Ohio State Bar Association honors former Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery with Women Lawyers’ Award
Lead Summary
By
Ohio State Bar Association-
Betty Montgomery, former Ohio Attorney General and State Auditor, is the recipient of the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) Women in the Profession Section’s Nettie Cronise Lutes Award.
The OSBA Women in the Profession Section created the Nettie Award to recognize women lawyers who demonstrate a high level of professionalism and open doors for other women and girls.
[[In-content Ad]]
The award commemorates the first woman to practice law in Ohio and was presented to Montgomery at the OSBA Council of Delegates meeting Friday, April 27 by Chair of the award committee Melissa Wilburn and Women in the Profession Section Council member Lindsay Ford Ellis.
“We have many trailblazing women who are qualified to receive this award, but Betty is special,” Wilburn said. “We have been recognizing our mentors this year in the Women in the Profession Section, and Betty has been a mentor to so many of the women who are in the Ohio Bar Association and she has been a mentor to me as well.”
Montgomery has led a long, groundbreaking career in public service. In 1981, she was elected Wood County Prosecutor and served as the only female prosecuting attorney throughout the state until 1989 when she became a State Senator. She went on to become the first female Ohio Attorney General in 1995 and in 2003, became Ohio's first woman Auditor of State.
In each of her roles, Montgomery has served with great integrity and professionalism, modeling for all her predecessors — men and women — how to be successful in the highest political offices. She has also continuously sought to support and advance women in the legal field and public service. Though her elected career ended in 2007, as the chair and a trustee of the Jo Ann Davidson Ohio Leadership Institute and an active member of the Ohio Women's Bar Association (OWBA), Montgomery has worked for many years to break down barriers in hopes of increasing the number of women in elected office at all levels of government and promoting women leaders in the legal profession.
Montgomery has also earned a national reputation for her focus on protecting consumers. As Attorney General, she served as co-chair of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) consumer protection committee for four years, and in 2000, her Consumer Protection Section was recognized as the most outstanding consumer protection agency in the country by the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators.
“I’m privileged to have this honor given to me,” Montgomery said. “It is a rare honor to work with young, aspiring women who want to make something of their lives and to understand that the limits they see for themselves are often limits they set on themselves and that they have far more to offer to their profession than they think they have. It was my privilege to serve the public for these many years and it is my privilege to accept this award.”
Montgomery received her J.D. from the University of Toledo College of Law. She is currently Of Counsel to Mac Murray & Shuster LLP, where she focuses her practice on helping clients understand and meet regulatory compliance obligations.
About the Ohio State Bar Association
The Ohio State Bar Association, founded in 1880, is a voluntary association representing approximately 26,000 members of the bench and bar of Ohio. Through its activities and the activities of its related organizations, the OSBA serves both its members and the public by promoting the highest standards in the practice of law and the administration of justice.
The OSBA Women in the Profession Section created the Nettie Award to recognize women lawyers who demonstrate a high level of professionalism and open doors for other women and girls.
[[In-content Ad]]
The award commemorates the first woman to practice law in Ohio and was presented to Montgomery at the OSBA Council of Delegates meeting Friday, April 27 by Chair of the award committee Melissa Wilburn and Women in the Profession Section Council member Lindsay Ford Ellis.
“We have many trailblazing women who are qualified to receive this award, but Betty is special,” Wilburn said. “We have been recognizing our mentors this year in the Women in the Profession Section, and Betty has been a mentor to so many of the women who are in the Ohio Bar Association and she has been a mentor to me as well.”
Montgomery has led a long, groundbreaking career in public service. In 1981, she was elected Wood County Prosecutor and served as the only female prosecuting attorney throughout the state until 1989 when she became a State Senator. She went on to become the first female Ohio Attorney General in 1995 and in 2003, became Ohio's first woman Auditor of State.
In each of her roles, Montgomery has served with great integrity and professionalism, modeling for all her predecessors — men and women — how to be successful in the highest political offices. She has also continuously sought to support and advance women in the legal field and public service. Though her elected career ended in 2007, as the chair and a trustee of the Jo Ann Davidson Ohio Leadership Institute and an active member of the Ohio Women's Bar Association (OWBA), Montgomery has worked for many years to break down barriers in hopes of increasing the number of women in elected office at all levels of government and promoting women leaders in the legal profession.
Montgomery has also earned a national reputation for her focus on protecting consumers. As Attorney General, she served as co-chair of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) consumer protection committee for four years, and in 2000, her Consumer Protection Section was recognized as the most outstanding consumer protection agency in the country by the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators.
“I’m privileged to have this honor given to me,” Montgomery said. “It is a rare honor to work with young, aspiring women who want to make something of their lives and to understand that the limits they see for themselves are often limits they set on themselves and that they have far more to offer to their profession than they think they have. It was my privilege to serve the public for these many years and it is my privilege to accept this award.”
Montgomery received her J.D. from the University of Toledo College of Law. She is currently Of Counsel to Mac Murray & Shuster LLP, where she focuses her practice on helping clients understand and meet regulatory compliance obligations.
About the Ohio State Bar Association
The Ohio State Bar Association, founded in 1880, is a voluntary association representing approximately 26,000 members of the bench and bar of Ohio. Through its activities and the activities of its related organizations, the OSBA serves both its members and the public by promoting the highest standards in the practice of law and the administration of justice.