patrick f.

fischer is our choice for the next

ohio state bar association president–elect
Belinda S. Barnes, Esq. Charles J. Faruki Jeffrey T. Heintz
gallagher, gams, pryor, tallan faruki ireland & cox, dayton brouse mcdowell, akron
& littrell, llp, columbus
“Pat Fischer is a lawyer’s lawyer: ethical, “Pat’s work ethic is incredible. He is
“I first met Pat in 2005 when he was proud of our profession, and concerned fully informed about the challenges
Vice President of the Cincinnati Bar about excellence. His leadership facing OSBA, and is a consistent
Association and I was President-Elect abilities and his awareness of the issues source of good ideas on how to meet
of the Columbus Bar Association. facing OSBA members make him them. He is determined and strong
Over the next three years, we had the the choice for OSBA President-Elect.” minded, but he has a well-defined
opportunity to collaborate on several sense of fair play and an open-
projects affecting the local bar John (Jack) S. Stith minded willingness to listen to all
porter wright, cincinnati
associations and their relationship with (osba president 2006-07) sides of a debate with good humor
the OSBA. During that time and to and civility. He will be an excellent
“Pat Fischer is not only a wonderful per- OSBA President!”
the present, we also have represented
son, but has a very natural, very strong,
our respective districts as members Keith A. Ashmus
very organized and very principled
of the Counsel of Delegates for the frantz ward llp, cleveland
leadership style that compels atten-
OSBA. I admire Pat because he is ethi- tion and stimulates the participation (osba president 2003-04)
cal, professional, hard-working, intel- of others. A man of broad sensibilities “Judge Fischer has been a valued col-
ligent, kind and cooperative. He uses and considerable attainment, Pat un- league and friend. I have had the
a common sense approach when faced derstands and advocates for everyone opportunity to work with him on
with challenges. I wholeheartedly rec- in our profession with a great sense of difficult projects involving complex
ommend Pat for OSBA President.” empathy and commitment. He will legal and emotional issues, and found
H. Ritchey Hollenbaugh be an unusually fine President of the his counsel to be intelligent, sensitive
carlile patchen & murphy, columbus OSBA, and we will all be the better for and ultimately correct. Judge Fischer
(osba president 1992-93) voting him into that office.” is exactly the kind of creative leader
“Pat will bring tremendous energy, the Ohio State Bar Association needs
insight, stability and innovation to the at this stage of its history.”
OSBA as President of the Bar.”
What Pat Fischer Will Bring to OSBA Leadership
• Pat will represent all lawyers in the state
of Ohio, whether Bar members or not
• Pat is bipartisan: As Cincinnati Bar President,
he stood up for individuals on both sides of
the aisle and equally criticized both Repub-
licans and Democrats in their campaign
advertising
Professional Leadership
• Ohio State Bar Association
- Board of Governors (2008 – present)
- Chair, Budget and Headquarters
Committee
- Member, Audit Committee
- Member, OSBA Task Force on
Legal Education
- Member, OSBA-OSBF Task Force
- Member, Masters of the Bar Committee
(for senior lawyers)
- Special Committee on Business Courts
(1994 – 2006)
• Co-Chair, Ohio Supreme Court Task Force
on Commercial Docket, appointed by the
late Chief Justice Moyer (2007 – present)
Career Leadership
• Judge, First District Court of Appeals
(2010 – present)
