Judge Gwen Bender believes our community needs dedicated volunteers to enrich the lives of all of our residents. She has served the community as a member of the Elderly Services Advisory Board to the Hamilton County Commissioners and as a member of the Grievance Committee of the Cincinnati Bar Association. Judge Bender has volunteered and served on the PTO Board for St. Antoninus Elementary School, and the Athletic Board for St. Xavier High School. She served as a legal advisor for St. Xavier High School’s Mock Trial program. She currently volunteers as a judge for both high school and college Mock Trial competitions.

Judge Bender frequently speaks to student and parent groups on a variety of topics. She has co-presented lectures with Cincinnati Bell at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and at various elementary and high schools on the topics of Privacy, social media use, and criminal law. Her current lecture “The Good, the Bad, and the Naked…or How to Lose Your Scholarship Opportunity in 140 Characters or Less” addresses the topics of personal responsibility, social media use, and the use of social media by college admissions and athletic departments.

Judge Bender is happy to speak to any student or parent groups on issues regarding criminal law and the courts and to host students in the courtroom. Please contact her bailiff to make those arrangements at 513.946.5143