Two northern Ohio sisters didn’t intend on sharing the same professional path. But with similar interests and a shared desire to serve others, they both decided to go to law school.

Mackenzie and Madison Garverick are among Ohio’s newest attorneys after they were admitted to the bar during a Supreme Court of Ohio ceremony on Monday.

“It’s thrilling and surreal,” said Mackenzie. “We’ve been working our whole lives for this moment.” 

The twins, from Crawford County, have been side-by-side on their legal journeys for eight years. It started when they needed a job during high school and their mom, who was an assistant at a local law firm, helped get them in the door. Mackenzie and Madison started answering phones, then drafting documents. Now, they’re handling cases at that same firm – Kennedy, Purdy, Hoeffel & Gernert – as junior attorneys.

“We’re ready to hit the ground running,” said Madison. “People who’ve known us as assistants or acquaintances in the community are now entrusting us with their legal matters.”

Neither Mackenzie nor Madison originally planned to become attorneys. The sisters both graduated with degrees in social work and minors in substance abuse and addiction. They each spent a year as social workers before deciding they were better suited to help others as lawyers.

“What I saw in a lot of that experience is that mental health is criminalized,” said Mackenzie. “A lot of times these people need a voice, and now I’ll have the opportunity to be that voice.”

As general practice attorneys, the twins will get the chance to handle a wide range of cases. From civil needs such as family, elder, and bankruptcy law to criminal defense, the variety of issues have the potential to impact many.

“The smallest thing I do could make waves for one person, a family, or even our community,” said Madison.

The sisters are committed to learning and growing as attorneys. Their bosses have joked that perhaps they’re destined to become judges like Sean and Shane Leuthold, brothers who currently preside over the Crawford County common pleas and municipal benches.

What they do know is their family roots will continue in Crawford County. Both will share a wedding day and reception with their longtime partners in April, as they begin their work as new attorneys giving back to the community that raised and supported them.

“It’s home for us, and we want to make it even better,” said Mackenzie. “High standards are something we want for our kids and what people think of the legal profession.”