Judge David Brannon and his family are lifelong residents of Montgomery County, Ohio. He feels privileged to serve our citizens and strives to improve government service every day. He feels blessed to hold a job he loves and to work with his fantastic team and justice partners to protect the County’s most vulnerable people. Since being elected Judge in 2020, he has presided over thousands of probate cases, giving him extensive probate experience in adoption, guardianship, estate, and mental illness matters. Prior to being elected, Judge Brannon practiced law for fifteen years with his father and brother in the Dayton region. He focused his area of practice on probate law and was certified as an Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Specialist in 2015 by the Ohio State Bar Association. Now in office, Judge Brannon, as Administrative Judge, coordinates and collaborates with other County agencies and leaders to address today’s biggest issues facing our Community including mental health, access to courts, and good government stewardship through accountability and transparency. Judge Brannon’s Court has adopted a five-year Strategic Plan, evidencing a commitment to effective and responsible government. Click here to See Strategic Plan. Sadly, most courts and agencies do not adopt strategic plans. Just as Benjamin Franklin once said “[i]f you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”— this Court has a plan and will succeed. Community Involvement and Professional Affiliations- Ohio Association of Probate Judges, Executive Board, 2023-present
- Ohio Judicial College, Planning Committee, 2023-present
- Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project Board of Trustees, 2023-present
- Ohio State Bar Association, 2006-present
- Dayton Bar Association, 2006-present
- University of Dayton School of Law Alumni Board, 2007-2019
Awards, Recognitions, and Accomplishments- 2023 Innovative Court Program and Practice Award from the OSBA’s Justice Administration and Innovation Committee
Publications- VOICES: Every foster parent makes a difference, Dayton Daily News, July 16, 2023
- VOICES: Real leadership, transparency required to address mental health crisis, Dayton Daily News, May 31, 2023
- The Unexpected Ally in the War on Drugs: Estate Planning, Dayton Bar Briefs, Nov. 2017
- Wrongful Death and Survival Actions in Probate Court: Don’t get Caught in a Spider Web, Dayton Bar Briefs, Nov. 2016
- Trick or Treat in Probate Court: A look at several Extraordinary Proceedings, Dayton Bar Briefs, Nov. 2015
- Home Court: An Argument for Utilizing Probate Court Jurisdiction and its Expertise in Post-Mortem Disputes, Dayton Bar Briefs, Nov. 2013
Presentations - Attorney Fees in Probate Court, OAPJ Summer Conference, June 6, 2023
- Straight Talk: Acknowledging & Tackling Montgomery County’s Mental Health Crisis, Dayton Bar Assoc., May 22, 2023
- Anatomy of a Will Contest, Dayton Bar Assoc., Nov. 28, 2018
- Debatable and Untested Complex Topics in the Probate and Trust Code, Dayton Bar Assoc., Feb. 7, 2018
- Estate Planning Update: Common Law Marriage, Dayton Bar Assoc., Dec. 2, 2015
- Guardianships A-Z, Dayton Bar Assoc., Dec. 3, 2014
- Illegitimate Children: Heirs and Paternity Issues, Dayton Bar Assoc., Nov. 14, 2013
- Basics of Estate Administration, University of Dayton School of Law, Nov. 30, 2012
- Settlement: What can go Wrong?, University of Dayton School of Law, Dec. 20, 2010
Education - University of Dayton School of Law, Juris Doctor, 2005
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