July/August 2022 - Pro Bono Newsletter

OSLSA Intern Spotlight—Parker Jacobs

Upcoming CLEs and Trainings

Assisting Low-Income Clients with Naturalization

Monday, September 12, 1:30-3:45 p.m.

Live Interactive Webinar

This program is designed to prepare volunteer attorneys to assist low-income individuals with the naturalization process. Volunteers will learn about who is eligible for naturalizations and the steps in the process. Volunteers will also learn about fee waiver and reduce fee applications that many of our low-income clients utilize. Presenters will also help familiarize volunteers with what to expect at Pro Bono Naturalization Clinics.

Register now! For an agenda and speaker bios, check out the flyer.

Volunteers Needed

Looking to get your firm or group re-engaged? Interested in a Pro Bono Lunch & Learn? Reach out to Dianna Parker to schedule a visit!

Attorney and Non-Attorney Volunteers Needed for Record Sealing Event

September 10, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Legal Aid is hosting a Record Sealing Clinic with the Franklin County Municipal Court’s Self Help Center at Milo-Grogan Community Center (862 E 2nd Ave, Columbus) on September 10. The clinic will run from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and we need volunteers! The Court has arranged for food trucks and a bouncy house for clients, and refreshments and lunch will be provided for volunteers. If you’re interested in volunteering, get registered today! Please email Megan O’Dell with any questions.

Delaware Municipal Court “2nd Chance Week” Record Sealing Clinic

In Person

The Legal Aid Society of Columbus is excited to be partnering with the Delaware Municipal Court to offer a Record Sealing Clinic on August 24th from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., and we need your help! The event will take place at Delaware Municipal Court and is designed to assist low-income individuals with record sealing and expungement. No prior experience is required, and LASC will provide you with all the resources and onsite support you need to help! Anyone interested in volunteering can register here. Please email Megan O’Dell with any questions. 

Please share this opportunity with other lawyers or advocates who may be interested in helping!

Opportunity Port 

Remote 

Opportunity Port is an exciting new platform that allows us to connect applicants for criminal record sealing in Franklin County Municipal Court with volunteers who can screen them for eligibility and prepare their record sealing applications. This online portal also will enable volunteer attorneys to schedule appointments and allow clients to file their applications with the court electronically. Training will be provided for anyone who joins. Sign up now!

Family Law Attorneys Needed for Virtual Brief Advice Clinics 

Remote 

LASC and SEOLS continue to see a need for attorneys with family law knowledge for our virtual advice clinics. Phone consultations take 15-30 minutes on average, and attorneys can volunteer as little or as much as they wish. Sign up now for a virtual clinic shift. Current volunteers can simply email Dianna Parker if they wish to reengage and do not have preferences for specific clinic dates.

Attorneys Needed for Seniors Referral Project

Remote

We have a backlog of seniors and veterans seeking wills and advance directives. Knowing that some volunteers wish to help but can't meet clients in person, we are asking for help from “attorney mentors” for this project, who provide feedback to non-attorneys who interview and draft the documents for the clients. The non-attorney drafters are law school students who would like to practice this area of law and would be grateful for an attorney mentor. Your mentorship would be very helpful for these up-and-coming legal professionals. Sign up to volunteer today. 

Fairfield County and Franklin County Tenant Advocacy Project

In Person

Fairfield County Tenant Advocacy Project (TAP): The TAP clinic provides free legal information, advice, and representation to tenants who are being evicted. SEOLS staff and pro bono attorneys meet with tenants prior to their eviction hearings and provide representation in negotiating settlements and attending court hearings (with support from staff). Clinics take place on Tuesday afternoons. Sign up now if you’d like to volunteer. We also offer TAP clinics in Washington and Athens counties, so if you would like to learn more, email our TAP Fellow Caitlyn McDaniel.

Franklin County Tenant Advocacy Project: Legal Aid offers a daily clinic for tenants with eviction hearings each morning in Franklin County. Attorneys handle eviction hearings or negotiate resolutions, including drafting agreed entries. Sign up now if you’d like to volunteer.

Legal Aid Reduced Fee Referral Project (LARP)

In Person/Remote Hybrid

The Legal Aid Reduced Fee Referral Project (LARP) at LASC is comprised of a panel of attorneys who accept reduced-fee referrals for uncontested divorces and Chapter 7 bankruptcies. LARP clients are low-income and generally unable to pay the market rate, and these referrals allow them to access much needed services. Clients agree to pay a reduced rate and Legal Aid matches the clients with interested attorneys. If you would like to be added to either the divorce or Chapter 7 bankruptcy referral list, please fill out an attorney application, or email Dianna Parker. We generally ask LARP attorneys to take two pro bono cases a year but there is no limit on the number of reduced-fee referrals.

Attorney and Non-Attorney Help Needed at Columbus Adult Shelter Clinics

In Person

Attorneys: Volunteer attorneys will provide brief advice to clients in a few areas of law, especially family, landlord-tenant, public benefits, and consumer issues. To get involved, sign up today. 

Non-Attorneys: This is a great opportunity for non-attorney volunteers including, but not limited to, law students, undergrads, and high school students. Volunteers are needed to help with intake, onsite research, and attorney support duties. To get involved, sign up today. 

We have four planned in-person Adult Shelter Assistance clinics through the end of September:

• August 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m.—Faith Mission Downtown: 217 N. Grant Ave
• September 12, 5:30-7:30 p.m.—Van Buren Adult Shelter: 595 Van Buren Dr
• September 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m.—Faith on 8th: 599 E. 8th Ave
• September 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m.—Faith Mission Downtown: 217 N. Grant Ave

Chapter 7 Pro Bono Attorneys Needed! 

