The Supreme Court of Ohio is the highest authority controlling the practice of law in Ohio. Before being permitted to practice in Ohio, a lawyer must receive a law degree from a law school approved by the American Bar Association. If a lawyer attended a law school within Ohio, the school should be a member of the League of Ohio Law Schools. After obtaining a law degree, a candidate for admission to the Ohio bar must pass a background check, successfully complete a bar examination, and take an oath of office. The lawyer is then officially granted the title of attorney and counselor-at-law, and may practice in any Ohio court. To practice in a federal court, the attorney may need to pass additional examinations on federal law in certain jurisdictions.

A lawyer may be hired for a number of reasons. If an individual is arrested for a crime, or is named as a defendant in a civil or criminal suit, a lawyer is almost always needed. In other cases, such as real estate transactions or bankruptcy proceedings, the need for a lawyer may not be immediately apparent. When in doubt, a good rule of thumb is to seek preliminary legal advice. Not doing so may jeopardize one