What Does Legal Aid Mean?
Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people in the administration of the legal system, for those who are unable to afford such services, usually because of their economic circumstance. Legal aid in United States provides help to those who cannot afford legal counsel. The federal Legal Services Corporation and the American Bar Association regulate the supply of free legal aid and refer clients to local programs.
In addition to free legal representation, the services provided by legal aid include brief advice and consultation, self-help legal clinics, and referrals to appropriate agencies . Legal aid organizations can assist with most types of civil legal issues, including domestic violence, foreclosures, public benefits, unemployment, housing discrimination, bankruptcy, immigration, and consumer fraud.
Legal aid offices are generally staffed by both paid attorneys and community volunteers; volunteer lawyers who work with legal aid programs give up hundreds of thousands of dollars in billable hours to provide these free services. Legal aid lawyers also organize and oversee a corps of volunteers, who may be either private lawyers from the local area willing to donate their time and expertise to assist those less fortunate, or law school students who earn academic credit and legal experience while simultaneously helping the program and its clients.
Legal Aid Charities and Organizations in Summit County
As with many major counties in the United States, there are several organizations providing access to legal representation within Summit County, Ohio. Such organizations include:
Since the 1970s, the Ohio Legal Services Board of Trustees – Summit County Legal Services has been helping residents of Summit County get free legal help for civil (rather than criminal) cases. The organization is based out of Akron and offers representation in a variety of civil issues, such as divorce, custody and paternity issues, bankruptcies, debt collection, public benefits, Medicaid denials, nursing home issues, social security matters, and housing assistance.
The Akron Bar Association is headquartered out of 57 East Market St., Suite 250 in Akron, Ohio 44308. Phone: (330) 253-5038. The Summit County and Akron Bar Associations serve not just the Summit County area but also include services that may be available at the state level across Ohio. There is a legal referral service that you can call that will connect you to a qualified attorney in the area. There are also free legal clinics that are held every third Wednesday of each month.
The Summit County Branch of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland provides free legal help to low income residents of Summit County. This includes Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, Barberton, and Bath. They offer legal representation, legal advice, and various legal clinics across a variety of areas, too, including domestic violence, education, housing, health care, public benefits, consumer rights, and estate planning.
Legal Aid Clinic of Summit County is a pro bono service offered by the Akron Bar Association the third Tuesday of every other month (February, April, June, August, October, and December). The clinic offers free legal advice to Summit County residents through volunteer attorneys.
The Ohio State Legal Service System (OSLS) is the statewide system for all of the nonprofit legal aid programs. OSLS is a major player in the statewide process to provide access to legal aid for residents who cannot afford it. It includes Legal Aid Societies and nonprofit pro bono programs.
Who Qualifies for Legal Aid in Summit County
To be eligible for legal aid services in Summit County, you must be a U.S. citizen or a legal resident. Foreign nationals with work permits may qualify on a case-by-case basis. Candidates for legal aid should generally have low-income. At present, income limits are set at 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. However, certain categories of people have more stringent limits, including the elderly, the disabled and persons with HIV/AIDS. Some felony convictions also impact eligibility for legal aid in Summit County. It is recommended that parties seeking legal aid services visit an office in their county. If you require a domestic violence protection order, you should go to the courthouse and a lawyer will assist you.
Typical Legal Problems Addressed
Within Summit County, a number of legal issues are addressed through the legal aid system. Many efforts are focused on the most fundamental areas, from augmenting existing services to providing connections in other ways. Some of the issues handled include housing for low-income individuals and families, elder rights and elder abuse, and consumer rights. Through legal aid, those in need can address housing issues that affect them, either as a homeowner or a tenant, in a variety of ways. Evictions, evictions with children, domestic violence, homelessness, keeping a landlord to the lease, and more issues may affect those in the population that legal aid works with. In particular, eviction prevention is a top concern. In representing clients in these cases, legal aid can provide representation in court and mediation services to help find solutions before eviction becomes a reality. Legal aid also helps keep people in their homes through negotiating rent agreements and offering assistance with understanding lease terms. Elder rights service is another area legal aid provides a great deal of support. Elder law deals with items such as guardianship, elderly abuse, neglect, visitation issues, and the rights of residency. Some legal aid facilities also provide attorney services for those who have been the victims of adult guardianship abuse. In instances where a legal aid facility does not provide support for this area, it can direct clients to services for which they are eligible provided by partners. Key issues of concern include estate and financial planning, power of attorney services, and living arrangements. Consumer rights is the next area of concern. From consumer sales to credit card collections, credit reform, and debt collection harassment, Summit County legal aid provides support for low- to moderate-income clients. Legal aid can help people out of problematic financial situations, tackle loan sharks and shady lending practices, combat medical debt, and protect clients from abusive debt collection practices. In all of these areas, prevention is a key issue, where legal aid can help stop these problems before they start.
How to Get Legal Aid
Eligible individuals can apply for legal aid services in one of two ways—online or through a consultation at (a) an Ohio Legal Services office or (b) a legal aid office.