• Partner and General Counsel,
Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL,
Cincinnati (1987 – 2010)
• Clerk to the Honorable William O. Bertels-
man, Judge of the United States District
Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
(1983-84)
Community Leadership
• Hamilton County Mental Health &
Recovery Services, Board Member
(2006-10)
• Hamilton County Alcohol and Drug
Addiction Services (ADAS), Board
Member (2004-06)
i would appreciate your support for
my campaign and your vote at the osba
convention in columbus, may 4-6, 2011.
POLLS WILL BE OPEN:
may 4: 12:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | may 5: 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
may 6: 7:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | hyatt regency, downtown columbus
• Pat cares deeply about legal professionalism • With staff leadership departing the organiza-
and ensuring the profession is well-respected tion soon, Pat will ensure that the OSBA
faces the succession and organizational
• Pat will set the OSBA agenda to prioritize structure issues so that this Association will
budget control such that its long-term not be put at risk for future growth and
strategy will keep Casemaker and OBAR/ development
the Greenbook free as part of each member’s
annual dues
• Ohio Supreme Court Commission on • Trustee, Cincinnati Bar Foundation
Professionalism (2004-05)
- Vice-Chair (2006)
- Member (2004-09) • Cincinnati Academy of Leadership
for Lawyers (CALL)
• Cincinnati Bar Association - Fellow (1998)
- President (2006-07) - Chair, CALL Steering Committee
- Vice President (2004-05) (2004-05)
- Secretary (2003-04) - Member (1999-2005)
- Trustee (1998 – 2007)
- Executive Committee (2004-08) • American Bar Association Center on
- Administration and Finance Committee Professional Responsibility
(1998 – 2008)
- Former Chair of Ethics Committee • American Bar Association Litigation
- Former Chair of Professionalism and Anti-Trust Sections
Committee
• Association of Professional Responsibility
Lawyers
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America® • Prior to being elected Judge in 2010, Pat
Fischer’s practice was concentrated in the
• Named to Ohio Super Lawyers ® (2004-10) field of commercial litigation with an
- Top 50 Cincinnati Area Super Lawyers emphasis on financial/banking litigation,
(2007, 2008, 2010) ERISA litigation, complex class actions,
- Top 100 Ohio Super Lawyers (2007-08) securities litigation, and related class actions.
He litigated matters in numerous states and
• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America™ before numerous federal courts throughout
the country, including the Sixth, Second,
• J.D., Harvard Law School, cum laude (1983) and Tenth Circuits. Pat Fischer was a
frequent advisor to lawyers on legal ethics
• A.B., Harvard College, cum laude (1980) matters and a regular speaker on ethics and
lawyer professionalism at seminars.
• VISIONS Community Services, Inc., • Pleasant Ridge Community Council, Presi-
Trustee (2006 – present) dent (2004-06), Vice President (2002-04)
• Children’s Museum of Cincinnati, former • St. Ursula Villa of Cincinnati, former
President, Secretary, Trustee (1991-94) Chairman of the Board, Secretary, Trustee
(1995-99)
Patrick F. Fischer – judge, first district court of
appeals | william howard taft law center | 12th floor
230 e. ninth street | cincinnati, ohio | 45202-2138
phone: 513.946.3476 | email: judgepatfischer@gmail.com
© 2 0 1 1 P AT R I C K F. F I S C H E R . A L L R I G H T S R E S E RV E D .
Dear OSBA Member:

