Terri is a 1976 graduate of Shawnee High School in Springfield, Ohio, attended Wittenberg University and graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1981. She attended the University of Dayton School of Law from 1985 - 1988 and obtained her law degree in May of 1988. In 1988, subsequent to graduating from law school and passing the bar, she began practicing law with her father, Paul Malina, in Springfield, Ohio. For almost forty years, Paul practiced law in Springfield and various other Ohio counties. He was an experienced trial lawyer, tried cases in many Ohio counties and had a reputation for his dedication, knowledge of the law and tremendous skill as a trial lawyer.