“We are a private non-profit organization. We are trying to help as many people as possible on the civilian side of our justice system. We have four main objectives when it comes to legal aid: we are here to ensure safety and health; We are here to promote education and economic stability; We provide access to housing and stable housing; And fourthly and finally, we are here to ensure that government and the justice system are held accountable for our client community and accessible to our client community. “Our organization was founded in 1905 precisely because society did not recognize these really important issues facing low-income people and how to work together as a community. Addressing these issues improves the community as a whole: not just the fairness of those who seek help. “We really see civil legal aid as this important investment that a community can make over the long term to make sure problems don`t manifest themselves in other ways. He is a very preventive community lawyer. The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland`s 75 full-time attorneys, 50 other staff members, and more than 3,000 volunteer attorneys work year-round to help Ohioans meet the needs of civil justice. In 2020, the group handled more than 6,000 cases, the majority of which involved clients facing immediate threats to housing, security and economic security.
“Our budget is about $14 million to $15 million a year, more than half of which comes directly from philanthropic donors, like people who donate year after year, foundations, law firms, Cleveland businesses. Aside from this philanthropy, the other half of our budget comes from a few other evergreen sources. There is a national donor called Legal Services Corporation. Since 1905, the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland has helped families living in poverty avoid escalating civil law problems. Legal aid provides much-needed advice when civil law issues threaten health, housing, security, education or economic security. Our 40+ full-time lawyers and over 500 volunteer lawyers use their extensive knowledge of civil justice to provide families with such support. Last year, legal aid helped resolve civil law issues for nearly 18,000 people. There is an overwhelming need for civil services in Cuyahoga and surrounding counties, but due to limited resources, we are forced to reject one of the two eligible customers who come to us. Our pro bono lawyers are a crucial part of our work, and we enjoy educating the legal community about our various pro bono opportunities. They can be part of Legal Aid`s vital work to reach members of our community where and when they need civil legal help. Founded in 1905, the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland is the fifth oldest legal aid organization in the United States.
It operates four offices serving residents of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties and has participated in the ABA`s pro bono celebration since its inception in 2009. The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, which brings together needy Ohioans and pro bono lawyers, will sponsor 30 events this month, including seven during the national pro bono celebration Oct. 23-29. “They provide funding for all legal aid across the country: 134 legal aids across the country. Based on our poor population across the country, every legal aid receives a share of this Congressional Atonement. This year, the group`s offer includes a short counselling clinic, which will take place all day on October 25 at El Centro in Lorain. At the clinic, lawyers answer questions about housing, family matters, consumer rights, health, education, labor, income or immigration. Another brief counselling clinic will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. October 26 at the Cleveland Public Library. “We have 65 lawyers and 45 other staff who focus on these areas, and often at the intersection of these areas” Jason Nedley, CPA Director of Finance and Administrative Operations At an Ohio Criminal Records Sealing Clinic, 5-7 p.m. on October 27 at the Elyria Public Library, lawyers will discuss the Ohio Records Sealing Bill and offer assistance with deletion requests. “As people learn more and more about the justice system, they talk a lot about the criminal justice system, and we talk about criminal justice reform, we talk about `You have a right to a lawyer,` next to Gideon v.
Wainwright of the Supreme Court. In popular culture, we do not talk enough about the civil justice system, when in fact there are many more cases in the civil justice system. Ted Tywang, Esq. Haslam Sports Group (Cleveland Browns) Jason R. Bristol, Esq. Cohen Rosenthal & Kramer LLP You can also learn more about legal aid at our annual meeting. There is still time to buy tickets. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for event updates, hear customer success stories, and connect with volunteer opportunities. Melanie A. Shakarian, Director of Development and Communications In 2020, the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland hosted 88 neighborhood clinics, 14 outreach events such as resource fairs, 45 educational presentations for community groups, and 117 educational presentations for social service providers.
Tenille Kaus, Esq. Director of Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Promotion “I always say yes to these kinds of conversations because everyone in the community needs to understand how access to justice really affects our democracy, and when people feel disenfranchised, it`s no different than feeling disenfranchised at the ballot box.” “We always look at specific populations where protections need to be applied, and we have subcommittees of our staff that focus on those communities.” We work very hard to train key community partners to make recommendations to us, because if we can work with another service provider on a case, the outcomes of our case are much more sustainable and sustainable because two professionals are working and not just us. Anyway, we do a lot of community outreach presentations. We make printed materials, pamphlets, we have very close relationships with our public libraries that do an excellent job of distributing literature. Lately, food banks have been very helpful, especially when we were closed [due to COVID] and people couldn`t pick things up from their church or library. During her nearly 20 years with the organization, Shakarian said she has seen an increased interest in pro bono work. This is something that private lawyers have incorporated into their practice,” she said, adding that 20 percent of their cases are handled by volunteers. “When your freedom is at stake, you have the right to counsel in a U.S.
court. But that is only the criminal aspect of our justice system. Our justice system is divided, and we have this criminal side, where you are entitled to a lawyer if you cannot afford one, but separately and apart from that, we have the civil side of the justice system. Really everything that has to do with accommodation, security and economic security. There is no right to legal aid in civil matters. We are honored to have Cleveland Reporting Partners as a sponsor of Legal Aid`s 112th Annual Meeting and to report back to the community on November 20, 2017 at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown. This luncheon celebrates and honors the various organizations and individuals who have played a role in advancing our mission in Northeast Ohio. youtu.be/_flHhmtEr3Mplease copy the link into a separate tab “We are problem solvers and we deal with these money-related problems, we deal with income-related problems, we deal with problems related to family relations, civil rights and freedoms, especially in immigration contacts, we deal with problems related to housing, education. These are the main areas we focus on” Secretary-Treasurer Doug Wang Retired, Northern Trust Bank Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses are also offered, including a virtual CLE Ohio Eviction Law Basics from noon to 2 p.m.
