Zanesville attorney Jan Allen Baughman begins term as Ohio State Bar Association President

On July 1, attorney Jan Allen Baughman began her term as 2026-27 president of the Ohio State Bar Association. Baughman has served on the Ohio Bar’s Board of Governors since 2019, most recently in the office of president-elect from 2025-26, leading into her term as president. 

“I am honored to serve the lawyers of Ohio as president of the Ohio State Bar Association for the coming year,” Baughman said. “The bar is an essential organization for legal professionals across the state. From my experience, those practicing in communities and businesses like mine benefit immensely from the resources and connections the bar provides. I look forward to continuing our important work to strengthen the profession and expand access to legal services in communities throughout Ohio.”

As president, Baughman will be focused on continuing the bar’s work to address Ohio’s attorney shortage in rural communities and provide support to legal practitioners to help them better serve the public as they navigate rapid changes in the legal profession, particularly in the era of artificial intelligence.

Baughman is the managing partner of Allen & Baughman, Attorneys at Law, a general practice out of Zanesville that she founded with her father, attorney John Allen, and which provides legal services in the areas of estate planning, probate, business, real estate, banking, landlord/tenant, municipal law and more. She is also owner of ABC Title Agency. In addition to private practice, Baughman has spent decades serving local communities. She has served as prosecutor for the Village of New Lexington and as solicitor for the villages of Crooksville and Philo. 

Baughman has a strong history of involvement with the Ohio Bar, having been a member since she was admitted to practice. She has served on the Council of Delegates, the bar’s policy-making body. In 2019, she was elected by her peers to serve on the Ohio Bar Board of Governors as the representative for District 9, which includes Coshocton, Fairfield, Knox, Licking, Muskingum and Perry counties. Baughman later served as an at-large member of the board before becoming president-elect.

In her community, Baughman has held several leadership roles in and served as president of both the Muskingum and Perry county bar associations. She has also served as president of the board of directors for House of Samuel, a nonprofit foster and adoption services agency. 

Baughman earned her undergraduate degree from Ohio University and her law degree from Capital University Law School. She resides in Roseville with her husband Chris, where they raised their two adult children. 

Baughman will head the 2026-27 leadership team made up of the association’s Chief Executive Officer Mary Amos Augsburger, Immediate Past-President William Chris (Akron) and President-Elect Vallie Bowman-English (Toledo).  

Founded in 1880, the Ohio Bar is the state’s largest legal network, representing attorneys, judges, legal professionals and law students who are committed to the highest standards in the practice of law. The Ohio Bar proudly serves its members and the public through its continued work to promote justice and advance the legal profession.