From left: Wooster attorney Peggy J. Schmitz, Cleveland attorney Tim L. Collins, and Third District Court of Appeals Judge John R. Willamowski hear a disciplinary case in Toledo.

From left: Wooster attorney Peggy J. Schmitz, Cleveland attorney Tim L. Collins, and Third District Court of Appeals Judge John R. Willamowski hear a disciplinary case in Toledo.

For the first time, law students at the University of Toledo Law School got a front row seat to see how the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct decides the fate of attorneys and judges who commit misconduct.

Three members of the board recently traveled to Toledo to hear Toledo Bar Association v. Yoder, Thomas Alan.

The case involves three counts of alleged improper conduct, including alleged harassment in a juvenile custody case; improper conduct in a property tax dispute; and alleged witness intimidation during the disciplinary hearing process itself.

The board held a disciplinary hearing at a law school for only the third time since 2012.

University of Toledo Law School students were able to watch the three-judge hearing panel and see what happens during a disciplinary hearing.

“We truly appreciate that the director of the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct, Rick Dove, took the time to come to Toledo Law before the hearing to speak to our ethics students about the disciplinary process and the board,” said Kelly Tomlinson, assistant dean for student affairs.

“It was helpful for students to learn how the hearing fit into that process. Students also valued the opportunity to observe how the panel members and attorneys conducted the hearing,” she said.

Usually, judges and attorneys charged with professional misconduct have their cases heard at the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center in Columbus. All hearings, regardless of location, are open to the public.

“The board is committed to enhancing public access to and understanding of the disciplinary process,” said Dove. “Bringing disciplinary hearings to Ohio law schools provides future lawyers with a better understanding of professional ethics and an opportunity to observe the presentation of a case to a panel of commissioners.”

The three-commissioner panel that heard the case now will prepare a written report for consideration by the full board early next year. The board will then file a report with the Supreme Court, and the Court will make a final decision regarding any sanction to be imposed.