College of Law debuts Toledo Women Lawyers History Project

September 29, 2014

A new display at the LaValley Law Library at The University of Toledo College of Law recognizes a group of courageous and strong-willed women attorneys who blazed trails for future generations after the Ohio General Assembly first admitted women to the practice of law in Ohio in 1878.

The Toledo Women Lawyers History Project, a joint effort by the Toledo Women’s Bar Association (TWBA) and the College of Law, seeks to discover and preserve the stories of women lawyers in the Toledo area. Portraits depicting 12 “pioneers” created by Paula Mowry ’88, a College of Law graduate and artist, will be permanently displayed on the second floor of the LaValley Law Library.

A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held Thursday, Oct. 2, at 5:30 p.m. in the LaValley Law Library.

Daniel J. Steinbock, dean of the College of Law, and Lindsay Navarre, president of the Toledo Women’s Bar Association, will be on hand at the dedication to unveil and discuss the project.

“The biggest transformation in the legal profession in the past century is the entry of substantial numbers of women at all levels,” said Daniel J. Steinbock, dean of the College of Law. “We are proud to be a part of this commemoration.”

The display will honor attorneys including Clara Millard, the first woman in Ohio to earn a law degree and to pass the Ohio Bar examination, Florence Hartman Wells, the first woman to be elected to both branches of the Ohio legislature, Alice Robie Resnick, the second woman elected to the Ohio Supreme Court and the founder of the Toledo Women’s Bar Association and the Ohio Women’s Bar Association, and College of Law alumna Julia Bates ’76, the first woman elected Lucas County Prosecutor.

Plans for the second phase of the project include a speaker series and an interactive display.