Court Officials

Judge Nicholas A. Papa

Nicholas A. Papa grew up in the neighboring city of Maple Heights. In 1989, Judge Papa received his BA from Kent State University. In 1992, he earned his Juris Doctorate from Ohio Northern University School of Law where he was a member of the Law Review.

Since 1992, Judge Papa has been a practicing trial attorney. He is admitted to the practice of law in the State of Ohio, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Judge Papa has also argued cases before the Ohio Supreme Court and a number of appellate courts, several of which have resulted in published opinions.

In 2005, Judge Papa was appointed Acting Judge for the Bedford Municipal Court. In addition, in 2010 he was appointed as a part-time magistrate for the Bedford Municipal Court.

Judge Papa is a former municipal law director and prosecutor as well as a court appointed arbitrator. He also has over a decade of experience as general counsel for a local corporation. In addition to his legal work, Judge Papa served as an Adjunct Professor at Notre Dame College, Ursuline College and Cuyahoga Community College teaching law courses in the Paralegal and Legal Studies programs.

Judge Papa has been married since 1993, and has three children and two grandchildren. Judge Papa and his family have lived in Solon since 1993 where he has coached travel youth fast pitch softball, baseball, and football. As a Solon resident, Judge Papa served on the Solon Cable Television Advisory Commission and is a member of St. Rita's parish, the Solon Italian Club, and a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy.

Judge Michelle L. Paris

Michelle L. Paris was elected Judge of Bedford Municipal Court in November 2015. Prior to that, she served as a magistrate and chief magistrate in Cleveland Municipal Court from Jan. 1988 to May 2008.

Thereafter, she continued to serve as a visiting magistrate. Judge Paris was also an adjunct professor at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and Case Western Reserve School of Law teaching debtor- creditor rights. Judge Paris is currently a regular presenter for the Ohio Judicial College.

Judge Paris graduated from Regina High School, Ohio University with a degree in education and Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Judge Paris is past president and honorary trustee of the Cleveland- Marshall College of Law Alumni Association. She is currently on the Board of Trustees for the Association of Municipal and County Court Judges and is vice president of the Northeast Ohio Judges Association.

Judge Paris was recently inducted into the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Hall of Fame. She is a member of various legal organizations and civic groups: Bedford Historical Society, Solon Historical Society, Ohio State Bar Association, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Ohio Association of Magistrates and Justinian Forum.

Magistrates

Bedford Municipal Court employs Magistrates to conduct certain hearings. A Magistrate is a licensed attorney who has been practicing for several years. A Magistrate typically hears cases such as small claims, evictions, post-judgment execution, traffic and pre-trials for both civil and criminal cases.

• Brian P. Downey
• Robert T. Glickman
• Barbara C. Greenberg
• Randolph Howard
• Joseph A. Pfundstein
• Sherry A. Pidala
• Vince Ruffa

In certain cases, such as small claims and evictions cases, the Magistrates will render a decision. In the event that you feel the Magistrate's decision is in error, you may file objections. Objections to a Magistrate's decision must be made in writing and filed with the Court within fourteen days of the filing of the decision. Any pleading must be served upon the other side, and must also comply with local court rules and the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure. If you have questions about these requirements, you should consult an attorney.

Clerk of Courts

The Clerk of Courts is responsible for general oversight of the day to day functioning of the Clerk’s office, and other responsibilities designated by the Ohio Revised Code. The Clerk’s office is broken down into the criminal division, civil division, and administerial functions such as bookkeeping and record keeping. Generally a Clerk of Courts will delegate certain functions, such as accepting filings, processing cases and updating files to a deputy clerk.

A Clerk of Courts may be elected or appointed by the Court depending on the population of the jurisdiction served by the Court. Based on population of the 14 jurisdictions served by the Bedford Municipal Court, Thomas E. Day, Jr. has been appointed by the Court to serve as Clerk.