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 [...]
Every day, Southeastern Ohio Legal Services (SEOLS) Pro Bono Coordinator Patricia Vargas Vegas is amazed at the grit and tenacity of the private attorneys who commit to pro bono service. “The fact that they find time out of their busy lives to do pro bono work while having a full-time job is amazing. They’re wonderful [...]
Connecting Central Ohioans to resources that encourage and help them advocate for themselves is one of the things that Legal Aid Society of Columbus Pro Bono Coordinator Kayla Callahan loves most about working at legal aid. But as passionate as she is now, Callahan was not always sure of the career path she would take. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
