Katie Kersh has years of experience working with the immigrant community in Dayton as an attorney with Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE). When she became project director of a new community lawyering initiative at ABLE in 2019, it was the perfect opportunity to marry her legal experience with a new approach to building social [...]
When it comes to accessing legal information and resources, language should never be a barrier. The Migration Policy Institute estimates that roughly 24.8% of Ohio’s Spanish-speaking households — approximately 62,000 people — live below 100% of the federal poverty level. Ohio Legal Help, a Foundation grantee that leverages technology and innovation to improve justice and [...]
When Lilly Cavanaugh accepted the invitation to join the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, she was already familiar with the Foundation’s work. As Executive Director of the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission, Cavanaugh understood the value of access to civil legal services, particularly for new Americans, and the role the [...]
Jill Stewart,* a proud member of the National Guard and a foster mom, struggled to find steady employment during the pandemic, fell behind on her rent, and faced an eviction. Like thousands of low-income Ohioans, Ms. Stewart contacted her local legal aid for help. Legal aid helped Ms. Stewart access Ohio's rental assistance program so [...]
The Foundation is excited to welcome Ellie Preston, our new Executive Assistant! Ellie is a native of Columbus, Ohio. Ellie is an experienced non-profit administrator who previously worked at Bridgeway Academy, a nonprofit education center serving children with autism and developmental disabilities. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? I am a big fan [...]
In late July, the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation convened a new, standing committee, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. The committee is composed of a handful of Foundation board members and other leaders from around the state who represent organizations ranging from the private bar to Ohio’s Black Judges Association to the Ohio Commission [...]
Many people spend a lifetime searching for a job that complements their strengths, offers professional development and support, and contributes to the greater good. Ohio Access to Justice Foundation Justice for All Fellows check all boxes thanks to the Foundation’s innovative fellowship program. Since 1999, the Foundation has funded 88 Fellows to develop and execute [...]
The results are in from the new partnership between the Ohio Justice Bus and Ohio Kinship and Adoption Navigator (OhioKAN). The organizations teamed up this summer to help families with legal issues related to kinship care and adoption, traveling the state to host legal clinics in 21 Ohio counties. The first-ever collaboration concluded with encouraging [...]
When Mary Asbury became the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati in 1988, she considered herself fortunate to take over an organization that already had an established strategic planning process. Every four years, Legal Aid reaches out to community members to determine the most critical legal needs, a process that has [...]
For law students just starting their legal career, a clerkship funded by the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation offers professional experience, networking opportunities, and personal growth. This June, to help law students get the most out of their clerkship, the Foundation teamed up with Barnes & Thornburg to host a Diversity Summer Clerkship Panel. Justice [...]
