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2025 OPAA Annual Meeting
Hilton Columbus at Easton
December 4th and 5th, 2025
Click here for a downloadable agenda and registration.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4th
Criminal Track
8:00 - 9:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 From Evidence to Influence: How to Connect with Jurors
This program explores how jurors think, decide, and are persuaded — with a special focus on the most powerful tactic: storytelling. You’ll learn how narratives shape juror perceptions, what makes stories compelling, and how to craft narratives for trial that resonate with and convince jurors.
Nick Polavin, PhD
Co-Founder & Senior Jury Consultant and
Jennifer Cuculich, J.D., M.A. | Co-Founder & Senior Jury Consultant Both with JuryConnect
10:00 - 10:15 Break
10:15 – 11:15 The Art and Science of Jury Selection
This session dives into proven strategies for effective jury selection. Participants will learn how to develop reliable juror profiles, craft voir dire questions to uncover bias, and maximize cause challenges against unfavorable jurors. This program also covers how to preview case themes during voir dire, recognize psychological and leadership traits in prospective jurors, and utilize social media to uncover valuable background information.
Nick Polavin, PhD
Co-Founder & Senior Jury Consultant and
Jennifer Cuculich, J.D., M.A. | Co-Founder & Senior Jury Consultant Both with JuryConnect
11:15 – 12:15 Jury Challenges
This 60-minute presentation will take a look at the case law since 2000 related to the standard for challenges for cause for juror bias under R.C. 2945.25(B) and Crim.R. 24(C)(9). The law of peremptory challenges will also be addressed, with a focus on the three-step process required under Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986), when a party claims that the opposing party is exercising a peremptory challenge based on race or gender.
Steven Taylor, Legal Research and Staff Counsel
Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association
12:15 – 1:45 Awards Luncheon
1:45 – 2:45 Benefits of a Medical Exam for Children with Suspected Sexual Abuse and Court Proceedings
During this one hour session prosecutors will learn from a Child Abuse Pediatrician about what a child abuse medical exam involves to better understand how this can not only be a benefit for the multidisciplinary team in investigations and promoting positive case outcomes, but also for the overall child’s health, well-being, and their family’s education. Not only with this session discuss the benefits, but it will also discuss how prosecutors working with multidisciplinary teams and medical providers can leverage the expertise of medical providers for case preparation, jury education, and testimony.
Dr. Kristin Crichton, Child Abuse Pediatrician
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Columbus, Ohio
2:45 – 3:00 Break
3:00 – 4:00 As Problematic as “Stranger Danger”: How Ohio’s Sexting Laws Can Further Harm Children
With rising incidents of online enticement, sextortion, and cyberbullying—some resulting in tragic outcomes—exposure to exploitation is less a question of “if” and more “when” for children. This presentation examines Ohio’s current legal landscape for sexting involving minors and the risks faced by those victimized.
Sayje Brown, Assistant Prosecutor
Franklin County and
Jennifer Sherfield, MSW
Department of Homeland Security
4:00 – 5:00 How Child Advocacy Center Case Review Can Benefit Prosecution Cases
This prosecutor led presentation will overview the process of a child advocacy center case review to inform prosecutors on how they can best engage in case review, what they get out of it, and how case review helps to support positive case outcomes for children and families. This includes positive prosecution outcomes and will overview prosecution success rates in Muskingum County as an example of effective case collaboration in communities with a child advocacy center and multidisciplinary team case review.
Michael T. Hughes, Assistant Prosecutor
Muskingum County
5:00 – 7:00 Reception
Civil Track
8:00 - 9:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 Construction Law Updates Regarding House Bill 96 and Attorney General Opinions on Cooperative Purchasing
This informative session focuses on the latest updates to construction law for public owners and their advisors in Ohio. With key provisions of House Bill 96 that took effect on September 30, this session will provide essential insights into how these changes impact procurement, project delivery, and compliance. We’ll also explore recent Attorney General opinions on cooperative purchasing, offering clarity on legal interpretations and practical implications for public entities.
Brock A. Miskimen, Of Counsel and
Tarik M. Kershah, Partner
Bricker Graydon LLP
10:00 – 10:15 Break
10:15 – 11:15 What’s Going On in the World of County Land Banks?
With large-scale land banking law reform pending in the Ohio General Assembly, as well as changes made to land banking during the last lame duck session, now is as good a time as any to get a bead on county land banks in Ohio. This session will cover, in round-the-horn fashion, the proposed changes pending in the state legislature as well as current challenges and opportunities in the world of county land banks’ operations. Topics to be explored include basic governance (including virtual meetings), land bank powers, property acquisition and financing strategies (including receivership), and related concerns and benefits for county prosecutors to consider when working with their land banks.
