Office: Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas
Age: 35
Residence: Cincinnati, OH
Email: pavan@pavanforjudge.com
Website: www.pavanforjudge.com, www.facebook.com/pavanforjudge, www.instagram.com/pavanforjudge
Occupation: Attorney
Education: B.A. Xavier University; J.D. St. Louis University School of Law
Work Experience: Adjunct Professor, UC College of Law (2016-Present); Adjunct Professor, Xavier University (2016-Present); Legislative Counsel & Government Relations Officer, Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati (2015-Present); Judge Advocate, U.S. Army Reserve (2013-Present); Chief Legal Counsel, Ohio Senate Minority Caucus (2011-2015); Staff Attorney/Bailiff, Judge Nadine Allen – Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas (2011); Principal, The Parikh Law Firm, LLC, (2011).
Family: Married
Affiliations: River City Correctional Facility (Facilities Governing Board); American Constitution Society – Cincinnati Lawyers Chapter (Co-Chair); Potter Stewart American Inn of Court (Barrister); ArtsWave – Catalyzing Impact Committee (Member); Xavier University Mentorship Program (Mentor); Cincinnati Bar Association – Veterans & Military Law Committee (Vice-Chair); Truman National Security Project (Partner); Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Southwest Ohio (Board Member); Xavier University State Politics Internship (Co-founder and Advisor); Ohio Center for Law Related Education (Volunteer Competition Judge); Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce C-Change Class 11 (Member); Venue Magazine – Great Leaders Under 40 (Award Recipient); Cincinnati Business Courier Forty Under 40 (Award Recipient)
Endorsements: Hamilton County Democratic Party; Run For Something; AFSCME Ohio Council 8; Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council; Ohio AFL-CIO; Cincinnati Federation of Teachers; Greater Cincinnati Building Trades; Greater Cincinnati UAW-CAP Labor Council; National Association of Social Workers – Ohio Chapter; Sheet Metal Workers PAC; UFCW Local 75; Teamsters Local 100; AAA-Fund Tri State Chapter; Equality Cincinnati Political Action Committee, Sentinel Police Association
Bar Association Ratings:
(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years):
2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
Born and raised in Cincinnati, I have dedicated my life to serving others. A graduate of Princeton High School, Xavier University, and the Saint Louis University School of Law, I chose to pursue a career in public service because I believe it is my duty to give back to my community. As the child of immigrants, I believe in achieving my American Dream and in doing my part to help other do the same. I began my legal career in Cincinnati working at the courthouse under Judge Nadine Allen. My passion for public service also led me to work as a political staffer on issues of voting rights and the judiciary before being appointed the Chief Legal Counsel for the Ohio Senate Minority Caucus. At the statehouse, I was responsible for monitoring and negotiating legislation on issues from criminal justice reform to voting rights, constitutional law, and ethics. However, even in this senior position, my passion to serve was still somewhat unfulfilled and I joined the US Army Reserve as a Judge Advocate days after my 30th birthday. In my role as a Captain and military lawyer, I have been repeatedly selected from special missions including two stretches in Korea advising the command of U.S. Forces Korea and I was selected to serve in an additional duty as a Special Victims Counsel where I represent victims of sexual assault. Currently, I work in-house with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, a $100 billion financial institution. Upon returning to Cincinnati in 2015, I accepted opportunities outside of my daily career to use my vast background in law and policy to help train others. As an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law and at Xavier University, I volunteer my time to mentor and educate the next generation of Cincinnati’s leaders. Teaching courses from political science to legal research and writing to election law, I believe it is my responsibility to guarantee that my students are ready to face the world after graduation. That is how I can repay my debt to my country and help another generation achieve their American Dream. I will take that commitment to preparation and development to the bench.
(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
We need to do better. Like too many of our institutions, our faith in our courts has suffered unnecessary, undeserved, and unfortunate degradation in our recent past. We must be able to ensure greater access to the courts, greater transparency in the courts, and greater empathy from the courts. We need to guarantee that justice in our county is being served in such a way that we maximize safety while minimizing taxpayer expense. In my court we will not waste anyone’s time. We will ensure that court starts on time and that everyone is only there for the amount of time that they need to be there. We will strive to run an efficient courtroom that does not waste the time of police officers, witnesses, prosecutors, defendants, and defense attorneys. In my court we will guarantee transparency. Lawyers who practice before our court will understand why rulings occur and will be able to rectify their concerns in the future. We will find ways to engage the community in justice. Everyone in the county must have faith in our court system and we will engage with community members and leaders to ensure that faith in the justice system has been restored. Finally, in my court we will ensure that empathy is a guiding principle of our criminal justice ethos. In general, few people set out to be outlaws – most people make terrible mistakes trying to survive. Our court will not be hesitant to impose punishment when warranted, but our court will not be lax to impose punishment when also warranted. In our courtroom, nobody will be given punishment or quarter because of their race, religion, sexual identity or orientation, wealth or lack thereof, veterans’ status, or any other characteristic. Justice served will be blind but just. We can do better; we must do better; and we will do better when I am our next judge of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas.