THE JIM LOOKER AWARD
HISTORY
The Jim Looker Award is a special recognition awarded by the GCCDLA President to a member of the Defense Bar who exemplifies what it means to be a great criminal defense lawyer. This special recognition was created 20 years ago by former President Hal Arenstein to honor local defense attorneys who have provided long terms of excellent service in the field of criminal defense representation.
Originally known as the President's Award, the name was changed to the Jim Looker Award in honor of our former GCCDLA President who was totally disabled by a brain aneurism. Jim was well known throughout the Cincinnati Bar as a zealous and conscientious advocate for his clients. He was passionate about defense law and worked tirelessly to obtain the best results for his clients. Many remember that Jim Looker helped develop and refine the practice of DUI/OVI law in Cincinnati, co-writing with former Judge Mark Painter the DUI handbook Ohio Driving Under the Influence Law. After Jim's unfortunate injury, GCCDLA felt it was only appropriate to rename the President's Award in honor of our fallen colleague. Sadly, on December 29, 2015, Jim passed away at the age of 63.
While length of service in the defense bar is a factor, the Jim Looker award is not a lifetime achievement award. It is awarded to recognize an attorney's excellence in his/her conscientious and effective representation of individuals accused of a crime. When choosing a recipient to honor, the GCCDLA President considers attorneys who have exhibited a number of qualities, including having consistently shown conscientious and effective representation in criminal cases (trial work, motion practice, appellate work), service to the legal profession and the Defense Bar in particular, and passion for the practice of Criminal Defense. An attorney may only receive the award one time, and to date, 16 lawyers have been honored with this accolade.
PAST RECIPIENTS
1995 Pete Rosenwald (Hal Arenstein, President)
1996 Fred Hoefle (Cathy Cook)
1997 Lou Sirkin (Cathy Adams)
1998 Marty Pinales (Kelly Johnson)
1999 John Burlew (Pete Rosenwald)
2000 Hal Arenstein (Jay Clark)
2001 Amy McDonough (Bill Gallagher)
2002 Bill Gallagher (Greg Cohen)
2003 Rich Goldberg (Rob Andrews)
2004 Norm Aubin (Hal Arenstein)
2005 Ray Faller (Rich Goldberg)
2009 Rick Magnus (Ray Faller)
2010 Les Gaines (MJ Donovan)
2012 Perry Ancona (Ray Faller)
2013 Elizabeth E. Agar (Candace Crouse)
2014 Steve Johnson (Amy Williams)
2015 MJ Donovan (Rick Magnus)
2016 Rodney Harris (Thomas Ewing)
2017 Kathryn Fallat Ancona (Thomas Ewing)
2018 Edell Gray (Thomas Ewing)
2019 Angela Chang (Danielle Colliver)
The Jim Looker Award is a special recognition awarded by the GCCDLA President to a member of the Defense Bar who exemplifies what it means to be a great criminal defense lawyer. This special recognition was created 20 years ago by former President Hal Arenstein to honor local defense attorneys who have provided long terms of excellent service in the field of criminal defense representation.
Originally known as the President's Award, the name was changed to the Jim Looker Award in honor of our former GCCDLA President who was totally disabled by a brain aneurism. Jim was well known throughout the Cincinnati Bar as a zealous and conscientious advocate for his clients. He was passionate about defense law and worked tirelessly to obtain the best results for his clients. Many remember that Jim Looker helped develop and refine the practice of DUI/OVI law in Cincinnati, co-writing with former Judge Mark Painter the DUI handbook Ohio Driving Under the Influence Law. After Jim's unfortunate injury, GCCDLA felt it was only appropriate to rename the President's Award in honor of our fallen colleague. Sadly, on December 29, 2015, Jim passed away at the age of 63.
While length of service in the defense bar is a factor, the Jim Looker award is not a lifetime achievement award. It is awarded to recognize an attorney's excellence in his/her conscientious and effective representation of individuals accused of a crime. When choosing a recipient to honor, the GCCDLA President considers attorneys who have exhibited a number of qualities, including having consistently shown conscientious and effective representation in criminal cases (trial work, motion practice, appellate work), service to the legal profession and the Defense Bar in particular, and passion for the practice of Criminal Defense. An attorney may only receive the award one time, and to date, 16 lawyers have been honored with this accolade.
PAST RECIPIENTS
1995 Pete Rosenwald (Hal Arenstein, President)
1996 Fred Hoefle (Cathy Cook)
1997 Lou Sirkin (Cathy Adams)
1998 Marty Pinales (Kelly Johnson)
1999 John Burlew (Pete Rosenwald)
2000 Hal Arenstein (Jay Clark)
2001 Amy McDonough (Bill Gallagher)
2002 Bill Gallagher (Greg Cohen)
2003 Rich Goldberg (Rob Andrews)
2004 Norm Aubin (Hal Arenstein)
2005 Ray Faller (Rich Goldberg)
2009 Rick Magnus (Ray Faller)
2010 Les Gaines (MJ Donovan)
2012 Perry Ancona (Ray Faller)
2013 Elizabeth E. Agar (Candace Crouse)
2014 Steve Johnson (Amy Williams)
2015 MJ Donovan (Rick Magnus)
2016 Rodney Harris (Thomas Ewing)
2017 Kathryn Fallat Ancona (Thomas Ewing)
2018 Edell Gray (Thomas Ewing)
2019 Angela Chang (Danielle Colliver)
