Articles - Sharon L. Kennedy

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Sharon L. Kennedy gave two keynote speeches during Frost Brown Todd's annual continuing legal education seminar.

During the seminar presentations, Justice Kennedy focused on the topic: "Professionalism: Reflecting on the Ideals," and led a discussion of the standards to which every attorney should aspire in the practice of law.

"It is important to understand the duties attorneys have to their clients, to opposing counsel, to the courts, to their colleagues, to their profession, and to the public and our system of justice," Justice Kennedy said.

She asked the attorneys present to examine their own words and actions and evaluate whether they were maintaining the highest standards of professionalism.

"There are challenges every day: time pressures, stress, dealing with other lawyers you dislike. But those have to be put aside so that you can always act with integrity and in the best interests of your client. The public's perception of our honorable profession will rest forever on the behaviors each of us demonstrates," she concluded.

Prior to the seminar, Justice Kennedy swore in a new attorney, E. Kyle Barnett, to the Ohio bar.

Justice Kennedy is serving her first term on the Supreme Court of Ohio. Prior to joining the Supreme Court, Justice Kennedy served on the Butler County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division from 1999 to 2012. Justice Kennedy served as the administrative judge there from 2005 until December 2012. Justice Kennedy began her career in the justice system as a police officer in Hamilton, Ohio. She received her law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.