(CLEVELAND) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost today announced a major investment in the future of Ohio’s criminal justice system with the awarding of $5 million in seed money to establish a Prosecutor Training Program at Cleveland State University.
The new program, a first in Ohio, will be housed at the CSU College of Law. It is designed to prepare the next generation of prosecutors and to strengthen public safety statewide.
“As we work to keep Ohio communities safe, it’s critical that we invest in the people who uphold the law by training them well,” Yost said.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office (AGO) selected CSU through a competitive request-for-proposals process. The 15-year partnership between the AGO and the university aims to build and sustain a pipeline of highly trained legal professionals committed to public service.
Yost’s office is providing the one-time $5 million endowment money, which will be invested by CSU and used to generate ongoing funding. The program will be sustained long-term through a combination of endowment income, $2.2 million in university support and external partnerships.
The program will feature a specialized curriculum for law students interested in prosecution, including a criminal prosecution clinic, hands-on training opportunities and collaboration with prosecutors throughout Ohio. Equipped with crucial practical skills, program graduates will be placed in prosecutor’s offices statewide.
“At CSU College of Law, our mission is to Learn Law and Live Justice,” said Co-Interim Dean Carolyn Broering-Jacobs. “This program reflects that commitment and strengthens work already underway. Our students are already pursuing careers as prosecutors, and this initiative allows us to prepare them even more intentionally and effectively, building on our strong criminal justice curriculum while expanding opportunities for hands-on training and mentorship.”
Broering-Jacobs also expressed gratitude to Attorney General Yost “for investing in a program that will strengthen communities across Ohio for years to come.”
Enrollment in the program, which will launch with the 2026-27 academic year, will be limited to 10 to 12 students per year – to ensure individualized training, mentorship and real-world experiences. The program will be open to CSU law students, including in-person and online learners.
Dr. Laura Bloomberg, president of CSU, praised the partnership, saying, “Many of our students choose to remain in Ohio after graduation, utilizing their skills and building their careers in our state. The new program will build upon the CSU College of Law’s legacy of alumni who serve as judges, elected officials and community leaders. Thanks to Attorney General Yost, the CSU College of Law will distinguish itself as the region’s academic leader in preparing new generations of talented and expertly trained prosecutors ready to serve the State of Ohio as public servants.”
Also during the press conference, Fergus Gallagher, an assistant prosecuting attorney in Cuyahoga County and a 2024 graduate of CSU Law, talked about the importance of prosecutor training and public-service careers, the value of the hands-on training he received at the university, and the value to students of this new training program.
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Hannah Hundley: 614-906-9113
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