Dayton, Ohio – Attorney Thomas P. Whelley II, a partner in the Litigation Department of Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, took office as the Dayton Bar Association’s 95th President on July 1, 2009. Mr. Whelley has been honored as one of the Dayton Business Journal’s “Who’s Who in Law”, named an Ohio Super Lawyer® and is listed as one of The Best Lawyers in America®. His term runs from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010.

Mr. Whelley was sworn in at the DBA's annual meeting on June 5, 2009 along with fellow Board members:

Hon. Mary E. Donovan, First Vice President (Second District Court of Appeals);
D. Jeffrey Ireland, Second Vice President (Faruki Ireland & Cox, PLL);
Jacqueline V. Brown, Secretary (Sebaly Shillito + Dyer, LPA); 
Mag. C. Ralph Wilcoxson, II, Treasurer (Montgomery County Juvenile Court);
Chad E. Burton, Member-at-Large (Thompson Hine, LLP);
Hon. Barbara P. Gorman, Member-at-Large (Montgomery County Common Pleas Court);
Lynn M. Reynolds, Member-at-Large (LexisNexis);
Mark A. Tuss, Member-at-Large (Popp & Tuss);
Christine M. Haaker, Immediate Past President (Thompson Hine, LLP).

Under Mr. Whelley’s leadership, the DBA’s focus will center on how the DBA serves the legal profession and the community at large,  specifically:

• Wills for Heroes, a program in which DBA members provide free wills and other estate planning documents to emergency first responders and their spouse or domestic partner.
  
  
• The Law & Leadership Program in association with the University of Dayton School of Law. UDSL is one of only six Ohio law schools participating in the program to interest minority students in the legal profession. Upcoming 9th graders will be selected to participate in summer programs at UDSL during their high school years and the DBA will help UDSL recruit speakers and arrange site visits to local courtrooms and law firms.
  
  
• The numerous community services offered by the DBA such as Notary Public Certification, Lawyer Referral Service, The Robert N. Farquhar Montgomery County District Mock Trial Competition, online community resources, and continued support of the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project, which the DBA founded in 1988.

The 1500 member Dayton Bar Association, the Association for legal professionals, has been serving the greater Dayton community and legal profession since 1883.

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