Jeffry D. Harris, Partner
Bricker Graydon LLP
11:15 – 12:15 Working with Your Land Bank on Tax Foreclosures and Nuisance Abatement
Prosecutors can work hand in hand with local land banks looking to acquire problem properties and return them to productive use. This session provides a comprehensive overview of how to leverage tax foreclosure and nuisance litigation to achieve redevelopment. This session will feature expedited (BOR) foreclosure processes, injunctive relief, and other ways to shut down drug houses and health nuisances while collecting back taxes. Attendees will explore the steps involved, key legal considerations, and the role of land banks in leveraging these processes for community revitalization. The session will also highlight the distinctions between expedited Board of Revision (BOR) foreclosures and full judicial foreclosures, explaining when and why each process may be used.
Chip McConville, Prosecutor
Knox County Ohio
12:15 – 1:45 Awards Luncheon
1:45 – 2:45 Managing Cybersecurity Risk of Third Parties
In today’s world, we are seeing regular security incidents and data breaches that are impacting the critical services that state, county, and local governments provide to constituents. Because governments use third party providers to support service delivery, it is important for teams to ensure the risks of doing business with third parties are identified and mitigated appropriately. This session will discuss the trends, impacts, and methods of mitigation including compliance with industry recognized cybersecurity standards, laws and regulations, and appropriate contractual language to hold third parties accountable when an incident occurs.
Jon Banks, Enterprise Information Security Manager
Office of Information Security and Privacy and
Daren Arnold, Cybersecurity & Privacy Counsel
Office of Information Security and Privacy
Both with the Ohio Department of Administrative Services
2:45 – 3:00 Break
3:00 – 4:00 Understanding the FLSA and Investigation Process
In October 2024, the Department of Labor issued a press release indicating that it had recovered over $1 billion dollars in wages and damages for over 615,000 employees from during a three-year period beginning January 1, 2021. Additionally, for years there have been discussions regarding modifications to the FLSA. Because of the potential liability for violations of the FLSA, and uncertainty regarding the potential implications of newly enacted regulations, it is imperative that public employers recognize both the importance of adhering to the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and responding appropriately during an audit by the Department of Labor. This presentation will provide a general overview of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the current status of the new regulations and penalties and information regarding how to thrive during an FLSA audit.
Benjamin Albrecht, Partner
Fishel, Downey, Albrecht, and Riepenhoff, LLP
New Albany
4:00 – 5:00 “On the Road Again:” A Refresher on Issues Related to Roads
The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview and refresher regarding the obligations and responsibilities related to the creation, maintenance, and repair of various roadways. More specifically, discussion will be held on topics ranging from road creation, maintenance, repair, and abandonment. Additionally, this presentation will discuss matters related to a Township’s obligations set forth Chapter 5575 of the Ohio Revised Code. Finally, discussion will be provided regarding potential liability related to the use of roadways, as well as other road disputes.
Benjamin Albrecht, Partner
Fishel, Downey, Albrecht, and Riepenhoff, LLP
New Albany
5:00 – 7:00 Reception
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5th
Combined Session
8:00 - 9:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 10:30 Ethics and A/I
This session will explore how AI is reshaping legal workflows, the ethical implications under Ohio’s ethics rules, and real-world case studies of AI missteps. Mr. Weber will also cover risk management strategies and due diligence considerations for responsible AI use, along with an update on some recent developments in Ohio’s ethics space.
Chris Weber, Director and Chair
Professional Responsibility Practice
Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter Columbus
10:30 – 10:45 Break
10:45 – 11:45 An Update of Recent Professional Responsibility Issues Nationwide
Working through Ohio’s Rules of Professional Conduct; this presentation will provide updates on hot topics in the world of legal ethics in Ohio including advocate responsibilities, the client-lawyer relationship, and maintaining the integrity of the profession. We’ll look at social media use as well as the competing interests of defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges that exist in our profession. We will also discuss future issues in legal ethics based upon the changing landscape of trial work, and what we should expect from the American Bar Association in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Charles H. Rose III
Dean and Professor of Law
Ohio Northern Claude W. Pettit College of Law
11:45 – 1:15 Lunch and Business Meeting
Criminal
1:15 – 2:15 Doctor Defendants: Partnering with the Medical Board & Sex Offenses under SB109
Medical sexual assault cases can present significant challenges to prosecution. Since 2021 the State Medical Board of Ohio has enacted changes and improvements in response to Governor DeWine’s Working Group on Reviewing of the Medical Board’s Handling of the Investigation Involving Richard Strauss including the creation of the nation’s first medical board sexual misconduct unit and, most recently, the passage of SB109 expanding sex offenses to reach the conduct of licensed medical professionals. This session will cover what the medical board is, who it licenses, the legislative changes pursuant to SB109, and how the medical board can partner with law enforcement and prosecutors to hold doctors and medical professionals accountable.
