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 [...]
At Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE), Katie Kersh is a senior attorney and project director. A critical member of the Agricultural Worker and Immigrant Rights Practice Group, Kersh represents immigrants in federal court and class action lawsuits and advises on legal matters related to immigration, including U Visa applications, asylum, naturalization, and inadmissibility waivers. [...]
The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation’s directors serve from across the state and are committed to improving access to justice. Read more board member profiles. What part of your professional background best informs your service on the Foundation’s board? When I started my career, I worked for a very large Cleveland law firm. One of [...]
The Foundation is excited to welcome, Amanda Blake, the Program Manager for the Ohio Justice Bus! Amanda is a social worker who previously worked as the Director of Intensive Rapid Rehousing Plus for the Homeless Families Foundation. Q: What led you to this career? To put it simply, the innate desire to help people. Growing [...]
At the end of his two-year tenure with the Ohio Justice Bus, Jack Maib can look back knowing that he made an impact. As the Ohio Justice Bus Justice for All Fellow, Maib shepherded the Bus through various pandemic-related challenges, ensuring the Bus continued its mission of helping low-income Ohioans around the state access civil [...]
The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation’s Board of Directors serve from across the state and are committed to improving access to justice. Meet Board Member Chris Davey, president and founder of The Davey Group. What do you admire most about the mission of the Foundation? Since we expanded our thinking and began to think of [...]
The Foundation is excited to welcome Matt Gilligan, our new Data Analyst! Matt comes to us from Pickerington, Ohio. He is a recent graduate of Ohio University, where he double majored in Management Information Systems and Business Analytics. Q: What do you like to do in your free time? In my free time I like [...]
Peggy Lee is a senior housing attorney with Southeastern Ohio Legal Services (SEOLS) where she focuses on landlord-tenant and foreclosure cases. As SEOLS Housing Team Leader and a national expert on consumer and housing topics, Peggy often invests time educating other attorneys through written advocacy, trainings, and presentations. Peggy’s colleagues describe her as a creative [...]
