When Kim Shumate was a young attorney serving as co-chair of the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Task Force on Pro Se and Indigent Litigants, she had the opportunity to get to know the late Chief Justice Thomas Moyer. The Chief Justice, impressed by Shumate’s dedication to access to justice, appointed her in 2005 to the [...]
Each year, the Supreme Court of Ohio and the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation partner to ask Ohio attorneys to report pro bono hours and financial contributions to charitable legal organizations. The Foundation is pleased to share that the survey to report 2022 hours is now live. Reporting your hours is critical to our ability [...]
The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, the largest funder of civil legal services in Ohio, has announced funding awards for 19 nonprofit legal service providers totaling $2.79 million. The Foundation is granting more than $1.64 million to nonprofits to shore up funding diminished by the pandemic and to support new special projects to address the [...]
The Foundation is proud to celebrate Women’s History Month in March. Women’s History Month celebrates the rich legacy and contribution of the countless women who have fought for equality and justice nationwide. The Foundation is pleased to acknowledge the many women across the state of Ohio who are leaders, advocates, and change agents committed to [...]
Judge Carla Baldwin has a metaphor she likes to use when she talks about the Youngstown Municipal Court, where she presides as the first Black female judge elected to serve in the court’s history. “We are the ER of the judicial system,” she said. “We get everything first, and then we have to triage it [...]
Equality Ohio is a statewide nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure lived and legal equality for LGBTQ+ Ohioans. Through advocacy, community outreach, and civil legal services, Equality Ohio works to create an Ohio where LGBTQ+ people are thriving. The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation supports Equality Ohio through funding for their civil legal services [...]
The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation presents the Presidential Award annually to individuals, law firms, or organizations that have made outstanding efforts to improve access to justice in Ohio. Since 1996, the Foundation has honored leaders in pro bono who play an indispensable role in helping Ohioans address civil legal issues that impact health, safety, [...]
Today’s financial institutions go far beyond deposits and lending. Ohio’s modern financial institutions are innovators, business drivers, and neighborhood champions that invest in communities to make Ohio a better place to work and live. Through its new Prime Partner Program, the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation is a natural partner to financial institutions that seek [...]
The Ohio Justice Bus joined a prestigious group last week when it received the American Bar Association Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division Difference Maker Award in the Pro Bono category. The ABA GPSolo committee selected the Ohio Justice Bus for its work traveling the state to deliver civil legal services to low-income and [...]
Mercedes Thompson and Lucinda Weller have a long history of working with domestic violence survivors. Thompson, a domestic violence advocate and paralegal with Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO), and Weller, the managing attorney of LAWO’s Stability and Independence for Survivors Practice Group, have dedicated their careers to helping survivors achieve safety and stability through [...]
