The Honorable Mary Margaret Rowlands

Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands graduated from Youngstown State University and received her Juris Doctorate Degree from the University of Akron School of Law. She was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1989. Previously, Judge Rowlands was a partner in the law firm, Whitaker and Rowlands Co., LPA, in Akron. She became the Chief Legal Counsel in the Summit County Fiscal Office in 2005. In her litigation practice, she handled a wide variety of complex civil and criminal matters in both state and federal courts throughout the country.

In 2008, Judge Rowlands was elected to the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. Judge Rowlands has served on the Board of Trustees of the Akron Bar Association, having chaired its Common Pleas and Appellate Courts Committee. She was appointed to serve two terms on the Akron Bar Association's highly regarded Commission on Judicial Candidates. She was elected by her colleagues to the Ohio Bar Association's Council of Delegates. Judge Rowlands was also a charter member of the Charles F. Scanlon Chapter of the American Inns of Court.

Judge Rowlands has been an adjunct professor at the University of Akron School of Law and is dedicated to furthering an understanding of the law and related topics. She frequently speaks to lawyers, judges, journalists, law enforcement, educators, high school, college and law students, as well as civic groups like Leadership Akron in an effort to create dialog on these important issues.