PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor, Appellate Division (2002 – present)  

Seth Gilbert is an appellate prosecutor in Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien’s office. Seth handles all aspects of felony appellate litigation in the Court of Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court. He has successfully litigated complex legal and factual issues in cases involving all levels of felonies, including drug trafficking, sex crimes, white-collar crimes, and homicides. Of the hundreds of cases Seth has handled, many established important precedents for the effective prosecution of felonies in Franklin County. Seth also routinely advises trial prosecutors on strategic and legal issues and has served as co-counsel in trial-related proceedings.  

Highlights include:  

• Prevailed in the Ohio Supreme Court in a case upholding the constitutionality of excluding unreliable hearsay evidence offered by a criminal defendant.
• Helped prepare “friend of court” briefs filed in the Ohio Supreme Court in a series of landmark cases addressing the constitutionality of Ohio’s felony-sentencing scheme.
• Successfully litigated numerous appeals in murder cases, including several cases addressing the constitutionality and scope of Ohio’s “felony murder” rule.
• Prevailed in the appeals of a local attorney who, after stealing settlement funds from numerous clients, was convicted of RICO and numerous theft-related offenses.
• Successfully argued that evidence of a child rape victim’s statements to a social worker at the Center for Child and Family Advocacy was constitutional.
• After the Court of Appeals had held that the evidence could not support the defendant’s convictions for gross sexual imposition against two young girls, convinced the court to reconsider its ruling and to reinstate the defendant’s convictions.
• Successfully argued that a defendant who violently shook a five-month old baby could be convicted of and sentenced for both child endangerment and felonious assault.
• Prevailed in the appeal of a pawnshop owner who operated a major fencing operation and was convicted of RICO and numerous counts of receiving stolen property.
• Served as co-counsel in a jury trial in which the defendant was convicted of aggravated murder and other offenses and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Attorney, Metz & Bailey (2001-2002)  

As an attorney in private practice, Seth counseled clients on estate planning, probate, and small business matters. He also served as assistant prosecutor for the City of Westerville, prosecuting misdemeanor offenses in Westerville Mayor’s Court.  

Staff Attorney, Common Pleas Judge David W. Fais (2000-2001)  

After scoring in the top 1% of the July 2000 Ohio Bar Exam, Seth’s first job out of law school was to serve as a staff attorney for a common pleas judge. In this role, Seth drafted opinions on various motions in a wide range of civil cases, including business litigation, personal injury, medical malpractice, and employment disputes. He also conducted pre-trial conferences and mediated discovery and other pre-trial disputes.

OTHER ACTIVITIES AND AWARDS

• Adjunct Professor of Business Law, Otterbein College
• Regular Volunteer and Steering Committee Member, Interfaith Legal Services Legal Clinic
• Board Member and Treasurer, Heart of the City Foundation
• Recipient, Columbus Legal Aid Society, Pro Bono Award

 

EDUCATION 

• University of Georgia School of Law; J.D., cum laude (2000)
• Otterbein College; B.A., magna cum laude (1997)

 

PERSONAL

Born in 1975, Seth was raised in Central Ohio and attended public schools in Columbus and Grandview Heights. Seth, his wife Stacey, and their three-year old son Samuel live in Westerville and are parishioners at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. They are excpecting another child in March of 2011. Both Seth and Stacey are avid runners; between them, they have completed five marathons.