Furry goats, a friendly cow, and a couple of cheery alpacas; lucky students at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law got a relaxing reprieve from finals preparation on Dec. 8 at a petting zoo event hosted by the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation and the Ohio State Bar Association. “We heard from law [...]
2025 – what a year it’s been! At the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, we spent 2025 executing our new mission, to help ensure that Ohioans who are low-income or who lack access can fully and fairly participate in civil systems that produce just outcomes. At the beginning of the year, the Foundation added new [...]
Ohio Access to Justice Foundation founding board member Bill Weisenberg left New York City after law school for the AmeriCorps VISTA program, arriving in Ohio in 1969 ready to get to work. Assigned to The Legal Aid Society of Columbus, Weisenberg spent a year at legal aid before moving into private practice. His experience at [...]
The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, the largest funder of civil legal services in Ohio, has announced funding awards to nonprofit civil legal service providers across the state totaling more than $7.2 million. “It is an honor to invest in the vital work of Ohio’s civil legal service providers, who help low-income Ohioans and strengthen [...]
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Sept. 18, 2025) – Attorney Maria A. Smith is the 2025 recipient of the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation Denis J. Murphy Award. The Foundation presents the Murphy Award annually to recognize outstanding leadership and advocacy within Ohio’s legal aids. Throughout her 40-year career at The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Smith has [...]
For people carrying criminal convictions from minor offenses, a clean record is often the key to new pathways to employment and a second chance. Foundation grantee LegalWorks, a nonprofit based in Cleveland, Ohio, helps low-income clients overcome the barriers of past convictions through record sealing and expungement, giving them the chance to start fresh. The [...]
When Foundation board member Judge Bill Klatt was a student at Notre Dame Law School, he dreamed of becoming a judge. “I thought I would really enjoy serving the community in that way,” he said. “But of course, I had no idea how someone becomes a judge.” Along the path to reaching his goal, Judge [...]
Since 1994, the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation has funded two-year fellowships for attorneys seeking to make a difference in Ohio’s civil justice system by addressing urgent legal problems facing Ohioans. Justice for All Fellows (JFA Fellows) partner with host organizations to design innovative projects that explore new ways to help low-income Ohioans with civil [...]
For nearly 20 years, Colleen Cotter has led The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland through tremendous transformation and growth. Under her leadership, Cleveland Legal Aid has championed a collaborative, relationship-building approach that’s netted fruitful partnerships with groups as varied as the Cleveland Clinic, The MetroHealth System, University Hospitals, Cleveland Public Library, other nonprofits and local [...]
Each spring, the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation joins legal leaders from around Ohio and the country at the American Bar Association’s ABA Day in Washington, D.C. The event brings together leaders of the ABA, and state and local bars, to advocate on Capitol Hill on issues of importance to the legal profession. ABA Day [...]
