Nearly 70 percent of attorneys participating in the Supreme Court of Ohio’s voluntary reporting of pro bono activities stated they provided pro bono legal services to at-need Ohioans during 2013.
Since 2009, the Supreme Court has requested annually that attorneys report pro bono legal services and charitable contributions to Ohio organizations providing legal services to persons of limited means for the preceding year. The reporting process is voluntary.
Attorneys who took part in pro bono reporting averaged about 30 hours of pro bono legal services in 2013, according to a report delivered to the Supreme Court by the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, which collects the information in conjunction with the court.
Most of the pro bono legal services were provided in matters involving family law; wills and probate; employment law; and property law, including foreclosures and evictions.
The information collected through voluntary pro bono reporting is used by the Supreme Court, bar associations and legal aids to improve legal services to Ohioans who cannot afford to hire an attorney for a non-criminal legal problem.
“The voluntary pro bono reporting results for 2013 show that Ohio attorneys continue to step up,” said Angela M. Lloyd, Executive Director for the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation.
“By donating pro bono legal help to at-need Ohioans, lawyers provide a voice to those who would otherwise not be heard, for legal problems that affect people deeply. Lawyers are the best chance in-need Ohioans have for finding justice.”