CHAMBERSBURG – The bylaws of the Franklin County Bar Association require us to evaluate the candidates running for Common Pleas Court Judge for the 39th Judicial District.
Over the last few years, many members of the FCBA have dedicated substantial time and effort into revamping the process by which candidates are evaluated, including a vetting process conducted by the newly created Judicial Evaluation Committee. This provides for additional information regarding candidates previously not readily available for review by members prior to voting.
The Judicial Evaluation Committee’s recommendation for Ian Brink is:
Ian Brink
Rating: Highly Qualified
Brink graduated from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1999. Immediately following law school, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Leopold Borrello of the Saginaw County Circuit Court. He worked in private practice in Michigan and as a staff attorney for the UAW-GM Legal Services Plan in Flint, Michigan. He joined the Franklin County Public Defender’s Office in November 2005 and worked there through March 2018, when he joined the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office. Brink has been part of the team working with the Good Wolf Treatment Court. Brink is a member of the Franklin County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys’ Association, the Public Defenders’ Association, and the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. In the community, Brink is a member of the Kiwanis of Downtown Chambersburg and the Patriotic Order of Sons of America in Orrstown; he also coaches youth sports.
References pointed to Brink’s fairness and his pragmatism. He is viewed as a creative problem solver. The members of the Judicial Evaluation Committee believe that Brink possesses the integrity and judicial temperament to serve as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas.
Franklin County Bar Association has 151 voting members. 84 members of the Franklin County Bar Association voted; 75% agreed with this recommendation.
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The Judicial Evaluation Committee’s recommendation for Mary Beth Shank is:
Mary Beth Shank
Rating: Qualified
Shank graduated from the Dickinson School of Law of The Pennsylvania State University in 2004. Following graduation, she worked in private practice in Chambersburg. Shank has represented municipalities in the role of Assistant Solicitor (Boroughs of Chambersburg and Waynesboro) and Solicitor (Franklin County and Waynesboro Planning Commission); she serves as Special Counsel to the Adams County Board of Assessment. Shank has been active in the community, currently serving as Vice Chair of the Keystone Rural Health Center and on the board of the Shook Home and Rehabilitation Center. She also served as a board member for the Cumberland Valley School of Music, the Foundation for Enhancing Communities, Downtown Chambersburg, Inc., and the Totem Pole Playhouse. Shank has served as President of the Franklin County Bar Association and as a member of the Franklin County Orphans’ Court Committee.
By all accounts, Shank is a hard worker, who is always prepared and highly analytical. The members of the Judicial Evaluation Committee believe that Shank possesses the integrity and judicial temperament to serve as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas.
Franklin County Bar Association has 151 voting members. 84 members of the Franklin County Bar Association voted; 89% agreed with this recommendation.
During the evaluation process both candidates submitted questionnaires to the Committee with personal and professional information. These questionnaires are available for public viewing.