James A. Fields will join Judge Patrick N. Harris on the Fairfield County Municipal Court on April 30 after Gov. John R. Kasich appointed Fields Thursday to the bench.

Fields replaces Judge David A. Trimmer, who was elected to the Fairfield County Common Pleas Court in November. Fields must win in November’s general election to retain the municipal court seat for the remainder of the unexpired term, which ends Dec. 31, 2017.

Fields received his bachelor’s degree from Earlham College and his law degree from Capital University. His past experience includes work with the law firms of Gary Paul Price and Fields & Innocenti. He was admitted to the practice of law in Ohio on Nov. 7, 1988.

He is a member of the Multi-County Juvenile Detention Center Board. He also has served as the chair of the Fairfield County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services Board and as a board member of the Fairfield County Mental Health Consumer Group.