My name is Patrick Fischer. I am a lawyer and a judge from District 1 in the

southwestern corner of our State. My term on the OSBA Board of Governors
will end June 30, 2011, but I would like to continue to serve you and other
members of the OSBA -- which includes nearly 70% of the lawyers and
judges in our State, and is one of Ohio's strongest, most influential, and best-
run professional organizations. As I hope you already know, this Spring I am
running for election as President-elect of the Association. I am earnestly
seeking your vote about a month from now.

For those of you who don't yet know me, I have been a trial lawyer for more
than 25 years, and in November 2010, I realized a long-held dream to sit on
the Bench. I am a former President of the Cincinnati Bar Association, and a
former Vice Chair of the Supreme Court's Commission on Professionalism. I
also am currently a co-Chair of the Supreme Court's Task Force on
Commercial Dockets, a project that originated within the OSBA and is
designed to streamline and make more efficient the Ohio court system. I have
been a very active and resourceful member of the OSBA Board of Governors
for the past three years.

Why have I decided to take this next step? A good question, since I ran for
Judge of the Court of Appeals less than six months ago. It would be easy to
sit back and let others take the helm at OSBA headquarters. But, frankly, I'm
not looking for the "easy" way to live my professional life. I would like to
become President of the Ohio State Bar Association because I believe that I
am the leader most uniquely qualified to help Ohio lawyers, especially during
these economically difficult times for our profession. As current Budget
Chair of the OSBA, I have successfully helped place the Association on a
strong financial footing. As a member of various task forces, I dealt with
issues involving senior lawyers and retirement, as well as recommendations
on bringing more practical training to Ohio law schools. I also have worked
long and hard to tell non-lawyers reasons they should hire a lawyer, as well as
all the positive things that lawyers do for our communities. Most importantly,
I am the first candidate to publicly oppose the creation of yet another,
proposed 10th law school in this state. We need a strong, experienced voice at
the Ohio state-wide table in these troubled times. I have that voice, and will
use it for your benefit.

Please plan to be in Columbus on May 4, 5 and/or 6 to vote. You NEED NOT

register for the OSBA Convention if you prefer not to do so, but you must be
physically present to cast a ballot. If you register for any one of the five half-
day sessions ($125), you can also pick up some valuable CLE while there (see
http://convention.ohiobar.org for further information). The polls will be open
on Wednesday, noon ! 5:30 p.m. (Hyatt Regency Columbus/Convention
Center); Thursday, 7:30 a.m. ! 5:30 p.m.; and Friday, 7:30 a.m. ! 11:00 a.m.

Many of you know that I am readily available, either by phone (513-325-

5204) or by e-mail (JudgePatFischer@gmail.com). Please let me know your
current thoughts about the practice of law in Ohio. Your suggestions and
ideas, as well as your support, are always most welcome.

See you in Columbus, if not sooner -- and please remember, Vote for
Fischer!

Thank you,

Pat !
What primary qualifications make you the best candidate to lead the OSBA?

I lead by example and by getting results. As budget chair I helped place OSBA on
strong financial footing, ensuring that Casemaker remains free with dues. I’ve been
on task forces which dealt with senior lawyers’ retirement issues; recommended
more practical training in law schools; and helped end disputes with OSBF. I
helped chair two Supreme Court entities which implemented the nation’s first
individual mentoring program and created the more efficient commercial docket.
As Cincinnati bar president, I spent substantial time speaking to non-lawyers about
reasons to hire a lawyer and to promote the positive things that lawyers do.

What major issues would you focus on as president to help ensure that the
OSBA is indispensable to Ohio lawyers?

The OSBA must help lawyers in these difficult economical times. The OSBA
must ensure its “indispensability” by helping keep lawyer’s operating costs down,
while creating increased demand for their services. The OSBA president must
spend significant time speaking to non-lawyers about their legal needs. We must
continue to provide two important benefits: Casemaker and OBAR. Since another
company now owns Casemaker and will soon begin to charge OSBA for
Casemaker , I want to ensure that we will not charge separately for Casemaker.
We also must do more for older attorneys by immediately implementing the senior
lawyers’ task force report.

What, if anything, would you do to improve the services the OSBA provides
its members?

First, I will place my personal contact information [direct dial number, personal
email address] on the OSBA website. Surveys show that direct communication is
vital to continued membership growth in professional associations. It worked as
Cincinnati bar president, as every member felt they could communicate directly
with the president they elected. I also believe we need to make someone available
to answer OSBA member questions after office hours. Many practitioners work
electronically/at home. To have someone available to answer questions into the
evening might be of great benefit to many practitioners and will help them balance
quality of life issues.
What is the most significant issue facing the bar, and how do you propose to
deal with it?

Ohio attorneys are working longer hours, making less income. That must change
and OSBA must lead. By increasing demand and lowering operating costs, the
OSBA can help. Hence we must grow OSBA membership – which is down
recently. With more lawyers as OSBA members, the lower the cost is per member
for benefits. By simply increasing OSBA membership from 67% to 75%, OSBA
could add helpful member benefits without dues increases too. Second, if elected
OSBA president-elect, I will strenuously, clearly, and repeatedly speak out against
the opening of yet an additional law school for Ohio, which is currently being
discussed.