Our Inn located in Toledo, Ohio is named after Morrison Remick Waite, who served as the seventh Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court during the Reconstruction Era from 1874-1888. Justice Waite lived and practiced law in Toledo prior to assuming his appointment from President Ulysses S. Grant. A civic minded gentleman, he was one of the first directors of the Bank of Toledo, president of the Young Men's Association in Toledo, and representative to the Ohio General Assembly during his early practice.
History of the Morrison R. Waite Inn
Efforts to start the Morrison R. Waite AIC began in 1994 as an outgrowth of work by the Toledo Bar Association's Professionalism Committee. David J. Fickel, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Clerk, Professor Robert Hopperton, Dean Albert Quick of the University of Toledo College of Law and local attorneys Linde Hurst Webb and Matthew Harper evaluated the feasibility of applying for a local charter to be affiliated with the University of Toledo College of Law. The Toledo Bar Foundation provided $1000, which was needed to create the Morrison R. Waite Inn. In mid-1996, the Waite Inn was formally chartered as Inn #286. The application was signed by U.S. District Court Judge James Carr, Dean Quick, and David Fickel; the first full Inn year was 1996-1997. From its inception, over 100 lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students in the Toledo area have been members of the Waite AIC.
Purpose of the Morrison R. Waite Inn
The Waite Inn follows the objectives set forth by the National Inns Foundation to promote excellence in legal advocacy, foster a greater understanding and appreciation for ethics, civility and professionalism, and to provide an educational experience designed to enhance the abilities of lawyers and judges. To that end, the Inn is divided into pupillage teams that provide mentoring experiences for younger lawyers and programs that teams present to the members at the scheduled meetings. The Waite Inn meets for dinner and a pupillage program six times a year, once during the months of September, October, January, February, March and April.
The Waite Inn includes lawyers in diverse practice areas, law professors, and judges from both federal and state jurisdictions. The categories for Inn membership are masters of the bench, barristers, associates and pupils, being structured along the lines of traditional English tutorial systems for training lawyers. Members are designated Masters based on at least 15 years of practice and the ability to lead pupillage teams. Barristers must have 5-15 years of experience and associates from 1-5 years. Pupils are eligible for membership in their third year of law school. Policies for the Waite Inn are established by an Executive Committee which is elected annually. Masters, Barristers, and Associates vote on Inn matters.