BEYOND EXPECTATIONS

Probate judge celebrates 10 years on bench making a difference in people’s lives

“...I thought I would enjoy being probate judge. And it’s exceeded my wildest expectations.”

Lorain County Probate Judge James T. Walther’s staff celebrated his 10-year anniversary on the bench by presenting him with a black felt letter board bearing the motto he gave the court last year. That motto, “Never look down on anybody unless you are helping them up,” is a touchstone of the approach Walther has brought to the court since taking the bench Feb. 9, 2009. At the time of his election, Walther said he not only was a probate judge, but also presided over domestic relations and juvenile courts. But by September 2009, he was the county’s sole probate judge.

— Lorain County Probate Judge James T. Walther

“Probate is an area of work I’ve done when I was in practice, and I thought I would enjoy being probate judge,” he said. “And it’s exceeded my wildest expectations. “It really is a lot of fun. Every day when I go home, I can say we’ve seen the change in lives that we’ve had for the people that we serve.” Walther gave the example of a family that was in his court Feb. 14 for a guardianship issue. The family, a mother and daughter, had barely spoken to each other for three years and when they were done talking with Walther, he said they both were in tears and hugging. “So, those are the kind of things not on any statistics, as far as your caseload or how much money in your budget you’ve saved or spent,” he said. “But those are the kind of things that really keep me going.” The powers of a probate judge are vast. Walther said in his study

— Lorain County Probate Judge James T. Walther

of the Ohio Revised Code, he found 620 jurisdictions and duties which fall under probate courts. “There’s still one that’s my favorite above all, and that’s adoptions,” he said. “I just love them, they’re the best.” In his decade on the bench, Walther said there are some accomplishments that he is very proud of, including the Veteran’s Treatment Court, the New Journey Court for people with serious mental illness, the Good Deeds program which seeks to help people with estate planning and his recent push to help those who are on his criminal docket to find work. This final program is more informal and takes the form of a recently installed TV monitor just outside of Walther’s courtroom on the sixth-floor of the Lorain County Courthouse which shows a powerpoint presentation collecting the help wanted signs Walther has seen during his travels throughout the county. “That seems to be going well,” he said. “I don’t hear as many excuses when people come up in the court saying they can’t find a job.” Walther also has his eyes on the future. He said there are issues he wants to address with the guardianship program in the county. “Certainly, guardianship is the tail that wags the dog in the probate court,” the judge said. “That’s the one issue that I probably spend the most amount of time on.” But no matter which of his responsibilities he’s working with, Walther said he always is trying to help people up. “(Because) we work with families that are in crisis,” he concluded.

“There’s still one that’s my favorite above all, and that’s adoptions. I just love them, they’re the best.”

KEITH REYNOLDS — THE MORNING JOURNAL Lorain County Probate Judge James T. Walther poses with a black felt letter board his staff gave him to commemorate his 10th year on the bench.