Janet Louise Phillips

I grew up in a Delaware County farm family, graduating from Olentangy High School.  In addition to farming, my family raised and trained horses.  My dad and uncle trained and raced Standardbreds, while I trained and competed in the show arena.  However, like many small family farms, making ends meet financially became increasingly difficult during the 70's with the emergence of the mega commercial farms.  So, off to college I went.

After completing my undergraduate work at the University of Houston-Clear Lake and spending thirteen years in Houston working in an allied health care position, I returned to Ohio to attend law school at Case Western Reserve University. I think of law as a service profession. The role of an attorney is much more than merely being a legal representative. We are also counselors, and we should strive to assure that our clients are always receiving the advice and recommendations that they need to hear, which quite often is not what they want to hear. I frequently must help my clients form a strategy that will allow them to move forward with their lives during very difficult financial situations. The financial difficulty may result from an inability to work due to a car accident or an injury on the job. Or perhaps they have found themselves in need of legal advice for other reasons. In addition to representing my clients in their claim or case, as a counselor, my job is also to help them get their life back on the right track. It is often difficult but always satisfying to help those in need of a lawyer.  Of course, friends, family and fellow farmers always drop in on the weekends with a variety of legal questions, which I am always happy to answer.

No matter where my education and career have taken me, I’ve remained true to my farming heritage. I still own part of what was our family farm where my husband and I now raise grass-fed sheep and sustainably nurture an incredible kitchen garden in healthy, earth-friendly soil. We recently decided to grow hops, which will eventually end up in local Delaware craft brews. We are committed to the notion that healthier food makes for healthier minds and bodies.