10/26/2026

Ohio State Bar Association honors attorney Richard A. Dove for ethics and professionalism

By Maggie Ostrowski, Ohio State Bar Association

L-R: Patrick McLaughlin (former chair of the Board of Professional Conduct), Jan Allen Baughman (Ohio State Bar Association President), Richard "Rick" Dove (former director of the Board of Professional Conduct and 2026 Weir Award recipient), and Elizabeth Smith (current director of the Board of Professional Conduct).

Columbus, Ohio (Oct. 23, 2026) — Ohio State Bar Association President Jan Allen Baughman today presented the association’s Eugene R. Weir Award for Ethics and Professionalism to attorney Richard A. Dove, former director of the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct. 

The Weir Award recognizes exceptional professional responsibility among Ohio lawyers. The Ohio Bar Board of Governors established the award in 1998 to honor the memory of Eugene R. Weir, a former member of the board who championed improvements in lawyer regulation and was a strong advocate of professionalism and legal ethics. 

“There are few people who have done more to advance ethics and professionalism in Ohio than Rick Dove,” said President Baughman. “For many years, Rick has been the lawyer that lawyers turn to for guidance, insight and trusted judgment. Through his leadership, scholarship and commitment to public service, Rick has left an indelible mark on Ohio’s legal profession. It is a privilege to honor him with the Weir Award for his work.” 

Over his 42-year career, Dove has devoted himself to public service and established himself as an expert in legal ethics. He is currently of counsel at the firm of Montgomery Jonson. Prior to that, he served for 14 years as director of the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct, retiring from the position in 2025 and making him the longest-serving director in board history.  

As director, Dove worked to ensure the fair and timely consideration of attorney disciplinary cases, promoted greater transparency and oversaw the modernization of board processes, including the implementation of an online docket and filing system. He has staffed three task forces on Ohio’s disciplinary system, whose work led to reforms that included training requirements for bar counsel and others involved in attorney discipline at the local level. 

Before joining the board, Dove served for more than 22 years on the staff of the Supreme Court of Ohio, the last four of those as assistant administrative director.  

Dove has been a towering figure in attorney and judicial ethics education, presenting more than 200 continuing legal education programs, writing on the topic of ethics and fielding thousands of compliance inquiries from Ohio lawyers, judges and judicial candidates.  

“Throughout our collaboration, I witnessed firsthand Rick’s commitment to public service, his devotion to the truth and his ability to remain focused on doing what’s right and just, making sound decisions that would withstand scrutiny and upholding the fairness and integrity of the adjudicatory process for disciplinary cases,” said Paul DeMarco, a former commissioner and chair of the Board of Professional Conduct. “Through it all, including in times when the board faced enormous challenges, Rick exhibited unceasing dedication, leadership, equanimity and grace, all the while lifting up and contributing to the personal and professional growth of everyone around him.” 

At the Ohio State Bar Association, Dove has served on the Thomas J. Moyer Legacy Committee, which is dedicated to sustaining and enhancing the tenets for which the late Chief Justice stood, including ethics, professionalism and civics education. He is a past president of the National Council of Lawyer Disciplinary Boards as well as the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education. He is a distinguished life fellow of the Ohio State Bar Foundation. In 2014, Dove was awarded the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education’s highest honor – the Founder’s Award. He is also the 2007 recipient of the Columbus Bar Association’s Award of Merit.  

Dove earned his undergraduate degree from Wittenberg University and his law degree from Capital University Law School, where he was recognized in 2019 as Distinguished Alumni of the Year. 

President Baughman presented the Weir Award to Dove at a special ceremony immediately following this year’s Miller-Becker Seminar on October 23, hosted at the Thomas J. Moyer Judicial Center in Columbus. The Miller-Becker Seminar is an annual program which brings together volunteer lawyers, laypersons, board commissioners, Office of Disciplinary Counsel staff, bar counsel and defense attorneys who handle lawyer disciplinary and regulatory matters. 

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About the Ohio State Bar Association  

Founded in 1880, the Ohio Bar is the state’s largest legal network, representing attorneys, judges, legal professionals and law students who are committed to the highest standards in the practice of law. The Ohio Bar proudly serves its members and the public through its continued work to promote justice and advance the legal profession. 

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