Login | May 03, 2025
Attorney Lynn Maro plans run for county prosecutor
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: May 23, 2024
As a seasoned criminal defense attorney, Lynn Maro said she’s witnessed the strengths and weaknesses of the criminal justice system firsthand and the impact on her clients’ lives and the Mahoning County community.
Now she’s asking voters to give her the chance to help eliminate the shortcomings as the county’s new prosecutor, vowing to reduce procedural inefficiencies and ensure that all victims and defendants get a more even-handed resolution, regardless of their backgrounds.
“I have 33 years of civil and criminal law experience, having dealt with everything from minor traffic offenses to death penalty cases and I believe I will bring a lot to the position,” said Maro, a partner at Maro & Schoenike. “I know what needs to change and I have the training to carry out my plans.
“The current prosecutor has virtually no criminal law experience which makes it difficult for her to identify and correct the issues.”
While Maro has never run for office, she believes her message will resonate with voters as she seeks to unseat incumbent Democrat Gina DeGenova.
She’s been serving in the role since prosecutor Paul Gains retired at the end of November 2022. Initially appointed as acting prosecutor, DeGenova was elected by the Mahoning County Democratic Central Committee to complete the remainder of Gains’ term, ending on Dec. 31, 2024.
Mahoning County Republican Party Chairman Tom McCabe said Maro is a “quality candidate,” who will make a “great” prosecutor.
“Lynn’s reputation in the community, especially in the legal community is one of honesty and hard work.
“She has a message of cleaning up inefficiencies within the system and any perceptions of wrongdoing, which I think will resonate with the voters,” said McCabe.
Sentiments echoed by sole practitioner John Juhasz, who has shared office space with Maro and her husband/law partner Jon Schoenike since 2008.
“I think Lynn will absolutely make a great prosecutor,” said Juhasz. “She is a very good lawyer and has a lot of criminal law experience.
“While Lynn has primarily been on the defense side, it’s important to remember that a lawyer is first and foremost an advocate for his or her client,” said Juhasz, who primarily handles criminal defense cases.
“It requires the same intelligence, energy and passion to prosecute a case as it does to defend one. In fact, I would argue that defense attorneys make better prosecutors because they understand the strategies and arguments employed by defense teams and can simply reverse them and prep their witnesses accordingly.”
The youngest of seven children, Maro grew up in Youngstown and received her bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University where she majored in political science.
She earned her juris doctor from The University of Akron School of Law in December 1990.
Maro started working at Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs as a law clerk, joining the firm as a civil litigation associate after graduating and passing the bar.
She then became an assistant prosecutor in the civil division of the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office.
Before starting Maro & Schoenike with her husband, Maro was a sole practitioner. She focused on civil and criminal litigation.
In addition to continuing her civil litigation work, she is representing clients in labor and employment, medical malpractice, discrimination and personal injury cases.
“I knew I wanted to be an attorney in seventh grade, and that was my focus from that point on,” said Maro. “As the youngest of seven, I think I was always an advocate at heart.
“I see the law as a way to help people and make their lives better,” said Maro. “I’ve handled and tried all levels of criminal cases.”
A longtime member of the Ohio State and Mahoning County bar associations, Maro has served as a Mahoning County Bar Association (MCBA) trustee since 2022 and chaired the organization’s campaign ethics committee from 1999-2023.
She is currently on Youngstown Municipal Court’s Grace Court advisory committee. Grace Court provides assistance to victims of human trafficking.
Maro is also a member of the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, the Youngstown Area Federation of Women’s Clubs and the Mahoning Valley Republican Women’s Club and serves on the MLK Criminal Justice Task Force.
In 2003, she was one of two attorneys presented with the MCBA’s Distinguished Service Award.
Last year she was named MCBA Lawyer of the Year for her overall success in the courtroom and victory in the Ohio Supreme Court case, State v. Ford, a death penalty case that Maro said established a new standard for determining intellectual disability in capital defendants.
In addition, Maro is a 2024 HOPE Foundation of the Mahoning Valley honoree.
Maro said she never thought she would run for office, but decided to do so after being challenged to become part of the solution while having lunch with her husband and Juhasz.
“I was complaining about delayed witness and evidence disclosures in a case,” she said. “My husband pointed out that both John Juhasz and I had been complaining about the same things for the last 25 years. He said one of us should step up to the plate and fix things so he could enjoy a peaceful lunch.
“The next few times we met, we all talked about it,” said Maro. “John Juhasz bowed out because he is hoping to retire soon, so that left me.”
And how does her husband, Jon Schoenike, feel now that she’s thrown her hat into the race?
“I’m very happy about it,” said Schoenike. “I think she will be a great prosecutor, who will make sure people’s rights are protected and rampant crime is adequately addressed.
“I have been with her for nearly every campaign event she’s attended and she is receiving a groundswell of support from Republicans, Democrats, liberals, conservatives and independents.
“I think the residents know that Lynn takes her oath to the Constitution very seriously and will do what it takes to correct the problems that exist.”
Maro’s platform consists of four main points.
First and foremost, ensuring that law enforcement and the prosecutor’s office work together in the preparation and prosecution of criminal cases.
“All too often law enforcement is left out of the loop,” said Maro. “A police officer may not even know the trial date until shortly before he or she is expected to testify.
“As a result, key information may arrive at the prosecutor’s office at the last minute, which delays the defense receiving it, and leads to continuances.
“In this electronic age, it is easy for the prosecutor’s office to set up procedures so that law enforcement can check the status of cases and monitor pre-trial motions.”
Next on her agenda, she said, changing the inconsistent way in which violent felons are prosecuted and sentenced.
Violent felonies need to be more consistently and aggressively prosecuted, said Maro.
“As things are now, a defendant’s sentence often depends upon which courtroom the case is heard in,” she said.
“Each courtroom has a different assistant prosecutor. This leads to inconsistencies in how cases are resolved and what sentencing recommendations are made.
“For example, manslaughter plea deals can result in sentences ranging from six to 27 years,” she said. “There is no reason for such proportional inconsistencies, even when you consider that every case and defendant present unique circumstances.
“I would like to set up a database so that we can monitor plea bargains and verdicts in similar types of cases to bring more uniformity to the sentencing recommendations.”
Maro is also calling for the more efficient use of grand jury resources.
“In Mahoning County, grand juries rarely hear directly from witnesses,” she said. “Instead detectives or officers testify as to what their investigation revealed. This makes it impossible for the grand jury to determine the credibility of a witness prior to deciding whether to indict.
“This can backfire when the trial starts and the prosecution is left with a witness who is not credible or backs out at the last minute.”
Another problem, she said, drug cases are often presented to the grand jury before the laboratory results are received.
“A more efficient process in most cases would be to present the case to the grand jury after the lab results are returned,” said Maro.
Finally, Maro said there must be a greater focus on training and professionalism.
“I’ve heard complaints about the unprofessional fashion in which an assistant prosecutor conducts himself or herself,” said Maro.
“Preparation is another area where some prosecutors fall short, especially with regard to death penalty cases,” Maro said.
“When an indictment is issued seeking the death penalty, the prosecutor’s office needs to know the major cases and studies on the death penalty and be prepared to take the case to trial. This has not been happening.”
In the end, Maro said her goal is simple: “When people walk out of the courtroom, everyone should have confidence in the outcome. This can only occur when everyone does their job, following the rules.”