About Hamilton County Probate Court

Ralph (Ted) Winkler

Judge, Probate Court of Hamilton County, Ohio

Judge Winkler has served as the Hamilton County Probate Court Judge since 2015. He was reelected to a second term in November 2020. As Probate Judge, Judge Winkler presides over cases involving adoptions, estates, guardianship, mental health, marriage licenses, name changes, and other probate matters, many of which concern families in some way. Judge Winkler is honored to hold this position of public trust and his mission is to ensure that Probate Court delivers access to justice with dignity and respect for all.

Prior to serving as the Probate Court Judge, Judge Winkler served as a Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge in the General Division from 2004 until 2015. In 2015, Judge Winkler was awarded the Golden Gavel Award for his faithful service as a Common Pleas Judge by the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association. In 2008, he was named Trial Judge of the Year by the Hamilton County Trial Lawyers Association. Judge Winkler started his Judicial career as a Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge, where he served from 1999 until he was elected to the Common Pleas Court. Judge Winkler has presided over 150,000 cases since he started as a judge in 1999, providing him extensive experience in a wide variety of legal matters.

Before becoming a judge, Judge Winkler was a Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor and in private practice where he first started his work on probate matters. Judge Winkler graduated from Chase Law School at Northern Kentucky University in 1987. He earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration at the University of Cincinnati in 1983.

Over his extensive legal career in the courtroom and 24 years of judicial service, Judge Winkler saw the devastating impact of crime and broken families. This experience, along with personal experience, shaped Judge Winkler’s long-standing professional dream to serve as Hamilton County’s Adoption Judge. As the Hamilton County Probate Judge, Judge Winkler has had the great honor and privilege to serve Hamilton County by helping to put children and parents together in forever families.

Outside of the courtroom, Judge Winkler is actively involved in many community programs in Hamilton County and professional organizations.

Since 2015, Judge Winkler has been involved with Wills for First Responders. This program was born out of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack in New York City. At the time, just a handful of police, firefighters, and port authority personnel who responded to that crisis had wills. At the Wills for First Responder events, police, firefighters, and their families meet with an attorney at no charge, where a basic will, living will, health care power of attorney, and other forms are printed, explained and notarized. These events provide each family savings of approximately $1,500 in attorney's fees and most of all peace of mind for loved ones. Judge Winkler participates in these events throughout the year and has proudly helped over 4,000 heroes and their families.

Judge Winkler collaborated with Hamilton County Recorder Scott Crowley, in 2023, to bring the Good Deeds Program to Hamilton County. This exciting new program helps Hamilton County residents better understand probate issues regarding their property transfers. The goal of the effort is to help homeowners and residents identify if their current deed and other assets (e.g., bank accounts, cars) will require transfer through probate court upon death, and to consider less expensive and time-consuming alternatives to a probate transfer.

Judge Winkler was named a "Hometown Hero" by the Colerain Chamber of Commerce in 2022; he serves on the Melanoma Know More Board of Directors; he enjoys sponsoring a class in the Greater Cincinnati Adopt-A-Class program and doing charity work in our community.

Judge Winkler is a member of: the Ohio Association of Probate Judges; the National College of Probate Judges; the American Judges Association; the Ohio Judicial College; the Cincinnati Bar Association; the Ohio State Bar Association; and, the Ohio Guardianship Association.

Judge Ralph Winkler is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati, Ohio. He has been married to his beloved wife Teresa for over 40 years, and has three daughters, and seven grandchildren.

Meet the Magistrates

The Honorable Susan M. Luken

Magistrate and Assistant Court Administrator

Susan M. Luken was appointed as a Magistrate and as the Assistant Court Administrator of the Hamilton County Probate Court on March 22, 2023. With 20 years of public service in Hamilton County Courts, Magistrate Luken is known as a leader and a trusted advisor.

After obtaining her law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2002, Magistrate Luken practiced commercial litigation at Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP. Feeling called to public service, in 2006 Magistrate Luken left private practice and began her public service career in the Hamilton County Courts as a Law Clerk in the Common Pleas General Division. In 2011, Magistrate Luken was appointed as a Juvenile Court Magistrate where she presided over delinquency, child custody, paternity and child support cases. She found her time in Juvenile Court helping children and families some of the most fulfilling work of her career. Magistrate Luken was working at Juvenile Court when she was recruited to join the Common Pleas General Division as the Assistant Court Administrator in October 2012. She served in that position for almost 10 years working closely with judges, and other county officials on policies, court operations, and wide ranging legal, budgetary, personnel, and safety issues. In 2021, Magistrate Luken returned to Juvenile Court in a role she always loved – serving families and children as a magistrate.

In 2023, Magistrate Luken began her current role at the Hamilton County Probate Court where she is able to draw on her experience as both a court administrator and a magistrate helping families, children and individuals achieve safe, stable and fulfilling lives. As a magistrate for the court’s mental health cases, Magistrate Luken hears cases involving court-ordered treatment to help individuals with significant mental illness. Magistrate Luken also helps create forever families presiding over the court’s adoption proceedings. With her Juvenile Court background, she is particularly inspired by foster-to-adopt cases and their remarkable stories of perseverance, giving, and love. In all cases, Magistrate Luken shares Judge Winkler’s mission to ensure every person who comes before the Court is treated with fairness, dignity and respect.

