Judge Michael W. Rickett
Judge Michael W. Rickett was born and raised in Wayne County, Ohio. He is a 1996 graduate of Wooster High School where he played on the soccer and lacrosse teams. In 2000, he received his Bachelor’s Degree from Wheaton College (IL) and his Juris Doctorate Degree from The University of Akron School of Law in 2004.
From 2004-2005, Michael served as a Federal Law Clerk for The Honorable Randolph Baxter (Ret.), Chief Judge of The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
Michael previously served for nearly 12 years as a criminal prosecutor having tried over 40 felony jury trials.
From 2006-2011, he was employed as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office in both the Juvenile and Felony Divisions.
From 2011-2012, he served in the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office as the Juvenile Division Supervisor where he prosecuted Abuse, Neglect and Dependency cases, as well as Delinquency matters.
From 2012-2016, Michael again worked for the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office Felony Division.
In 2016, he returned to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office as the Chief Criminal Prosecutor where he handled primarily felony cases. In addition to supervising the Felony and Misdemeanor Divisions of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, Michael served as the Law Enforcement Liaison where he provided legal advice and training to various departments in the County. He has also served as a Magistrate for Mount Eaton, Marshallville, Shreve and West Salem’s Mayor’s Courts.
He has also served for over ten years as an Adjunct Professor at The University of Akron School of Law teaching Trial Advocacy I and II. Michael is a former Adjunct Instructor at The Ohio State University (ATI) where he taught a course in Business Law.
Judge Nathan R. Shaker
Judge Nathan R. Shaker was appointed Judge of Wayne County Municipal Court in May of 2023. Prior to his appointment, Judge Shaker served as magistrate for the Wayne County Municipal Court for nearly five years. As magistrate, he presided over the court’s civil docket, as well as, conducting traffic and criminal arraignments and bench trials.
Prior to his appointment as magistrate, Judge Shaker worked in the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office where he was promoted to First Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in 2015. In addition to supervising the prosecutor’s office staff and preparing the office’s budget, Judge Shaker handled the office’s appellate and complex litigation work. Judge Shaker also served as Criminal Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office in both the Misdemeanor and Felony Divisions.
Outside of public service, Judge Shaker worked as an associate with Gary Lieberman Co., L.P.A., a small law firm focused on real estate and business litigation. Judge Shaker further worked advising corporate clients in regulatory compliance and business matters as a research associate for State and Federal Communications Inc. and Richland Pediatrics, Inc. While in law school, Judge Shaker served as a law clerk for the Honorable K.J. Montgomery of the Shaker Heights Municipal Court.
Judge Shaker received his Bachelor’s degree from John Carroll University in 2002 and his Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in 2005. Judge Shaker also earned a Master in Business Administration degree from Cleveland State University in 2009.