Capital University Law School Honors Alumni for Their Service to the Legal Profession and Law School

May 2, 2008

Four outstanding Capital University Law School alumni were honored at the Law Alumni Association’s Annual Alumni Awards Lunch on May 2, 2008 at the Hyatt on Capitol Square. Robert J. Weiler, chairman of The Robert Weiler Company, David E. Freel, executive director of the Ohio Ethics Commission, Jennifer A. Adair, assistant attorney general for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, and the Honorable Matthew W. McFarland, judge for the Ohio 4th District Court of Appeals, were this year’s honorees. The awards lunch is part of the Law School’s annual alumni weekend being held May 2-3.

Robert J. Weiler, successful Realtor and chairman of The Robert Weiler Company, is the recipient of the Josiah H. Blackmore II Dean’s Award, recognizing outstanding service to Capital University Law School and the Dean’s Office.Over the years, he has undertaken many leadership roles within the Law School and university communities. He has been a member of the adjunct faculty since his Law School graduation in 1983, teaching Real Estate Finance. He served on Capital University’s Board of Trustees, which he chaired from 2000-2004. He currently serves as a member of the Law School’s Board of Counselors, an advisory board to the dean. In 1983, Weiler and his wife, Missy, became two of the founding members of The Dean’s Council, which recognizes individuals’ exceptional generosity to the continued vitality and growth of the Law School. In the years that followed, the Weilers established two student scholarship funds. Weiler chaired the building campaign that enabled the Law School to move to its home at 303 E. Broad Street, and the Weilers provided the lead gift from an alumnus. Most recently, they have established a supporting fund of The Blackmore Chair in Legal Education. Weiler’s commitment to give back extends to the Central Ohio community as well, where he has been a member of many organizations, including the YMCA, COSI, COTA and the Columbus Urban League.

Executive Director of the Ohio Ethics Commission, David E. Freel will be honored as this year’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. The award recognizes alumni for their significant achievements in the legal field and notable contributions to the profession, community and Law School. Freel, a 1977 graduate of the Law School, is internationally recognized for his contributions to the field of ethics. In September 2007, the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL), an international organization of ethics agencies and professionals, awarded Freel its highest honor, the COGEL Award, recognizing him for his command of governmental ethics, his commitment to excellence, and extensive support to ethics colleagues and the public throughout the United States and Canada. Freel has been the executive director of the Ohio Ethics Commission since 1994, where he supervises a staff of 23 and oversees the day-to-day responsibilities of the Commission. He has written articles on Ohio’s ethics law and given ethics presentations at seminars and conferences throughout the United States and Canada. He is a past president of COGEL and was honored with the COGEL Outstanding Service Award in 2002. He has served on the Governor’s Council on Juvenile Justice, is a past president and board member of Maryhaven, Inc., and a past president and board member of Youth Advocate Services.

The Alumni Outstanding Service Award is given to an alumnus who has performed significant voluntary service to the community and or Law School. This year’s recipient is Jennifer A. Adair, assistant attorney general for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Adair is a teen court hearing officer for the Franklin County Juvenile Court and also serves as a mock trial coach at Centennial High School. An involved member of the Columbus Bar Association, Adair is an instructor for the CBA’s Summer Leadership Intern Program, co-chairs the Minorities in the Law Committee, and has helped organize the Minority Clerkship Program. As a member of the John Mercer Langston Bar Association, Adair helped plan the Conference for Aspiring African American Attorneys and chairs the Barrister Salute Committee. Adair serves on the Law Alumni Association Board, as a mentor to current Law School students through the Women’s Law Association, and also is a judge for the Moot Court Board and the National Moot Court Competition in Adoption and Child Welfare Law. In 2006, Adair was honored with the Moot Court Board Alumni Award for her extensive service to Capital’s Moot Court Program. She is a 2005 graduate of the Law School.

The Honorable Matthew W. McFarland, judge for the Ohio 4th District Court of Appeals,will be honored with the Young Alumnus of the Year Award. Judge McFarland was first elected to the court in 2004 at the age of 37, and presently, he is the youngest of Ohio’s 68 appellate judges. McFarland has twice been selected by Chief Justice Moyer to serve as a visiting judge on the Supreme Court of Ohio and he also has served as a visiting judge on the 10th District Court of Appeals. He is a former magistrate for the Scioto County Probate Juvenile Court; he served as special counsel to former Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery; and he was an assistant county prosecutor for Licking and Scioto counties. For eight years, he was an adjunct professor in the Adult Degree Program at Capital University and he currently serves as an adjunct professor in the Paralegal Program at Shawnee State University. An Eagle Scout, McFarland served as the volunteer chairman of the Tecumseh District/Simon Kenton Council for the Boy Scouts of America. For the past six years, he has been a youth basketball and baseball coach. McFarland is a recipient of the 2005 Ohio State Bar Foundation Community Service Award for attorneys 40 and under. He is a 1992 graduate of the Law School and a 1989 graduate of Capital University.

Previous award recipients include:

2007

J. Miles Gibson, L'78: Josiah H. Blackmore, II Dean's Award
Jennifer L. Brunner, L'83: Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award
Thomas J. Bonasera, L'75: Alumni Outstanding Service Award
Jessica A. Mager, L'01: Young Alumnus of the Year Award

2006

Josiah H. Blackmore II, H’86, H’98: Josiah H. Blackmore II Dean’s Award
The Hon. Michael H. Watson, L’87, H’05: Distinguished Alumnus of the Year
Terri T. Botsko, L’91: Alumni Outstanding Service Award
Michele L. Noble, L’00: Young Alumnus of the Year

Prior to 2006, the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award had honored numerous recipients, including:

Heather G. Sowald, '79 (2005)
Robert J. Weiler, L'83, H'05 (1995)
Deborah D. Pryce, L'76, H'94 (1994)
Dr. Charles M. Hogan, L'39 (1993)
William E. Knepper, L'32, H'95 (1992)
Hon. John M. McCormac, L'61, H'86 (1991)
Sanford Shkolnik, L'65 (1990)
Joyce Howell Danford, L'63 (1989)
George J. Arnold, L'70 (1986)
David D. White, L'31 (1986)