BARRISTER OF THE MONTH: ANNE C. HARVEY ESQ

Anne C. Harvey Anne Harvey, LLC

Dayton is the best place for independent and driven attorneys to grow and shine. Anne Harvey, this month’s Barrister of the Month honoree, is a testament of this.

Anne is a no nonsense, down to earth advocator leading the charge in Dayton’s legal community. She is a Dayton girl, through and through. She attended Miamisburg High School, and attended University of Dayton for undergrad and law school. During law school, she was a part of the Dayton Law Review and she was also a Legal Research and Writing teaching assistant. Anne first wanted to be a doctor when she was young. But when that career choice did not pan out, she choose to go with what was the next best option for her – law school!

After she graduated law school, she went to Texas to work at a large sized law firm as a business litigation associate. Thereafter, she moved back to Dayton where she worked at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base as a Civilian Trial Attorney. Since then she has sat as an Acting Judge in Miamisburg Municipal Court and Montgomery County Assistant Public Defender.

Now Anne owns her own Family Relations Law firm as a solo practitioner, specializing in divorces, custody disputes, father and grandparents’ rights, and other issues relating to families and children. She is also an OSBA Board Certified Specialist in the Field of Family Relations Law. In total, Anne has 29 years of experience as an attorney under her belt – meaning that she has spent more time in her life being a lawyer than not being a lawyer.

If her resume was not impressive enough, Anne also handles appeals cases at times for the Sixth Circuit as an Appointed Attorney under the Criminal Justice Act (CJA). Anne is adamant that lawyers have a greater responsibility to support, represent and uplift communities around them. She believes that the most important role lawyers should take at this time is promoting the affordability in legal services. The truth is – there are too many lawyers in the area and not enough individuals getting the legal services they need. Consequently, she encourages any lawyers who have the ability to give back to do so as often as possible.

Anne believes that COVID-19 has brought a big culture change to the legal community, and will continue to do so throughout the future. For example, according to Anne, COVID has shown that there is no longer a need for big offices and the associated overheard costs. She is hopeful that the adaptability aspect of the virus, and its transformative effect on our lives will provide lawyers with an opportunity to re-assess and revamp their practice moving forward.

For Anne, her role as Public Defender turned out to be the position where she learned the most about the law, due to the fast pace environment and opportunity to learn quickly on her feet. She encourages all new lawyers to consider public interest work while stressing the fact that big-law firm opportunities are not the only way to go after law school. Anne believes it is the responsibility of the legal community to support public interest and young lawyers. She also thinks that the legal practice would be better served if there as mentorship program where new lawyers are tasked with the responsibility of mentoring older lawyer; as opposed to the traditional model for mentoring programs. Anne thinks this would help foster friendship and avoid cynicism for the older lawyers.

Anne’s best advice to young lawyers is to watch out for excessive student loans and to not lose their heart and passion. Likewise, she stresses the importance of self-care for all lawyers of any age. Anne’s own version of self-care includes being active in her church; playing piano; and teaching herself Spanish. She even went to Costa Rica for a month to attend a Spanish language school. She is also a big fan of Thai food.

When asked what she loves most about Dayton, Anne said the biggest thing was the city’s tenacity and strength. Together, the Dayton community has come together time and time again. She also supports the position Dayton took as a sanctuary city, and loves the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.

She has no interest in retiring any time soon but plans to shift her primary focus to custody cases and her appellate work when the time is right.

By Masallay N. Komrabai-Kanu Esq. DBA Editorial Board 2020 DBA Leadership Development Class Sebaly Shillito + Dyer masallaykanu92@gmail.com | 937.226.5613

Notaries Go Remote: Ohio Partners with a Remote Online Notarization Provider

Covid-19 has certainly made its mark on our daily lives, whether personally or professionally. Lawyers have quickly adapted to the world of working from home, remote deposition taking, and even attending hearings via Zoom. Given the need to avoid excess in-person contact during the pandemic, notaries may be happy to hear that Ohio Notary Services has partnered with SIGNiX, a remote online notarization provider.

Virginia was the first state to formally legalize remote online notarization in 2011. Less than ten years later, forty states, including Ohio, have given the green light to remote online notarization. Ohio Notary Services has been asked several times for their recommendation of which service to use. After considering the options and conducting research, Ohio Notary Services announced its partnership with SIGNiX last month. “SIGNiX provides notaries with everything needed to facilitate remote online notarizations in a safe, secure, and cost-effective manner, and we are thrilled to be partnering with them,” said C. Allen Nichols, Executive Director of Ohio Notary Services. “Unlike most other RON [remote online notarization] service providers, SIGNiX doesn’t compete with notaries for business; rather, SIGNiX gives notaries direct access to comprehensive solutions needed to conduct transactions and expand their business opportunities.”

Partnering with SIGNiX means that notaries in Ohio can perform their required duties remotely with confidence. SIGNiX provides notaries with access to technology that will allow them to validate identity credentials, protect documents, and capture video of all participants that will act as irrefutable proof of any attempted fraud. Not only does remote notarization offer the potential for quick turnaround, it also provides a way for notaries to record and prove their authentication process. It is easy to see how this remote service will benefit notaries well-beyond our current state of affairs. In the meantime, please stay safe and healthy.

By Jennifer A. Kirby Esq. DBA Editorial Board Surdyk, Dowd & Turner Co., L.P.A. jkirby@sdtlawyers.com | 513.206.9998