Judge Paula Francisco Ott was born on September 17, 1950 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Delaware (1972); her Juris Doctor (1975) and Master of Laws in Taxation (1981) from Temple University School of Law.
Judge Ott began her legal career in public service, first as an Assistant District Attorney in Chester County (1975-1978) then as an Assistant County Solicitor in Chester County (1978-1980). From 1981-1992, she was a partner in the law firm of Gawthrop, Greenwood & Halsted, West Chester, Pennsylvania, where she enjoyed a general legal practice with concentration in the areas of business transactions, real estate, tax law, estate planning and estate administration. In 1991, Judge Ott became the first woman elected to the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County, where she was subsequently retained in 2001. In 2005, Judge Ott was elected President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County. In 2009, she was elected to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.
Judge Ott is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Chester County Bar Association, and the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges.
Judge Ott serves on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Elder Law Task Force, and is Co-Chair of its Guardianship Monitoring Committee, and is a member of the Joint State Government Commission Advisory Committee on Decedents’ Estates Laws. She is a former member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Orphans’ Court Rules Committee (2004-2010), former President of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges (2003-2004) and co-chaired the President Judges’ Committee (2005-2009). Judge Ott has also served on committees that promote best practices in the judicial system, such as the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Commission for Justice Initiatives, the Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Court Reporting and Transcripts and the Implementation Committee of the Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness.
Judge Ott’s service to the citizens of Chester County was recognized when she received the March of Dimes Woman of Achievement Award for Public Service in 1993. She remains active in her community as a member of the West Chester Rotary Club and as a Trustee of the Chester County Hospital Foundation.