Judge Charles L. Pater was born in Hamilton, Ohio and educated in its public schools. He was salutatorian of his graduating class, in 1968. He was captain of the football and track teams, an all-state linebacker, and two-time district shot put champion. He played in the Ohio All-Star football game, and was named co-captain of the southern squad. In January, 2005, he was inducted into the Hamilton City Schools Athletic Hall of Fame.

Judge Pater attended Northwestern University where he was tri-captain of the freshman football team. After one year he transferred to Cincinnati Christian University (known as Cincinnati Bible Seminary in those days). There he earned a B.A. in Bible and theology and an M.A. in New Testament. He then earned an M.A.T. in history at Miami University.

Judge Pater taught and coached in the New Miami and Hamilton public schools for eighteen years. While teaching he attended Chase College of Law, earning his Juris Doctorate in 1992.

Judge Pater served for three years the civil division of the Butler County Prosecutor’s office, first in child support enforcement, then as in-house counsel for the Butler County Mental Health Board. He maintained a private law practice at that time, focusing on estate planning and administration.

From 1997 through 2002 Judge Pater was magistrate of the Butler County Probate Court. He served for three years as chair of the probate section of the Ohio Association of Magistrates, publishing several articles on probate law in The Ohio Association of Magistrates Newsletter. He also lectured frequently at conferences sponsored by the association and by the Ohio Judicial College.

Judge Pater was elected to his current position in 2002, then again in 2008. He is a member of the Butler County Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Ohio Judicial Conference, and the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association. Judge Pater is also a member of the Butler County Criminal Justice Board and the Civil Law and Procedure Committee of the Ohio Judicial Conference, as well as a former member of the Supreme Court Historical Society. He serves also on the Judicial Advisory Board which oversees the work of the Community Correctional Center, located in Lebanon and serving Butler, Warren, and Clermont Counties. He routinely volunteers as a judge for high school and college mock trial competitions.