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Judge Jennifer Towell discusses plans to enhance services
Former Akron Municipal Court Magistrate Jennifer Towell took the Summit County Common Pleas Court bench on Dec. 8, 2022, after winning the election to fill the remainder of former Judge Amy Corrigall Jones' term. Judge Towell was sworn in by Administrative Judge Joy Malek Oldfield. She is pictured here at the swearing-in ceremony with Judge Oldfield, surrounded by her family, including her son Joseph, husband Thomas J., daughter Lucille and her son Thomas H. (Photo courtesy of Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Jennifer Towell).
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: February 24, 2023
When former Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Amy Corrigall Jones stepped down from the bench last August to explore other opportunities, Akron Municipal Court Magistrate Jennifer Towell had no idea how much it would change her life.
But that’s exactly what has happened.
Less than a week after Corrigall Jones left the court on Aug. 5, Towell was nominated by the Summit County Democratic Central Committee to run for the unexpired term, which ends on Dec. 31, 2024.
“I had 90 days to campaign, so I suddenly found myself balancing my role as magistrate and running a campaign for the first time at the same time,” said Judge Towell, who took the Summit County Common Pleas Court bench on Dec. 8, 2022.
“It’s been great,” said Judge Towell. “Unlike my municipal court experience, which was primarily evictions and small claims, my docket now consists of felonies and misdemeanor crimes and I absolutely love the challenge.
“I’m spending this year working on moving through my docket of civil and criminal cases,” said Judge Towell. “I’ve assembled a great team of people and I’m laying the foundation for the rest of my term.
“Prior to being sworn in I sat in on a number of courtrooms to observe the styles of the other judges, which was very helpful. I am drawing upon those experiences to develop my own courtroom management system.”
Summit County Common Pleas Court Administrative Judge Joy Malek Oldfield, who swore Judge Towell in said she’s “thrilled” to have her on the bench.
“I’ve known Judge Towell for years,” said Judge Oldfield. “She is a hard-working, intelligent and courageous leader.
“When she commits to anything, she gives 200% of her effort. She is innovative and really examines the systems in which she works to see if there are improvements to be made. She’s already made suggestions for our court.”
A former lieutenant in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps, Judge Towell was born in Alliance, Nebraska.
She received her bachelor’s degree in English secondary education from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and her juris doctorate from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
It was at the beginning of her third year in law school that Judge Towell was sworn in as a Navy JAG Corps officer.
After earning her juris doctorate in 2000, she underwent a variety of training, including JAG School in Newport, Rhode Island and aboard the USS Laboon (DDG 58) in Norfolk, Virginia, before arriving at her duty station at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington D.C.
Judge Towell served as a Naval Legal Service officer from 2001-2004.
She received several awards for her service, including the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
While stationed in Washington, D.C. she also met her husband Thomas J. Towell, co-owner of Dave Towell Cadillac in Akron.
Upon completing her placement in D.C., she moved to Akron and started as an associate at Brouse McDowell.
From 2007 to 2011, she worked for LexisNexis, first as an e-discovery consultant and later as director of e-discovery affairs.
After taking time off to raise her children, she was hired as a visiting magistrate at Akron Municipal Court in August 2019.
In late December of that year, she was promoted to small claims magistrate.
It was a part-time assignment, with Judge Towell splitting her time on the bench with Magistrate Kani H. Hightower, now a Summit County Domestic Relations Court judge.
Akron Municipal Court Administrative/Presiding Judge David Hamilton said Judge Towell was “a terrific employee, who was highly motivated and dedicated to the litigants in our court.
“We absolutely miss her, but it’s a great opportunity,” said Judge Hamilton. “I know she’ll make a great judge.”
Judge Towell said her time on the bench at Akron Municipal Court helped her establish a good judicial temperament and become adept at handling a high volume of cases.
In her new role, she is learning how to manage her own staff and an extensive civil and criminal docket.
Prior to taking the bench, Judge Towell met with local civil and criminal attorneys to get insight into existing procedures that they believe work well and suggestions for improvement.
At Summit County Common Pleas Court, Judge Towell has adopted a hybrid format, handling a large number of her cases in person, but also allowing for some of the participating parties to appear remotely as needed.
“I hear pleas, sentencings and final pretrials in criminal cases in person,” said Judge Towell. “Trials are also conducted in person.
“I have hybrid call days on Mondays where I handle status updates, arraignments, and all of the inmate hearings during our jail time, which is 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
“I also hold civil pretrials in person, but if an attorney would like to participate by Zoom, we will also accommodate that.”
A member of the Akron and Ohio State bar associations, Judge Towell was a member of the 2021-2022 Ohio State Bar Foundation Fellows Class.
The mother of three is very active in the community, starting the Akron chapter of Buddy Up Tennis in 2014, a national program, which offers adaptive tennis and fitness programs to children and young adults with Down syndrome.
She continues to serve as the Akron area coordinator for the nonprofit.
“This commitment is extremely important to me because my son Joey has Down syndrome and I am proud to be an active advocate for the disability community,” said Judge Towell.
In 2016, Judge Towell received the Northeast Ohio Tennis Association Community Service Award for her work with Buddy Up Tennis.
She is currently on the parent advisory board of St. Hilary School in Fairlawn and served on the board of Victory Gallop for two terms.
She has also been on the board of United Disability Services in Akron and is a past member of the Junior League of Akron, where she was given the President’s Award in 2009.
In 2013, Judge Towell received a Greater Akron Chamber 30 for the Future Award.
Last year, the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio presented her with its Women of Distinction Award.
Judge Towell is planning to run for a full six-term on the Summit County Common Pleas Court bench in November 2024.
But right now she is focused on making the most of her current term.
At the top of her agenda, starting a developmental disability diversion program for those with developmental disabilities who run afoul of the law.
“I worked with Judge Ron Cable at the municipal court to help create the Connect diversion program, which primarily assists individuals with a developmental disability who are receiving services (or are eligible to receive services) from a Developmental Disabilities board,” said Judge Towell, who continues to serve on the Connect advisory board.
“I would like us to start something similar here for those charged with felonies.”
She’s also hoping to begin a program designed to help court employees, including attorneys, judges and other staff cope with the secondary trauma that can result from the day-to-day work that often encompasses hearing testimony or seeing photos of violent crimes.
“I would like to offer some type of counseling or a forum to discuss the issues and develop some coping strategies for employees to help prevent burnout as well as to provide some healing and tools for working through the stress experienced on the job,” said Judge Towell.
“I know that when I was in the military it was very hard to leave some of those experiences at work and not carry them home.”