Office: Summit County – Summit County Common Pleas Court
Age: 38
Residence: Akron, OH
Email: judgelanzinger@gmail.com
Website: Keepjudgejill.com; Facebook: @KeepJudgeJill;
Twitter: @JudgeJill
Occupation: Judge of the Summit County Common Pleas Court
Education: J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law, cum laude,
Law Review. B.A. from Heidelberg University in Psychology and
Political Science, cum laude
Work Experience: Judge since February 2015. Prior to 2015, Attorney
and Magistrate ((May 2005 to February 2015)
Family: Married to Dr. William Lanzinger with three children. One child
has high functioning autism.
Affiliations: Akron Bar Foundation Fellow, Lifetime member of the
NAACP, City of Green Opiate Task Force, Vice President of the Portage
Lakes Advisory Council, Board Member of the Portage Lakes Polar
Bear Club. Member of the Ohio Judicial College serving on the
Community Corrections Committee
Endorsements: Akron Beacon Journal
Bar Association Ratings: Good
(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years):
Judge Jill Lanzinger is currently a judge at the Summit County Common
Pleas Court. Judge Jill presides over felony criminal cases including
murder, rape, and robbery. Judge Jill also presides over high dollar civil
matters. Judge Jill has served at the Common Pleas Court since April of
2017 and presently serves as Judge of the Common Pleas Court. Judge
Jill is a member of the Ohio Judicial College and serves on the
Community Corrections Committee. Judge Jill was formerly the judge
of the Barberton Municipal Court.
At the Barberton Municipal Court, Judge Jill founded and presided over
the Barberton Municipal Drug Court. Judge Jill heard misdemeanor
jury trials and civil matters. Judge Jill served as the judge at the
Barberton Municipal Court from February 2015 until April of 2017.
Before becoming a judge in two different courts, Judge Jill was a
substitute magistrate at the Akron Municipal Court. At the Akron
Municipal Court, Judge Jill presided over traffic court and small claims
court. Judge Jill served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Judge
Alison McCarty.
(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a
judge?
Prior to becoming judge, Judge Jill was a trial attorney who advocated
for vulnerable people and abused children. Judge Jill worked at the
Stark County Prosecutor’s Office, handling traffic and criminal matters
involving juvenile offenders. Judge Jill has been a strong advocate for
abused children. She served as Guardian ad Litem in the Summit
County Juvenile Court. Judge Jill is a published writer on the subject of
childhood sexual abuse litigation.
As an advocate, Judge Jill won an appeal at the Ohio Supreme Court
that enhanced the rights of childhood sexual abuse victims in civil
cases. Judge Jill gained notoriety through her advocacy for abused
children in several high-profile cases. Judge Jill advocated for disabled
children who needed services through their school system. Judge Jill
was a member of the Council of Parent Attorney Advocates (COPAA)
and served at an Organization called “Equip For Equality.” Judge Jill’s
son was diagnosed with autism at age two so protecting people with
disabilities was personal to her.
As a private practitioner, Judge Jill acted as counsel in numerous jury
and bench trials at both the federal and state level. Her practice
included research, writing, and appellate work, arguing before the
Ninth District, Tenth District, and Eleventh District Court of Appeals
and the Ohio Supreme Court. Judge Jill was a member of the Ohio Bar,
Illinois Bar and was admitted to practice before the Federal Courts of
the Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Illinois, and
Southern District of Ohio. Judge Jill is a graduate of the Trial Lawyers
College and taught at the Trial Lawyers College as a faculty member.
Judge Jill Lanzinger is married to her husband, Dr. William Lanzinger,
M.D. They have been married for 17 years and reside in Green/Portage
Lakes. Judge Lanzinger is an avid runner who has completed four full
marathons and at least a dozen half marathons. Judge Lanzinger is
active in her community, serving on the boards of two charitable
organizations, the Portage Lakes Advisory Council, the Polar Bear Club
(Polar Bear Jump). Additionally, Judge Lanzinger is a member of the
Portage Lakes Kiwanis, the Magic City Kiwanis, the Green Chamber of
Commerce, Stow Chamber of Commerce, the Cuyahoga Falls Chamber,
and the Green Opiate Task Force. Judge Lanzinger is a member Akron
Bar Association and is an Akron Bar Foundation Fellow. Judge Jill is a
lifetime member of the NAACP.
(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
As Judge of the Summit County Common Pleas Court, I promote justice
for victims of crime. As Judge, I am in a position to help protect the
people within the jurisdiction. I care about the safety and future of our
community. As a long-time resident of this community and mother of
three children, I’m committed to justice and progress in the Summit
County Common Pleas Court. As judge, my work addressing the heroin
epidemic needs to be continued.
At the Barberton Municipal Court, I founded and presided over the
Barberton Municipal Drug Court. We must combat the heroin epidemic
together as a community. I partnered with leaders in the community to
establish a drug court. As a Common Pleas Court Judge, I help people
get access to treatment. As judge, I promote the use of technology in
the court. The use of technology saves the taxpayers and parties money
and time.
As judge, I have implemented the use of Skype and Facetime for court
proceedings. I’m advocating for a paperless environment and e-filing.
Innovative use of technology is essential to the administration of
justice. As your judge, I will continue to use my experience and
knowledge to move the Summit County Common Pleas Court forward.
I will continue to work hard and make improvements to the Court that
will benefit our community. Additionally, I will continue to protect our
community from predators.