The Hon. Michael Ward (Ret.) served as a judge for the General Division of the Athens County Court of Common Pleas in Ohio. Ward was appointed to the bench by former Governor George Voinovich in 1992. He retired on December 31, 2012.
Prior to his appointment, Ward was the County Prosecutor for the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office, a position he held since 1980.
Ward earned a bachelor’s degree from Miami University. He then completed a J.D. at The Ohio State University, Michael E. Moritz College of Law.
After graduating from law school, Ward joined the United States Army, where he served until 1973. At that time, he began his civilian legal career as an assistant prosecuting attorney for the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office. Then, in 1976, he opened his own private practice in Nelsonville, serving as an attorney with a joint city-county legal services agency (the predecessor to Southeastern Ohio Legal Services).