Clary will begin his judgeship on Jan. 2.

Clary will begin his judgeship on Jan. 2.

Attorney Timothy W. Clary was appointed today as judge for the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, General Division.

Clay will assume office on Jan. 2, and will be taking the seat formerly held by Judge Michael J. Russo, who passed away in October. He will serve the remainder of the unfinished term and must win election in November 2024 to retain the seat.

The judge-designee has handled municipal cases with the Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office for the past year. Before that, he was an assistant prosecutor in Cuyahoga County. He began his career in private practice as a law clerk then associate attorney for the firm of Climaco, Wilcox, Peca, Tarantino & Garofoli Co. in Cleveland.

He earned his law degree from Cleveland State University and undergraduate degree from John Carroll University.