Susan Hayest Kozlowski
Partner
Susan Hayest Kozlowski is a partner with the Firm. She grew up in Cadiz, Ohio and was raised in a Union household. Her father, Frank Hayest was a coal miner and a member of the United Mine Workers of America. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Ohio State University, Cum Laude, in 1977. She also received her law degree from the Ohio State University College of Law in 1980 and was admitted into the Ohio Bar in 1980. She was admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio in 1980, and into the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 1993.
She began her legal career as an Assistant Attorney General, representing administrative agencies. She was appointed to the first legal section established by the Attorney General to represent the State Employment Relations Board after its creation in 1984. Susan joined the Firm in 1988; her primary focus is representation of teachers and educational service personnel who are members of the Ohio Education Association.
Areas of Practice
Leading cases in Public Sector Labor Law
Lorain City Board of Education v. State Employment Relations Board, (1988) 40 Ohio St. 3rd 257 (Standard of Review for SERB Decisions);
SERB v. Gallia-Jackson-Vinton JVS District Board of Education, SERB 86-044 (11-13-88), aff’d, Gallia-Jackson-Vinton JVS District Board of Education, 1989 SERB 4-6 (CP, Gallia, 12-30-88) (Prima Facie Case Standard for SERB Discrimination Cases);
State Employment Relations Board v. Adena Local School District Board of Education, (1993) 66 Ohio St. 3rd 485. (In Part Test to Determine Employer’s Motivation When Charged With Unfair Labor Practices Under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4117).
In Re Ft Frye Local School District Bd of Edn, SERB 94-016, 3-99 (10-14-94), aff’d sub num, Ft Frye Teachers Assn v. SERB, 1995 SERB4-37 (CP, Washington, 8-23-95) (In Part Adena Standard Analyzed Setting Forth Steps to Establish a Prima Facie Case).
Bar Admissions
Ohio, 1980
United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, 1980
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 1993
Education
The Ohio State University College of Law, Columbus, Ohio, 1980
Juris Doctor
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 1977
Bachelor of Arts
Honors: Cum Laude
Major: Political Science
Honors and Awards
AV Martindell-Hubble Rating
Best Lawyer – Lawyer of the Year – 2023 Labor Law – Union
Professional Membership
Ohio State Bar Association
Columbus Bar Association
Past Employment
Ohio Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General, 1980-1987
Thought Leadership – Classes and/or Seminars Taught
Seminars presented to OEA Professional Staff and Educators
Termination of Teaching and Educational Support Staff Employment Contracts
Nonrenewal of Contracts
Reduction in Force
Rights and Responsibilities of Educators
Ohio’s Licensure Code of Professional Conduct
OTES – Ohio Teachers Evaluation System
Social Media
Third Grade Reading Guarantee
