Achieving Justice Series - Pavan Parikh

"Achieving Justice" is an interview series to educate individuals about Ohio's judicial system and the judges and candidates for judge who serve and wish to serve their state and community.

This "Achieving Justice" interview is conducted by Judge Jennifer Brunner, currently a judge of Ohio's Tenth District Court of Appeals. Judge Brunner is a candidate for the Ohio Supreme Court in 2020. In her seventeenth interview of this series, Judge Brunner interviews Attorney Pavan Parikh, judicial candidate for the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division.

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Pavan Parikh has dedicated his life to serving others.

A graduate of Princeton High School, Xavier University, and the Saint Louis University School of Law, Pavan chose to pursue a career in public service because he believes it is his duty to give back to his community. He began his legal career in Cincinnati working at the courthouse under Judge Nadine Allen. His passion for public service also led him to work as a political staffer on issues of voting rights and the judiciary before being appointed the Chief Legal Counsel for the Ohio Senate Minority Caucus. At the statehouse, Pavan was responsible for monitoring and negotiating legislation on issues from criminal justice reform to voting rights, constitutional law, and ethics.

However, his passion to serve was still somewhat unfulfilled and he joined the US Army Reserve as a Judge Advocate days after his 30th birthday. In his role as a Captain and military lawyer, Pavan has been repeatedly selected from special missions including two stretches in Korea advising the command of U.S. Forces Korea and he was selected to serve in an additional duty as a Special Victims Counsel where he represents victims of sexual assault.

Currently, he works in-house with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, a $100 billion financial institution. Upon returning to Cincinnati in 2015, Pavan accepted opportunities outside of his daily career to use his vast background in law and policy to help train others. As an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law and at Xavier University, Pavan volunteers his time to mentor and educate students as the next generation of Cincinnati’s leaders. Teaching courses from political science to legal research and writing to election law, Pavan believes it is his responsibility to guarantee that his students are ready to face the world after graduation.

In furthering public service to his community, Pavan volunteers his time in a multitude of legal and non-legal capacities. Committed to the law, he is a Barrister member of the Potter Stewart Inn of Court, a Board member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Southwest Ohio, the vice-chair of the Cincinnati Bar Association’s Veterans and Military Law Committee, and is a regular volunteer with the Ohio Center for Law Related Education. Pavan is also the Co-Chair of the American Constitution Society’s Cincinnati Lawyer Chapter, ensuring that progressive values are heard in debates of law and policy. In recognition of his dedication to forging a better justice system through sensible criminal justice reform, Pavan was also appointed by the Hamilton County Commissioners as a member of the Facilities Governing Board of the River City Correctional Center. And as a member of the dual professions of law and arms, Pavan remains engaged in national security issues as a Partner with the Truman National Security Project.

He is married to Dr. Shwetha Manoharan, a physician specializing in Obstetrics & Gynecology. They live in Columbia-Tusculum with their son and their dog.