Office: Lucas County – Lucas County Court of Common Pleas –
General Division
Age: 41
Residence: Toledo, OH
Email: joemcnamara@gmail.com
Website: www.mcnamaraforjudge.com; Facebook
@McNamaraforJudge
Occupation: Assistant Law Director, City of Toledo
Education: J.D. New York University, School of Law
Work Experience: Attorney since 2003
Family: Married, 3 dogs (Honey, Bit and Walter), Licensed Foster
Parent
Affiliations: Member of Christ the King Catholic Church
Endorsements: Lucas County Democratic Party, Northwest Ohio
Building Trades Council, Toledo Firefighters Local 92, Sheet Metal
Workers Local 33, Ironworkers Local 55
Bar Association Ratings: N/A
(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years):
First-time judicial candidate.
(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a
judge?
Voting is one of our most precious rights. Preventing people from
becoming disenfranchised is perhaps one of my greatest legal
accomplishments. In 2004, I was part of a legal team that brought a
federal lawsuit against Ohio election officials for failing to follow the
Help America Vote Act. This litigation successfully protected the right
to vote in Ohio and was an-eye opening experience for me as to why we
need judges who understand the importance of the right to vote and
will uphold the law. I am a life-long member of this community and care
very much about its future.
While I have experience in the private sector, I find myself continually
drawn to public service. In addition to serving on many boards over the
years, I served on Toledo City Council from 2006 to 2013 and was
twice elected President, while maintaining a private law practice. This
local legislative experience gives me an excellent perspective in
interpreting laws. On Council, I drafted or helped pass many pieces of
legislation including the Energy Special Improvement District
ordinance, the anti-human trafficking ordinance, and an ordinance to
decrease the cost of public records requests. As Council President, I
maintained order and decorum over a legislative body. I facilitated an
environment where everyone was heard, debate was civil and decisions
were made. My legal practice has included a diverse array of clients and
matters. I have represented clients in both civil and criminal cases. I
have experienced large law-firm life and a solo practice.
Currently I work as an Assistant Law Director for the City of Toledo and
represent the City in various courts including Lucas County Common
Pleas, the United States District Court for the Northern District of
Ohio and the Ohio Supreme Court. I have litigated multi-million dollar
disputes as well as matters in small claims. No matter the issue, every
case is important to those individuals who come before the court and
they deserve to have their matters heard by an impartial judge. My
experience has taught me to listen, apply the law fairly and treat
everyone with dignity and respect. I view this opportunity as a
continuance of my service to the community and an exercise of my
passion for the law.
(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
Simply put, this seat has a critical and far-reaching impact on
implementing justice and maintaining public safety in our community. I
have a passion for the law. One of the greatest draws for me to become
a lawyer is the intellectual challenge. I love working on difficult legal
problems and finding the correct legal conclusion. A large part of the
challenge is to find the right words to communicate the conclusion as
simply and clearly as possible. I especially enjoy legal issues involving
the Rules of Evidence.
The Lucas County Court of Common Pleas is a trial court of general
jurisdiction. This means that the legal issues before the court are
diverse and interesting. The court, however, also takes testimony from
witnesses. The taking of testimony requires a judge to know the Rules
of Evidence very well and quickly make decisions to ensure that that
the law is being followed correctly and faithfully. I know that this seat is
intellectually challenging and am excited to do the work that is so
crucial to creating a fair and impartial judiciary.