Joe McNamara
Lecturer in Law
Joe McNamara was elected to the Lucas County Common Pleas Court, General Division in 2018. In addition to handling criminal and civil cases he also serves as a commercial docket judge.
He is a native Toledoan, the son of a retired Lucas County Prosecutor, and deceased local elected official. Joe earned his B.A. in English with distinction from the University of Michigan. He then completed the Foundations of the Anglo-American Legal System program at Oxford University. Joe earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law where he was the Senior Development Editor for the NYU Journal of Legislation and Public Policy.
Joe returned to Toledo after law school to begin his career at a law firm that concentrated on civil litigation. In 2006, he was first elected to Toledo City Council and served for seven years. He was twice elected President by his colleagues and received the highest number of votes for any municipal office in 2009. As a Councilman, Joe sponsored many pieces of legislation, including an ordinance to help victims of human trafficking and a program to increase access to the courts for the indigent.
After his time on Toledo City Council, Joe was an Assistant Law Director for the City of Toledo under two Administrations. Joe assisted the city in successfully negotiating various regional service agreements. He also represented the City before various courts including the Ohio Supreme Court in defending the City’s use of home rule power.