A plan to reorganize the state's largest single-judge probate court has taken another step toward that end.

This week Franklin County Probate Judge Eric Brown announced the addition of two new magistrates to the court - Assistant Attorney General Todd DeBoe and Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division Staff Attorney Kelly Green.

According to the court statement, DeBoe, who has served more than 10 years as assistant attorney general with experience in the Health and Human Services Section, is expected to join the court March 22. Green, who has served in her current capacity for nearly eight years managing a civil litigation docket of more than 500 cases, is scheduled to begin the following day.

Green characterized her appointment as "too good of an opportunity to pass up."

She credited some of the important work done in probate as one of the original reasons she went into law. "There were two high-profile cases of adoption that had gone wrong (in the late 1980s, early '90s) and it was the interest in those cases that really sparked my interest in law," she said.

Green acknowledged her experience in Common Pleas Judge Michael Holbrook's court served as a proving ground for her move to probate.

"I have been blessed to work these past five years with a judge who has seen this job as a learning experience," she said. "Part of the reason I was selected for the magistrate position is because of the experience I've been able to gain here."

Green's responsibilities have included the review and research of all incoming civil motions and drafting decisions and entries, drafting decisions and memoranda in criminal cases and assisting with evidentiary rulings during hearing and trials.

"I know it's going to be a different experience," she said.

Green's counterpart, DeBoe, managed Medicaid appeals involving individuals and institutions for the attorney general at his current post. Previously, he worked in the Environmental Enforcement Section of the office, managing enforcement cases dealing with drinking water, surface water, solid waste and air pollution.

The court recognized DeBoe's extensive experience working with pro se litigants as another asset.

Both new appointees will attend the New Magistrate Training program to assist them with the transition to their new positions. The statement indicated another recently appointed magistrate, Fred Meister, will attend the training with his peers. Probate Magistrate Benjamin Suffron is scheduled to teach at this year's training for new magistrates offered by the Ohio Supreme Court Judicial College March 24 - 26.

In addition to having replacing the chief magistrate position with another magistrate who will carry a full, regular caseload, the court's limited reorganization plan includes creation of a training department for the purpose of instructing deputy clerk staff, standardization of practices and procedures, and provision of quality control measures for the court.

Additionally, Brown has promoted staff attorney Laura Repasky to serve as chief legal counsel.

The cost reduction aspect of the plan is expected to modestly trim the cost of court operations.

Asked what the probate court is doing right, Green suggested there were many appropriate responses to the question.

"Despite the sheer volume of the cases that they are juggling, I can appreciate that the court has a helpful approach to everybody" - whether represented by counsel or pro se, she said.

She credited the court for so deliberately having struck the "delicate balance" between assisting pro se filers and practicing for them.

As for future plans, Green conceded she hasn't given much thought to any professional experiences which may lay beyond her new position.

Brown selected Green and DeBoe following a comprehensive interview and selection process, attracting more than 50 qualified applicants, the statement detailed.

DeBoe was unavailable for comment due to a previously scheduled engagement.