Legal research for Ohio law firms - Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati

Short answer: Ohio has twelve district courts of appeals. Columbus is in the Tenth District, Cleveland in the Eighth and Cincinnati in the First. A district's decisions control its own trial courts and are persuasive elsewhere, and every court of appeals opinion since May 1, 2002 can be cited whether or not it was published. Federal cases go to the Northern or Southern District and the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati.

Ohio's courts

Major cities and their appellate districts:

Citing unpublished opinions and conflicts

Under Ohio's Rules for the Reporting of Opinions, all court of appeals opinions issued after May 1, 2002 may be cited as legal authority, whether or not they were published. A district's decisions control its own trial courts; other districts' decisions are persuasive. When districts conflict, the court of appeals can certify the conflict to the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Web citations

Since 2002, Ohio opinions carry a web citation in the form [year]-Ohio-[number], with paragraph pinpoints. Supreme Court decisions are also cited to Ohio St.3d, and courts of appeals decisions to Ohio App.3d when published; the regional reporter is N.E.3d.

Federal courts

Appeals go to the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati.

Statutes

The Ohio Revised Code (R.C.) and Ohio Administrative Code are published at codes.ohio.gov.

A fact-first workflow

Ohio practice includes premises liability, auto accidents, employment and insurance coverage disputes.

1. Describe the facts in plain English. Example: "A Columbus shopper slipped on ice in a store parking lot the morning after a snowfall. The lot had been plowed but not salted."
2. Limit to Ohio, and add Sixth Circuit and Ohio federal decisions if the case is in federal court.
3. Read Supreme Court and your district's decisions first, then other districts.
4. Check treatment before relying on any decision.
5. Read the statute at issue in the version in force on the relevant date.

LegiMatch returns up to 100 similar decisions for each matter, ranked by a match score that shows how much facts, legal issues, statutes, jurisdiction and recency contributed. Every result is a real decision linked to the court's text. It supports your research and doesn't give legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Which Ohio court of appeals covers Columbus?

The Tenth District Court of Appeals, which hears appeals from Franklin County and the Court of Claims.

Can I cite an unpublished Ohio court of appeals opinion?

Yes. Opinions issued after May 1, 2002 may be cited as legal authority whether or not they were published.

What is an Ohio web citation?

A citation such as [year]-Ohio-[number], assigned by the Supreme Court of Ohio's Reporter's Office, with paragraph pinpoints.

Sources

• Supreme Court of Ohio, Rules for the Reporting of Opinions and Writing Manual (supremecourt.ohio.gov)
• Ohio Revised Code (codes.ohio.gov)
• United States Courts, court locator (uscourts.gov)