YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Shirley J. Christian, a member with Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell, has been elected president of the Mahoning County Bar Association, a professional society representing more than 500 lawyers.

She is the second woman to be elected to this position, and began her one-year term Monday at the association's annual election banquet.

Christian has practiced law in the Mahoning Valley for 26 years and has been with HHM since 1986. Her primary practice areas are medical malpractice defense and employment and labor law.

Christian has served as a trustee for the local association and as a member of its grievance committee. She has also served on the Board of Governors for the Ohio State Bar Association and as a member of the Ohio Supreme Court's Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline. She was previously appointed to the Supreme Court's Task Force on Gender Fairness.

“Shirley's work on the local and state levels reflects a decades-long pattern of heavy community involvement by HHM lawyers,” said Alan D. Wenger, chair of the firm's management committee. “Her election to lead the county bar reflects the way she's recognized as a service-oriented leader.”

Christian is a member of HHM's management committee. She spearheaded its recent alliance with a local legal-aid service to establish a series of free legal clinics for low-income residents in the Youngstown area.

She holds a juris doctor degree from the Ohio Northern University College of Law in Ada, Ohio, as well as bachelor of science and master of education degrees from Edinboro University in Edinboro, Pa. She is licensed to practice law in both Ohio and Pennsylvania. Christian is an avid golfer and resides in New Springfield with her husband, Robert, also a lawyer.

Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell Ltd., the area's largest law firm, operates offices in Youngstown, Warren and Salem. The firm provides legal solutions to corporations, other businesses, non-profit organizations, government agencies and individuals. More information is available at the firm's website, at www.hhmlaw.com.

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For more information, contact Dan Pecchia at Pecchia Communications, (330) 720-6912 or by email.