Ninth District Court of Appeals Judge Scot Allan Stevenson

Ninth District Court of Appeals Judge Scot Allan Stevenson

Judge Scot Allan Stevenson of the Ninth District Court of Appeals is familiar with the Supreme Court of Ohio. Arguing before the Court as an attorney gave him experience with high impact cases. Now he has been on the other side as an assigned judge for a case during oral arguments on July 10.

Graduating from the University of Akron with a history degree, Judge Stevenson took an interest in learning about the Constitutional Convention and was impacted by how the attorneys participating in the event served the public.

“A lot of those folks were attorneys at that point and time, and I thought that was a good way to serve the public, as well as being an attorney,” Judge Stevenson said.

With encouragement from his father to get a good education, Judge Stevenson found an inner drive to give back to his community throughout his career.

Judge Stevenson worked in private practice for roughly 25 years and received Pro Bono Attorney of the Year three times.

“It was very important to me to help folks out and help my community out,” he said.

He has practiced in many legal areas including civil litigation, criminal law, family law, and estate planning. While studying at the University of Akron for both undergraduate and law school, Judge Stevenson worked for retired Judge Bill Spicer at the Summit County Probate Court.

Judge Stevenson worked in the records room, reviewing code changes, and comparing statutes where he said he gained exposure to the legal field and the got to see how things worked at the court.

After growing up in Summit County, Judge Stevenson returned to his hometown to practice law, eventually becoming a magistrate. To him, practicing in his county is important because it allows the Judge to maintain his roots and give back to the community.

Judge Stevenson said he found joy in assisting people to work through their problems at the Summit County Domestic Relations Court both as magistrate in 2017 and chief magistrate in 2021.

“It’s really a helping court. I try to help the conversation and understand how they’re going to move forward through very hard times,” Judge Stevenson said, noting his role as a parent assists him to aid others improve family relationships.

Volunteering is another passion of Judge Stevenson’s, serving on various boards for local organizations. He said this experience has been useful on the bench to work with others in achieving group decisions, as opposed to just private practice work.

“You learn the value of collaborating with other folks, hearing their opinions and trying to help incorporate that in what you’re thinking too,” Judge Stevenson said. “I think coming from those boards has been really helpful.”

In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and two sons. He enjoys golfing with his boys, a tradition carried on from their childhood playing sports.

Judge Stevenson sat on the Supreme Court of Ohio’s bench July 10 in place of Justice Jennifer Brunner for the Columbus Bar Association v. Teresa Ann Villarreal case, in which the named attorney argued for a fully stayed suspension.