Left to Right: New Board of Professional Conduct Chair Patricia A. Wise and Board Vice Chair Judge D. Chris Cook of Lorain County.

Left to Right: New Board of Professional Conduct Chair Patricia A. Wise and Board Vice Chair Judge D. Chris Cook of Lorain County.

The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct today announced the election of Lucas County attorney Patricia A. Wise as board chair and Judge D. Chris Cook of Lorain County as board vice chair. Wise and Judge Cook will serve one-year terms commencing Jan. 1.

Wise has served on the board since 2014 and has chaired the budget and personnel committee. In 2019, she chaired the ad hoc committee that recommended the appointment of Disciplinary Counsel Joseph Caligiuri. Wise is a partner with the Toledo firm Spengler Nathanson, where her practice focuses on labor and employment law. 

Cook is a judge on the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas and has served on the Board of Professional Conduct since 2017. Before becoming a judge, Cook’s practice included serving as bar counsel for the Lorain County Bar Association.

The Board of Professional Conduct consists of 28 volunteer members appointed by the justices of the Supreme Court. The board conducts hearings involving allegations of ethical violations by Ohio lawyers and judges and recommends discipline for professional misconduct.

The board also engages in education and outreach activities that promote compliance with legal ethics rules and bring greater transparency to the disciplinary process.