Magistrate Luken was born and raised in Cincinnati in a working-class family. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati. After taking a break to start a family, she earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where she was selected for Law Review. Magistrate Luken is admitted to the Ohio Bar and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. She is a member of the Ohio Magistrates Association, the Ohio Association for Court Administration, and the Cincinnati Bar Association. She is an active member of her Episcopal parish.

The Honorable Rogena Stargel

Magistrate

Rogena Stargel was appointed as a Magistrate April 10, 1995. Prior to her appointment Magistrate Stargel worked as controller for a heavy and highway construction company and was also engaged in private practice. She is a graduate of Walnut Hills High School, Mount Holyoke College (A.B. 1979, Political Science and Economics) and the University of Cincinnati College of Law (Juris Doctorate 1982). Magistrate Stargel is a member of the Cincinnati Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Association, Black Lawyers Association of Cincinnati and the Ohio Association of Magistrates. She has served as a member of the City of Cincinnati EEO Advisory Review Board, Trustee of the Cincinnati Bar Association, member of the Cincinnati Bar Association Professionalism Committee, Past Chairperson of the Greater Cincinnati YMCA Black Achievers Program Steering Committee, Program Advisor, YMCA Black Achievers Youth in Government Program, member of the Branch Operations Council of the Greater Cincinnati YMCA, Vice President, Union Baptist Church Pioneer Housing, Inc. Board, Trustee of the Washington Park Neighborhood Housing Corporation, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Union Baptist Church, Trustee of The Union Foundation, Trustee of T.E.A.M.works, member of the Paralegal Advisory Board, Mount Saint Joseph University and Branch Board member of the Carl H. Lindner YMCA (now known as the CHL Impact Center). Magistrate Stargel has also served as an adjunct professor for Mount Saint Joseph University.

The Honorable Kendal M. Coes

Magistrate

Kendal M. Coes earned his B.A. Degree from Oakwood University in 1990 and his Juris Doctor’s Degree from The Ohio State University in 1993. He began his Public Service as an Asst. Prosecutor for the City Of Cincinnati, and did so until 1998. From 1998 until February, 2005, he served as a Magistrate in the Hamilton County Court Of Domestic Relations. In February 2005 he was appointed Judge in the Hamilton County Municipal Court. In December 2005 he began his service in the Hamilton County Probate Court. Magistrate Coes has presided over thousands of cases. He is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Cincinnati Bar Association, and the Ohio Association Of Magistrates. He loves to read and is an avid golfer. Magistrate Coes and his wife Diana have been married for over 30 years and share a 21-year old son, Andrew.

The Honorable Karen D. Rosen

Magistrate

Magistrate Karen Rosen was born and raised in Cincinnati. She attended Sycamore High School and Miami University before obtaining her Juris Doctorate from the University of Akron in 1991. She passed the Ohio Bar Exam and received her law license in November 1991. Karen also passed the federal bar exam at that time. In December 1991, she began working for Hamilton County. Karen spent many years with the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office working in the Juvenile Court and Domestic Relations Court representing Jobs and Family Services in child support cases as well as abuse, neglect and dependency cases. She also spent time working in the juvenile delinquency division. In 2008, Karen was appointed a Magistrate with the Hamilton County Probate Court. She enjoys her job and believes she is extremely fortunate to be working with such an exceptional group of people. Now that she has the opportunity to preside over adoptions she feels that she has really come full circle from where she started out.

The Honorable Mark G. Waters

Magistrate

Mark Waters is a Magistrate for the Probate Court. He is a graduate of Xavier University (B.A.), the University of Cincinnati (M.B.A.), and the Ohio State University College of Law (J.D.). His work experience includes seven years with the Ford Motor Company, twenty years as a Hamilton County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, five years as the Administrator of the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, and four years as the Assistant Administrator of the First District Court of Appeals. In addition, he served his local community of Cheviot as the Law Director for twenty-one years and as the President of Council for four years. He is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Cincinnati Bar Association, the Cheviot Community Foundation, and the Southern Ohio Dog and Game Protective Association. He and his wife Martha have three children.

The Honorable Paul Rattermann

Chief Magistrate

Paul D. Rattermann is a Magistrate of the Hamilton County Probate Court. Before joining the Court in 2003, he was in private practice for 17 years and was a partner in the firm of Statman, Harris and Eyrich. His practice concentrated in probate administration, estate planning and credit union law. He is a 1985 graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law. He is a member of the Ohio and Cincinnati Bar Associations and the Ohio Association of Magistrates. He currently serves on the Continuing Education Planning Committee of the Judicial College and has volunteered on subcommittees of the Probate Law and Practice Committee. He previously was elected to serve as a Green Township Trustee and served as Chairman of the Board in 2002. He also served on the Committee of Management of the Clippard YMCA, the Board of Trustees of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science and the Board of Trustees of Madcap Productions.