Visit the Ohio Legal Services website to complete a legal aid application online (click here). Applicants will be requested to provide their income information and details about the legal issue they have. An aggregate of all legal aid offices in Ohio (including Summit County) will receive, review and process this application.
Individuals may contact the Akron Office of Ohio Legal Services to consult with staff directly. This service is offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to 2 pm. Staff will assess your legal need and the urgency of your legal matter. Individuals can visit the offices or call to set up an appointment. Staff will assist qualifying individuals with the completion of a legal aid application. The Akron office of Ohio Legal Services is located at 440 Miller Lane, Suite A, Akron, Ohio 44307.
The Akron Bar Foundation and Community Legal Aid Services also offer intake services to qualify individuals facing a variety of legal issues . Staff will conduct a preliminary review of the legal concern and determine what action, if any, needs taken following this first assessment. Staff will assist qualifying individuals with the completion of a legal aid application.
Individuals can visit the Akron office location to complete an application. Staff can also complete an application over the phone during business hours: Mondays through Fridays, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. By phone, call (330) 435-7585.
Ohio Legal Services manages an online portal that allows individuals to schedule an appointment with a legal aid staff member directly (click here).
The Akron Bar Association’s Community Legal Aid Service is located at 831 Kelly Ave., Suite 200, Akron, Ohio 44305.
Community Legal Aid staff will assist qualifying individuals with an immediate response to an urgent legal concern. If the individual qualifies for ongoing legal aid assistance, Community Legal Aid will work with the individual to complete a legal aid application.
Call Community Legal Aid at (330) 983-2632 to schedule an appointment for services at (a) the Community Legal Aid Office or (b) the Akron Bar Foundation Office.
Case Studies: Legal Aid Makes a Difference
To understand the true impact of legal aid services in Summit County, it is helpful to hear from those who have directly benefitted from legal representation. Here are a few testimonials from people who have received legal aid and were represented by lawyers through Legal Aid of Summit County.
"I am very grateful for the help I received. I had so much weight off my shoulders thanks to the help I received. Without them I would have been lost. Thanks again."
— Legal Aid of Summit County client
"Legal Aid helped me fight against my abusive husband to get a divorce. My lawyer was my rock. I was so stressed about what he was doing to me and it was a time in my life when I wasn’t going to work. She got me through this. I trust her implicitly. I know I can count on her. She worked really hard for me and I can’t thank her enough."
— Legal Aid of Summit County client
"Without your help my case would not have gone as swift as it did. I appreciate all your help and guidance. You have changed my life for the better and help me to realize I deserve the best. I really appreciate your service."
— Legal Aid of Summit County client
"Words cannot express how grateful I am for the lawyers at Legal Aid. I had two lawyers and they were the best. They proved to be very knowledgeable and very understanding. They helped me to understand every "i" dotted and every "t" crossed. I can now sleep and live my life with joy! Thank you so much for your help. I truly appreciate the services provided by Legal Aid of Summit County! I would definitely recommend Legal Aid to other qualified summit county residents."
— Legal Aid of Summit County client
"Thank you and God bless you for what you have done for me. My life has improved 100 percent since I met you and began working with you. You answered all of my questions and helped me understand all the processes and steps that it took for me to get where I am today. God bless Legal Aid of Summit County!"
— Legal Aid of Summit County client
The Difficulties Facing Legal Aid Organizations
In Summit County, as in many areas of greater Cleveland and nationwide, legal aid providers offer services to those in need. But given more significant and serious issues for low-income families in our community, the demand for legal help continues to grow, while funding for programs and services continues to dwindle.
Tough economic times obviously have affected everyone. Legal aid societies often see a surge in people dealing with employment, housing and other legal issues as a result of the economic downturn. Unfortunately, however, public funding for legal aid assistance has not grown at the same pace.
For example, Mattia Lewis, chief executive of Community Legal Aid Services, which provides legal assistance in Summit County, said that legal aid staff was decreased and cases handled were diminished during the economic downturn from 2008 through 2012. "I said then, ‘People always need legal help, and it’s like a perfect storm. The only thing we can do is serve as many people as we can with the funding available.’"
Legal Aid staff members are forced to work harder to meet the needs of the community , but their ability to help is limited as funding falls short – for example, through cuts to private bar funding, interest from IOLTA accounts and grants. "As an organization, we’ve been working to meet that demand with the excess of 310 attorneys in our eight-county service area who put in more than 75,000 hours annually in work that has provided assistance to 4,500 low-income individuals," she said.
Despite the challenges that legal aid providers face, there is evidence that legal advocacy can effectuate change. "Legal remedies to longstanding problems – whether it’s landlord-tenant issues or eviction in general; predatory lending, whether it be payday lending or debt-collection issues – legal advocacy can resolve the underlying legal issue," said Lewis. "It’s a long-term solution, based on the fact that a legal issue cannot be ignored – they must be remedied, and they will come back and bite you again."