Thurner announces run for judge
Attorney Nicole Thurner announced Tuesday that she will seek the seat vacated by Judge Marilyn Horan on the Butler County Court of Common Pleas.
“This has always been my aspiration and after thoughtful consideration, I have decided to pursue this opportunity to serve where I began my law career, here in Butler County,” Turner said.
Originally from Washington County, Thurner, 31, of Mars moved in 2014 to Butler County, but the region was not foreign to her.
After graduating from Ohio State University and Capital University Law School, also in Ohio, Thurner launched her professional career as an attorney by serving as a judicial law clerk from February 2014 to May 2015 with Judge Kelley Streib in Butler County.
“I was able to see how Butler County's court system worked,” Thurner said. “I was able to observe the other attorneys and get a good feel for how family and juvenile practice worked in the county.”
Following her clerkship, Thurner began working with a small firm in Valencia, where she expanded it from a real property and estate practice to include a family and juvenile practice.
She purchased the firm in 2017 and has continued to own and operate it as a small practice, focusing primarily on family and juvenile law.
She currently serves as a parent advocate in many cases involving Children and Youth Services, and she is actively involved in the Family Engagement Initiative, a statewide initiative working toward the betterment of the child welfare system in Pennsylvania.
Thurner said her interest in family law began in college.
“I started off in law school even, working for our legal clinic, which focused on divorce and custody hearings for low income families,” she said.
Thurner said her experience aligns with that of the open position.
“I think it's important to have that background and that experience,” she said.
Thurner said she also brings new ideas to the table.
“One of my ideas is to start a behavioral health court in our community,” she said. “It would really help juveniles (who) are in the system to have more support than they would have in the system.”
Thurner said she finds community involvement also important.
Thurner serves as secretary of the board of directors of the Penn Theater Performance Company and Associated Artists of Butler County, and serves as solicitor, pro bono, for the Butler County Humane Society.
She serves as a council member of the Butler County Drug and Alcohol Council, and she has acted as president of the Young Lawyers' Division of the Butler County Bar Association.
Thurner is a member of the Rotary Club of Butler A.M., and is the co-chairwoman of the Wills for Heroes program held each year at the Butler County Community College.
“I think it's incredibly important to be involved in the community, no matter where you're at professionally,” Thurner said. “As a judge, I think it's very important to continue the involvement to help the community be the best that it can be.”
