About Michael J.
Michael J. Wartko built his legal career on steady work in local courts and community service. He arrived at law through a conventional path: an undergraduate degree in political science followed by law school. The thread running through his career is courtroom practice tied to court-appointed roles.
Wartko earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Mount Union College in 2006. He then attended Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and received his J.D. in 2009. Those academic steps placed him on the ground in Ohio’s legal community soon after graduation.
Early in his career he worked as an intern in the Canton Law Department in 2009. That same year he opened a solo practice under the name Michael J. Wartko, Lawyer at Law. Three years later he joined Ashton Wartko & Wilgus, LLC as a partner. The move cemented his place in a small-firm environment where he handles filings, hearings and client consultations on matters routed through local courts.
Wartko holds CASA certification and has served as a Guardian ad Litem since 2012. He is a member of the Scanlon-Bell Inn of Court, joining that organization in 2013, and he has been a member of the Akron Bar Association since 2010. Those affiliations keep him engaged with continuing legal education and with peers who practice in the same courts and case types.
His work has a practical, procedural character. He accepts court appointments and appears in Ohio courts on matters where a neutral or advocate is required for a child’s interest. That role requires reports, court hearings, and coordination with social services and family law practitioners. He also handles matters that arise from private practice, drawing on courtroom experience developed over years in the region.
As of 2026, Wartko practices in Ohio and serves as a partner at Ashton Wartko & Wilgus, LLC. He continues to take CASA assignments and to represent clients and court-appointed interests in local courts. His current practice includes court-appointed representation as a guardian ad litem and other matters brought before Ohio courts.