Rachel C. Laing, Sexual Misconduct Unit Chief
Brandon Puckett, Chief Enforcement Officer
Both with the State Medical Board of Ohio
2:15 – 2:30 Break
2:30 - 3:30 Deciphering Institutional Summaries
Institutional Summary Reports (ISR) are used to communicate information about an incarcerated person’s time with ODRC. But what does all that information mean? This presentation will help break down ODRC’s institutional summary report to give you knowledge of the how and why of what is recorded in the report. This presentation will help prosecutors decide when to request an institutional summary, what DRC documents and what they don't, and how to read summaries both for parole situations and judicial release hearings.
Erica Bradley, South Unit Management Administrator and
Michell Dunkle, North Unit Management Administrator
Both with Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Office of Reentry
Civil Track
1:15 – 2:15 21st Century Fraud: A Dive into Modern Day Real Estate Scams
Prosecutors are continuously realizing real estate fraud issues while representing their County Auditors including title insurance fraud, wire fraud, and other forms of fraud and deceit. In this class, we will delve into the 5 current causes of fraud in the real estate ecosphere.
Matt Teliak, Director
Northwest Title
2:15 – 2:30 Break
2:30 – 3:30 Cybersecurity Requirements for Local Governments Under HB 96 (ORC 9.64)
The Ohio Legislature created new cybersecurity requirements for local governments in the recently passed Am. Sub. House Bill 96. Under the new law, local governments must adopt a cybersecurity program that safeguards their data, information technology, and information technology resources to ensure availability, confidentiality, and integrity. While the legislature removed funding provisions from the final bill to assist local governments in transitioning to these new standards, CyberOhio and the State of Ohio are ready with several capabilities to assist them with adhering to these new requirements. This program shall be consistent with generally accepted practices for cybersecurity, such as the NIST CSF and CIS.
Kirk M. Herath, Cybersecurity Strategic Advisor
Office of Governor Mike DeWine and Chair, CyberOhio
We have been approved for 10.5 total CLE hours which includes 8.0 general hours and 2.5 professional conduct hours from the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Continuing Legal Education.
The registration fees for OPAA member counties are $425.00 for both days, and $250.00 if you attend one day only. This covers all handout materials, continental breakfasts, breaks, and lunches for PAs and APAs on both days, and the Thursday evening reception for both registrant and guest. Registration fees for non-members are $850.00 for two days and $500.00 for one day. Please send registration to OPAA (mail, fax, email) so that they arrive no later than Monday, November 24th. The cancellation of registrations made after Monday, November 24th will be assessed a penalty of $200.00 if attending both days, and $125.00 if attending one day only. This is necessary to help defray the cost of food guarantees which must be made by that time.
Room rates at the Hilton Columbus at Easton are $207.00 for single and double occupancy, plus taxes (King Standard and Queen/Queen Standard). THE CUTOFF DATE FOR OUR GUEST ROOM BLOCK IS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH. Reservations can be made by calling 614-414-5000 and providing group code 927 or online via https://tinyurl.com/yc6fad39 First night room and tax, fully refundable, deposit is required with each reservation. Guest check in time is 4:00 PM and guest check out time is 12:00 PM. Individuals canceling reservations must do so by 4:00 PM 24 hours prior to your scheduled arrival date or it will result in the charge of the first night’s room and tax to the individual’s credit card. Room upgrade to a Standard Easton View guest room is available at $25.00 per room, per night. Early departure fee of $100 to any guest who checks out of the hotel before their stated departure date. Guests will have the opportunity to change their departure date at check-in without being assessed a fee. Any changes resulting in early departure after checking in will result in the Early Departure Fee of $100. Requests for late checkouts should be directed through the front office. Late checkouts are handled on a case-by-case basis and subject to availability and prevailing room rates.
Complimentary self-parking to all OPAA event attendees. Valet parking is available for $25 per car per day.
To avoid paying tax, accommodation must be paid for with either an office check or office credit card. Personal payment, even though it will be reimbursed by the office, is not tax exempt by state law. You may mail you tax exemption form to Hilton Columbus at Easton, 3900 Chagrin Drive, Columbus, OH 43219 or fax your form to their Sales Fax number (614) 416-8444.
Our contract with the hotel specifies that all attendees at this meeting will pay the negotiated room rate. It violates the spirit of our agreement for attendees at this meeting to reserve a room at a lower government rate.
NOTE: If any registrant, or guest, has special dietary needs, please contact Diana at 614-221-1266 or diana@ohiopa.org by Monday, November 24th, so that advance arrangements can be made with the venue. OPAA will accommodate requests as long as they can be supplied by the venue without additional cost. Any additional cost must be borne by the registrant, and they will be notified in advance.
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