The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation is solicitating proposals for a consultant to support the work of the Foundation’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. The Foundation Board committed in its 2020 Strategic Plan to use the Foundation’s statewide reach and capacity “to work to ensure that our strategies and actions promote diversity and equity [...]
The Supreme Court of Ohio and the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation are pleased to launch the 2021 pro bono reporting survey. The Court and the Foundation ask attorneys to report hours of pro bono legal services completed and the amount of contributions to charitable legal organizations in Ohio during 2021. Attorneys can complete the [...]
Lawyers have unique skills that make a real difference in the lives of Ohioans. The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation’s New Admittee Pro Bono Challenge puts those skills to the test. The Challenge – a new initiative from the Foundation to bolster interest in pro bono service – encourages fall 2021 admittees to the Ohio Bar [...]
The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation Presidential Award is presented annually to individuals, law firms, or organizations that have made outstanding efforts in improving access to justice in Ohio. Past recipients include: Janica Pierce Tucker (2021) for her service on the board of the Legal Aid Society of Columbus, and her work creating and volunteering [...]
Lauren Gilbride, managing attorney of The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland’s Intake Department and Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP), had a lightbulb moment while interning during high school and college for the Visiting Nurse Association. Her beloved aunt headed the mental health unit at the association and connected Gilbride with a job there. “It gave me [...]
Dianna Parker, director of pro bono and community engagement for the Ohio State Legal Services Association (OSLSA), has always held Central Ohio’s legal community in high esteem. Her volunteers are the lawyers who have a track record of stepping up to the plate, providing pro bono service, and supporting legal aid’s mission through various volunteer [...]
Managing a pro bono program has its challenges in the best of times, but for Kelly Henrici, executive director of the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project (GDVLP), there have been an extraordinary number of obstacles in recent years. In 2019, multiple tornados ripped through the Dayton area, causing severe damage and devastating the community. Shortly [...]
Ken Mirkin, managing attorney of Community Legal Aid’s Volunteer Legal Services Program (VLSP), understands the pro bono experience because he’s been there. In 2010, Mirkin started his legal aid career as a volunteer, helping low-income northeast Ohioans navigate the foreclosure crisis. “I was really drawn to helping people stay in their homes,” he said. “It [...]
Missy LaRocco, pro bono director at Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO), was supposed to head to Syracuse in New York for law school. Instead, she changed her plans to attend Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law when her grandpa became sick. Staying close to home to help her family was more important. LaRocco’s [...]
Through the support of the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Foundation is pleased to share the results of this year’s pro bono reporting survey. For the 2020 reporting period, Ohio attorneys reported 98,783 pro bono hours valued at more than $24.6 million, with financial contributions of $1,488,865. The average number of pro bono hours per [...]
