Paula Ott
Paula Ott was elected the first woman judge in Chester County in 1991 and was retained in 2001. During her 18 years as a judge, she has presided over all types of cases, including two death penalty cases.
In 2005, Paula Ott was elected President Judge by her fellow judges. During her term as President Judge, a new Justice Center was built and in September 2008, the Courts and related departments moved to this new location, ending over two centuries in the Courthouse at High and Market Streets in West Chester.
As President Judge, she has encouraged the continuation of drug court and supported the formation of other treatment courts under the supervision of Judge William P. Mahon. These courts not only address addictions, but reduce recidivism and save taxpayers’ money.
Paula Ott can bring to the Superior Court her expertise in Orphans’ Court litigation. Orphans’ Court is a separate division that handles adoptions, guardianships for incapacitated persons, will contests and trust and estate administration. She also serves on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Orphans’ Court Rules Committee and the Joint State Government Commission Advisory Committee on Decedents’ Estates Laws.
Chester County has the only volunteer Orphans’ Court Guardianship Monitoring Program in the state – it has been in existence for fourteen years.
Judge Ott was President of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges (2003-2004) and has co-chaired the President Judges’ Committee for the past four years. Judge Ott has served on committees that promote best practices in the judicial system, such as the Pennsylvania Bar Association Commission for Justice Initiatives, the Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Court Reporting and Transcripts and the Implementation Committee of the Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness.
Paula Ott’s service to the citizens of Chester County was recognized when she received the march of Dimes Woman of Achievement Award for Public Service in 1993. She remains active in her community as a member of the West Chester Rotary Club and as a Trustee of the Chester County Hospital Foundation.
Paula Ott was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, but has spent most of her life in Chester County. She graduated from Unionville High School and the University of Delaware. She then pursued her goal of becoming a lawyer by attending Temple University School of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctor and Masters of Law in Taxation.
After law school, she worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Chester County and an Assistant County Solicitor. She was in private practice at Gawthrop, Greenwood & Halsted for ten years before she was elected to the bench.
Paula Ott has been married to Ray H. Ott, Jr., for 28 years. Her parents, Janet and Jack Francisco, grew up in Clarion County and now reside in a retirement community in New Holland, Pennsylvania. Her sister, Brenda Graupensperger, is a physical therapist and also resides in Lancaster County.