What is OJMA? The Ohio Jury Management Association (OJMA) developed from a Fellows Class project of the Ohio State Bar Foundation ("OSBF").  To reach their goal of improving the methods used by courts to manage jurors, the OSBF 1998 Fellows Class brought together speakers and experts from across the state and held the first Ohio Jury Conference in 1999.  Following the incredibly successful conference, the participants decided to continue with their mission. In 2000, the Ohio Jury Management Association was created. Membership in OJMA is open to anyone interested in promoting and enhancing jury service through excellent jury management. The majority of our members are judges, jury commissioners, bailiffs, court administrators, and other court personnel. OJMA membership levels include Active and Organizational Members.  (For more information click on the "Join Us" button on the left.) OJMA has completed several projects in past  years.  These projects include a jury orientation video for review by Ohio jury managers, compiling the annual survey results for view on our website, and updating the Ohio Jury Management Directory annually. OJMA recently completed our largest project to date; the creation of an Ohio Jury Management Manual, a step-by-step guide to the jury process for new and experienced jury managers. An order form is included in the Summer 2010 newsletter. Also, OJMA holds an annual Ohio Jury Services Conference.  Past conference topics have included information on jurors in high profile cases, jury security, innovative jury trial procedures, and juror stress and crisis debriefing. Speakers and experts from across Ohio and the nation are brought together to discuss current issues affecting jury service and management. This year's conference will be held on Friday, April 29 at the Dublin (OH) Embassy Suites.

OJMA works cooperatively with associations and organizations that seek to improve judicial practices. On May 27, 2010, the Ohio State Bar Association Jury Instructions Committee approved a new Ohio jury instruction concerning electronic communications and other improper influences in civil and criminal trials. The new instruction admonishes jurors to refrain from using outside information sources, electronic devices and social media while serving on a jury. This addition brings the total OSBA jury instructions to 121. See the Summer 2010 newsletter for more details.