When Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO) Executive Director Kevin Mulder leaves his office for the last time in early December, he’ll conclude more than three decades of service at legal aid, including 24 years as LAWO’s leader. Having guided LAWO through recessions, administrative changes, and a pandemic, he’s earned a well-deserved break. “I love [...]
Thanks to the Foundation’s Neighborhood Stabilization Grant Program, funded through Attorney Unclaimed Funds, Ohio’s legal aids provide legal work across the state to address housing needs. With the Nov. 1 deadline to report unclaimed funds quickly approaching, Ohio attorneys can transform the requirement to report unclaimed client funds into an opportunity to direct dollars to life-changing [...]
The Foundation is pleased to welcome Robby Southers as policy and justice initiatives counsel. In this newly created role, Southers will lead and support legal and policy initiatives that drive systemic change. Through advocacy and broad coalition-building, Southers will work to improve opportunities for low-income Ohioans to fully and fairly participate in civil systems that [...]
October is Pro Bono Month, a time to highlight the need for pro bono service and to celebrate the attorneys who dedicate their time and talent to helping low-income Ohioans resolve civil legal challenges. Attorneys ready to volunteer can visit Pro Bono Ohio, a new online platform from the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation that [...]
For the fifth year in a row, the Foundation is partnering with the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) to provide grants to Ohio’s legal aid organizations to support critical legal services for domestic relations cases. AAML, an organization dedicated to family law and a long-time supporter of legal aid, has [...]
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Sept. 18, 2025) – Attorney Maria A. Smith is the 2025 recipient of the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation Denis J. Murphy Award. The Foundation presents the Murphy Award annually to recognize outstanding leadership and advocacy within Ohio’s legal aids. Throughout her 40-year career at The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Smith has [...]
Effective April 12, 2021, Ohio law created Attorney Unclaimed Funds, beginning an innovative new partnership with the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Unclaimed Funds. The law authorizes the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation to use Attorney Unclaimed Funds to support civil legal aid and access to justice. Thanks to this resource, the Foundation is [...]
The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of new officers and trustees. The Board of Directors supports the Foundation’s mission of ensuring that Ohioans who are low-income or who lack access can fully and fairly participate in civil systems that produce just outcomes. Mary Amos Augsburger, executive [...]
Behind every legal aid attorney is a fascinating story of what brought them to a career in civil legal services. Maria A. Smith, housing attorney at The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, is no exception. The recipient of the Foundation’s 2025 Denis J. Murphy Award for outstanding leadership and advocacy at Ohio’s legal aids, Smith [...]
A new housing development in Greene County will give low and moderate-income seniors access to safe, affordable housing. The Cascades, a senior-focused housing project, is being developed by Yellow Springs Home, Inc., a community land trust. Thanks to the Foundation’s Neighborhood Stabilization Grant Program, funded through Attorney Unclaimed Funds, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE) [...]
