Throughout her career, the Foundation’s General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, Kiko Yee, has been passionate about empowering women and minorities, particularly in spaces where they are pushed to the margins. For her efforts in spearheading opportunities for women in leadership and her dedication to propelling women forward, Yee is a 2025 Women WELDing the [...]
When Shawn Organ was a partner at Jones Day, Columbus, and in charge of pro bono legal services and associate training, he saw the incredible value pro bono offered to associates in building professional experience. “It is a great feeling to ’give back,’ but [pro bono service] is also an excellent opportunity to get young [...]
Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE)'s new Executive Director, Makiedah Messam, brings diverse and impressive experiences to her service at ABLE. Having worked domestically and internationally in both nonprofit and government, Messam brings decades of experience in public interest law to ABLE, a Foundation-funded legal aid serving northwest and west-central Ohio. Jamaican-born Messam grew up [...]
For people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA), Nueva Luz Urban Resource Center (Nueva Luz) serves as a vital support system. Through holistic and wraparound services, including housing, nutrition, recovery, and legal services, Nueva Luz provides PLWHA the necessary resources to ensure they can live safe and healthy lives. The Foundation supports Nueva Luz by [...]
On June 5, the Foundation hosted a lunch and learn session at the Riffe Center for Ohio House legislative staff members eager to learn how Ohio’s legal aids can benefit constituents. Foundation Executive Director Angie Lloyd highlighted the resources available for constituents with civil legal needs, including Ohio’s legal aids, Ohio Legal Help, and the [...]
Ohio Legal Help, a Foundation grantee that leverages technology and innovation to help all Ohioans access the civil justice system, first expanded its content to a broader community when it launched a Spanish version of the site in 2022. Now, the nonprofit has added new content and a self-help tool for recent arrivals from Ukraine, [...]
From workforce development and community stabilization to individual stories of success, the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation drives access to justice across the diverse landscape of Ohio. The Foundation’s 2023 Annual Report details how each Foundation grant, initiative, and innovation accelerates the pace of positive change, paving the path toward a more just and equitable [...]
Attorney Debra Rothstein Clark has always been committed to serving others. During her long and accomplished career at the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, Rothstein Clark helped hundreds of low-income Ohioans access legal services, a commitment she has continued in retirement. For her extraordinary pro bono service to the Clermont County Domestic Relations Court, [...]
When members of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Central Ohio (APABA-CO) sought a volunteer opportunity to serve the Asian community, they didn’t have to look far. APABA-CO partnered with the Ohio Justice Bus, a mobile legal office, to volunteer for a legal clinic for Laotian immigrants. “This partnership was a perfect match,” said [...]
On May 7, the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation joined the Ohio State Bar Association to celebrate excellence in the legal profession. The Foundation presented the 2024 Voice of Justice Award to Representative Kevin Miller and the 2024 Presidential Award to Robin Bozian at the Ohio Bar Annual Meeting of Members at the Ohio Statehouse. [...]
