Amber Kerek of Hudson beat out 25 applicants to be the city's newest assistant law director.

The Stow Law Department went without an assistant since Jan. 7 when Kelley Bryan left to go into private practice — until yesterday, Kerek's first day on the job.

"I was very impressed by the city itself. The community is tightly knit and very involved in its own governance, and full of people who are always seeking to make their already great community a better place," said Kerek. "As an assistant law director, part of my job is to do just that ... help them in their quest. Working in a great community like Stow is a wonderful opportunity because I get a chance to work for and with people who geniunely believe in the same things."

Kerek, 26, was selected because "she brings an incredibly strong academic background with a wide range of diverse legal experience through law school and the present," said Law Director Brian Reali. "She brings great research and writing skills as well as criminal court experience. Also, and just as importantly, if not more so, she will be a great representative of our department to the community.  I think our citizens will find her responsive and approachable- from talking with her, she really strikes you as a people-person."

Kerek has a law degree from The Ohio State University, a bachelor's degree from Miami University of Ohio and was the law clerk for the Summit County Prosecutor's Office. 

"During law school I held several different internships including working as an intern in D.C. for the Consumer Federation of America, the Ohio Consumer's Counsel in Columbus, and as a judicial extern for the Honorable Judge Laurel Beatty of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas," said Kerek.

The assistant law director will make $31.10 an hour, according to Finance Director John Baranek. 

"She will work in all aspects of municipal law and work with all city departments. She will provide research, writing and be present at public meetings. She will also have duties to prosecute in the municipal court," said Reali. 

Kerek said she was looking forward to her first day of work Feb. 7 and said her first goal is to "simply help make the city's legal department better and more efficient as a whole. Stow has a great law director with great ideas, and I just plan to do my best to help him achieve his goals for the department."