SHARON CENTER - The Sharon Township home of attorney J. Jeffrey
Holland is exactly what you'd expect for someone who spends nearly all
of his professional life trying to protect animals.
The property where he and his law partner and wife, Marjorie Muirden,
are raising their four sons is dominated by animals -- five dogs, six
horses, a cat, some fish and a turtle, to be precise.
Fittingly, the dogs are not picture-perfect purebreds -- rather, they
are mixed breeds that found their way to the Holland house and became
part of the brood. One has a misshapen jaw, another was found by
Holland's sons along a road and carted home.
Another one was a de facto client -- Holland prosecuted its breeder
after hundreds of dogs were found piled in crates one on top of the
other in a scorching-hot garage. That's a role in which Holland
increasingly finds himself -- a special prosecutor in courts
throughout the state, trying to secure justice for abused animals.
...
``Jeff is the expert in animal law in Ohio,'' McClelland said.
``Everybody that has questions calls him for the answers. He even
worked on the new (animal welfare) law, and he's done a phenomenal
job.''
Years ago, Muirden was the impetus for Holland's specialty. Both were
attending Franklin Pierce Law School in New Hampshire, and they met
when they and some other classmates were sitting around talking about
what they hoped to accomplish after securing their degree.
``It was all about money and power, and I was starting to get more and
more depressed because I was idealistic,'' said Holland, a graduate of
Highland High School who now lives within sight of the primary school
he attended, Sharon Elementary. ``But then it came around to this
young lady, who said, `I want to do animal welfare, and I want to save
the world.' Now we have four sons, five dogs, six horses, some fish, a
cat and a law practice.''
Holland prosecuted his first animal welfare case in 1991 in Medina
Municipal Court. The municipal prosecutor at the time was honest --
admitting he normally handled traffic cases. Holland took over after
he uncovered a provision in Ohio law that allows animal protective
agencies to appoint a private attorney to handle their cases.
Since that time, he's served as prosecutor for such cases in 20 of the
state's 88 counties. He also represents many of the animal protective
agencies around the state -- cruelty cases aren't the only legal
issues they face. He and his associates have developed expertise in
all things animals, topics that range from adoptions to zoning issues.
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full story:
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/local/states/ ohio/counties/medina_county/15597521.htm
