ABOUT ME
Judge Elizabeth Ellis
My Background
I grew up on a dairy farm. My father, Dr. Jon Ellis, is a large animal veterinarian and small business owner of Veterinary Associates. At 83, he still practices with my brother, Brett, and his wife Deanna. My mother, Shirley, was an interior designer and active community volunteer. My other brother, Bryan, is a general surgeon in Cincinnati. My grandparents and parents have raised us all to be hard-working and to do our part to make our communities better.
For the past 25 years, I have called Oakwood home. I live there with my husband of 18 years and our two teenage children. When I am not working, I am active in our social and legal communities - I have designed and made ballet costumes for Oakwood Ballet, been a member of the Dayton Ballet Parents Association, volunteered for the Dayton Ballet School, the Dayton Ballet Barre, the Girl Scouts of Southwestern Ohio, and our local PTO. I have been on the scholarship committee for the Shirley R. Ellis Memorial Scholarship since 2013, and I have been a member of FOP Lodge #37 since 2002. I am a member of the Lawyer's Club of Dayton, Dayton Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Association, the Carl D. Kessler Inn of Court, and the Ohio Common Pleas Judges' Association.
A THRIVING CAREER
I graduated from Denison University in 1997 with bachelor degrees in Mass Communications and English Literature and from the University of Dayton School of Law in 2001 with my juris doctorate. While in law school I participated in the school's Law Clinic, representing indigent clients with a variety of legal issues.
After graduation, I worked for Legal Aid of Western Ohio (fka WOLSA) and continued helping those individuals unable to afford legal counsel. In 2002, I was hired at the Greene County Prosecutor's Office where, over the next 18 years, I handled virtually every type of legal issue - from criminal and juvenile law, including appeals, to representing all of the elected leaders and public boards of county and township government. I spent ten years as the Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the Civil Division of the Greene County Prosecutor's Office, not only maintaining my own caseload, but also supervising attorneys and staff in the Civil, Juvenile, Appellate, and Child Protective Services Divisions. The achievement of which I am the most proud during my time in Greene County is providing legal advice and assistance to the Greene County Public Library as they implemented Ohio's pilot program of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. This literacy program is now in all 88 Ohio counties and serves 60% of Ohio's eligible children. This is important because there is a direct link between illiteracy and criminal behavior, so this program is working to make the future a brighter place for Ohio's children.
In 2021, I joined the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office as an assistant prosecuting attorney in the Appellate Division. In that capacity, I handled criminal appeals on behalf of the Prosecutor's Office before the Second District Court of Appeals - the same court that now reviews the decisions that I make as a member of the Common Pleas Court bench.
Montgomery County Common Pleas Court
The Experienced Candidate
Montgomery County Common Pleas Court
Montgomery County Common Pleas Court
Montgomery County Common Pleas Court
Montgomery County Common Pleas Court
Since June 2023, I have been a judge of the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, General Division. In that capacity, I have presided over numerous civil and criminal cases - everything from tax foreclosures, personal injury, wrongful death, contract disputes, and medical malpractice to felony criminal cases of every degree. I am diligent in efficiently rendering timely decisions so that all parties feel their case was heard in a fair and timely fashion. This commitment has resulted in one of the lowest outstanding caseload rates on the bench.
I have the complete legal background to continue to serve as a judge on the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court bench. As a lawyer I have represented indigent clients as well as the state of Ohio. I have handled virtually every type of legal matter that an attorney can. I have appeared before courts in Montgomery, Greene, Butler, Clinton, Frankilin, and Fayette Counties, the Second District Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Ohio. I have also represented clients in federal court and the United States Supreme Court.
As a judge, I am knowledgeable, fair, and a firm believer in the rule of law. I treat all litigants who appear before me with dignity and respect. I have the background, experience, and commitment to continue to serve this community as your judge.