Biography
Elizabeth J. Watters received her B.A. in 1987 and her Juris Doctor in 1990 from The Ohio State University. Prior to becoming a Magistrate, she was as an associate at the New York law firm of Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts (now Pillsbury Winthrop), and then a partner at Chester, Willcox & Saxbe, LLP in Columbus.
Magistrate Watters is Past President of the Columbus Bar Association and Women Lawyers of Franklin County. She serves on the Council of Delegates of the Ohio State Bar Association (2006-present, District 7). She is an Associate Member of the Ohio Judicial Conference Civil Law & Procedure Committee (2013-present).
Magistrate Watters has received Business First’s Forty Under 40 Award, the Columbus Bar Association’s Community Service Award, and was an Ohio Super Lawyer in General Litigation when she was in private practice. In 2012, she was awarded The Ohio State University Distinguished Service Award by the OSU Board of Trustees at Winter Commencement.
As a Magistrate, she presides over jury and bench trials in a variety of civil cases. She conducts evidentiary hearings and oral arguments on motions, including preliminary injunctions, discovery disputes, and determinations of damages. She also conducts mediation conferences and presides over felony arraignments in criminal cases.