The need for bankruptcy filing has been increasing among our clients, so if you are interested in joining the referral panel, let us know. LASC works with qualifying clients to collect all the paperwork necessary to file a bankruptcy and once the client is ready to file, we refer the case to you. LASC prioritizes clients who are very low-income with an emergency need to file such as a wage garnishment or utility shut off for representation. If you have not taken a bankruptcy case in the past, but are interested in learning, we can also match you with a mentor pro bono volunteer. Apply to volunteer.

August and September OSLSA Happy Hours

To finish off the summer we are planning on having our August OSLSA Happy Hour at Budd Dairy Co. Food Hall, located at 1086 North Fourth St, Columbus, OH 43201 on August 30.

And to kick off the fall season, we will be heading to Understory, located at 2571 Neil Ave, Columbus, OH 43202, on September 19.

We hope to see you all there!

OSLSA in the News

Here’s a roundup of recent media coverage of our work:

SEOLS Managing Attorney Lucy Schwallie’s comments to the Athens City Council about a potential pay-to-stay ordinance were quoted in this Athens Messenger article, “Athens ordinance will help tenants stay in rentals” (June 11, 2022).

OPLC was mentioned as an opponent of a request to allow utilities to remotely shut off customers’ electricity in this Dayton Daily News article, “AES seeks ability to cut residents’ power remotely; consumer groups, PUCO push back” (June 14, 2022).

OPLC was mentioned as an organization calling for a Justice Department investigation into the Akron police slaying of Jayland Walker in this Cleveland 19 News story, “Protestors react to bodycam footage of Akron police-involved shooting of Jayland Walker” (July 3, 2022).

OPLC was listed as an organization lobbying in favor of Senate Bill 242 which would require Ohio merchants to accept cash in this Cleveland Plain Dealer story, “Ohio Politics – Lobbying Lineup” (July 11, 2022) and in this roundup of Plain Dealer editorial board opinions, “Should most Ohio retailers be required to accept cash as payment?” (July 23, 2022), and OPLC Director Susan Jagers was quoted on the importance of the bill to unbanked individuals in this Columbus Dispatch article, “Paying with cash? Ohio lawmaker wants to make businesses take your dollars” (July 13, 2022).

OPLC was listed as an organization which filed a joint motion to hire an independent auditor and hold independent hearings on the June power outages in Central Ohio in this NBC4 Columbus story, “Consumer groups seeking investigation into AEP outages” (July 11, 2022) and in this Center Square article about AEP’s response, “AEP Ohio does not want independent audit; prefers state commission probe” (August 1, 2022).

LASC, SEOLS, and OPLC were listed as organizations who filed amicus briefs challenging state funding of private school scholarships in this Gongwer article, “Education, Advocacy Groups Back Legal Push Against Voucher Programs” (July 12, 2022), in this ABC5 News Cleveland story, “Debate continues over Ohio's EdChoice as more organizations chime in on lawsuit” (July 18, 2022), and in this Wooster Daily Record article, “Northeast Ohio's mixed support and opposition for EdChoice lawsuit” (August 11, 2022).

LASC Managing Attorney Meagan Van Brocklin was quoted on her work to seal a client’s criminal record, and LASC was cited as a partner holding a record sealing clinic with Chase in this Columbus Dispatch/This Week article, “Northland: Clinic on criminal record sealing slated for July 23” (July 13, 2022).

LASC Staff Attorney Graham Bowman was interviewed about a severely ill client who was trapped on the 9th floor of his apartment complex in this ABC6 Columbus story, “Tenants stuck inside Columbus high rise due to inoperable elevator” (July 15, 2022).

OPLC Director Susan Jagers was quoted on the unveiling of www.OhioARPATracker.org, a project by OPLC and Advocates for Ohio’s Future, and recommendations for Ohio’s remaining ARPA relief money in this Ohio Public Radio/Statehouse News Bureau article, “Advocates warn of ‘COVID cliff’ as Ohio looks to spend remaining federal relief dollars” (August 10, 2022), this Hannah article, “Groups Launch Website Detailing Ohio COVID Relief Spending, Call for Investments in Foodbanks” (August 10, 2022), this Gongwer article, “Groups Outline Plan For State's Remaining ARPA Funds” (August 10, 2022), this Ohio Capital Journal article, “Groups introduce tracker for Ohio’s COVID funds and suggestions for remaining dollars” (August 11, 2022), this Cleveland Plain Dealer article, “Ohio has spent nearly two-thirds of its ARPA dollars. Here’s where it is going” (August 11, 2022), this Lima News article, “Ohio has spent nearly two-thirds of its ARPA dollars. Here’s where it is going” (August 13, 2022), and was interviewed for this Spectrum News story, “Ohio still to use 35% of American Rescue Plan funds” (August 11, 2022).

LASC Staff Attorney Graham Bowman was interviewed and cited on the rise in evictions in Columbus in this Associated Press article, “Evictions spiking as assistance, protections disappear” (August 11, 2022).

LASC Staff Attorney Paul Bryson was interviewed on predatory home-buying practices in this ABC 6 Columbus story, “Predatory home buyers in Columbus could face conspiracy case, claims of targeting elderly” (August 12, 2022).

LASC Staff Attorney Graham Bowman was quoted on the difficulty of finding and affording decent housing in Columbus in this Columbus Dispatch article, “Here's how much you have to earn in Ohio and in Columbus to afford a decent 2-BR apartment” (August 16, 2022).

Help Wanted

We have a number of open positions at LASC and SEOLS/OSLSA. Check out the links for more information and to apply!