Nailah K. Byrd, Clerk of Courts, Cuyahoga County
nbyrd@cuyahogacounty.gov

Nailah K. Byrd has served as the Clerk of Courts for Cuyahoga County since February 24, 2015. In this role she performs all statutory duties relative to the filing, preservation, retrieval and public dissemination of all applicable court documents and records pertaining to the Common Pleas Court’s General and Domestic Relations Divisions and the Court of Appeals, Eighth Appellate District. Prior to that, Ms. Byrd served as Cuyahoga County’s first Inspector General where she was responsible for investigating waste, fraud and abuse in Cuyahoga County and served as the County’s Chief Ethics Officer. She has a wealth of experience in both criminal prosecution and civil litigation.

Ms. Byrd previously worked as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office. Prior to that, she practiced law in the litigation group at the international law firm of Squire Sanders & Dempsey, and then served as senior counsel at National City Bank/PNC, where she managed outside litigation counsel. Ms. Byrd is admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Ohio. She started her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in New York County after graduating from law school. In March 2013, Ms. Byrd successfully completed the training and examination to earn the designation of Certified Inspector General by the Professional Certification Board of the Association of Inspectors General.

Ms. Byrd is a graduate of the 2004 Bridge Builders class, the 2014 Leadership Cleveland Class and a member of Kaleidoscope Magazine’s 40 under 40. She previously served on the Magistrate Selection Committee for the Northern District of Ohio. She has been recognized as a top lawyer in Ohio Super Lawyers Magazine and was selected by Crain’s Cleveland Business Magazine as a 2011 Women of Note finalist. In 2011, Ms. Byrd was also honored by the Northeast Ohio African American Library and Cultural Center in their annual Young, Gifted, and Black with ties to Black History Program. Cleveland Magazine selected her as one of the Most Interesting People of 2012. She previously served on the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association Nominating Committee. She also serves on the Advisory Committee for Ohio Legal Help and is a member of the NICS Working Group established by former Governor Kasich and Governor DeWine’s Warrant Task Force. Additionally, Ms. Byrd has been asked to serve as a speaker, moderator and panelist for a number of organizations to discuss topics such as women, diversity, and law. Ms. Byrd lives with her husband, Ed, and their twin sons Jalen and Khalil.