with providers from the Legal Aid Society of Columbus, Habitat for Humanity, Columbus Public Health, Columbus Division of Housing, and court social workers to assist low-income seniors with outstanding code violations and link them to funding for home repairs. He is also a Franklinton Development Association board member, which focuses on affordable housing and neighborhood advocacy. Judge Gwin previously served as the Vice Chair of the Franklinton Area Commission, which advises the City of Columbus on zoning matters.
Judge Ajmeri Hoque, Franklin County Municipal Court
Voters elected Judge Ajmeri Hoque to the Franklin County Municipal Court in November 2025. She was sworn in as a Franklin County Municipal Court Judge on Jan. 3, 2026, replacing Judge James Green.
Judge Hoque graduated from The Ohio State University in 2006 with a degree in political science and a minor in professional writing. She graduated from Capital University Law School in 2010 and is licensed to practice in Ohio and New York.
She was a city prosecutor in Lancaster for two years before going into private practice as a defense attorney. Her legal work brought her to Municipal Court work in 13 counties, including Franklin County.
Hoque was raised in New York and relocated to Columbus for her studies at The Ohio State University. She subsequently made Columbus her home.
Judge Christopher Brown, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas
Prior to the bench, Judge Chris Brown attended THE Ohio State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2002. After college, he graduated from Capital University Law School in Downtown Columbus in 2005.
Upon passing the bar exam, Chris worked as an Assistant Prosecutor in Franklin County. For four years, he was a member of the Special Victims Unit, prosecuting sexual assaults and crimes against women and children. In 2012, he switched careers to become a private defense attorney, representing and defending the rights of individuals charged with a wide array of offenses, ranging from Aggravated Murder to traffic violations. This unique experience in criminal justice, serving as both an assistant prosecutor and defense attorney, made Brown an ideal person to serve on the bench. In 2014, he was elected to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, where he presides over felony criminal cases and civil lawsuits in excess of $15,000. Judge Brown was re-elected in 2020.
1.0 Professional Conduct Hour