By Kristen Rapin, kr323705@ohio.edu
Published Thursday, February 12, 2009

ATHENS, Ohio (Feb. 12, 2009)—Faculty from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism paired with the Ohio State Bar Association to produce information to assist Ohioans in learning more about their local courts as well as videos, used by the Ohio State Bar, to assist court employees.

The project is part of a grant from the Ohio Bar Foundation. Thomas Hodson, director of E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, worked with Professor Patricia Westfall and Doug Nohl, the school’s studio manager and instructor Doug Nohl to create legal minutes, instructional videos and informational pamphlets about the courts.

“I’m hoping this information helps educate the public,” said Hodson. “This type of information is usually well received.”

Hodson, a former lawyer and judge, transcribed legal information into terms the public could understand. He wrote the scripts for more than 50 different legal minutes that briefly describe different parts of the Ohio Court system. He also created copy for educational pamphlets.

With the assistance of Nohl, Hodson recorded audio for the legal minutes to accompany videos on the Ohio Legal Services site. The pair also created videos to be used by the Ohio State Bar, aimed at educating court employees. Westfall created graphics for the legal pamphlets that will be offered to the public.

The seedling for the idea came 20 years ago when Hodson was an Athens’s Court judge and paired with WOUB to create legal reminders.

To visit the Ohio Legal Services website and listen to the minutes please visit http://www.ohiolegalservices.org/public/courttouraudio/court-tour.