With her background in private practice and her time working for another legal aid pro bono program in Florida, Patricia instantly brought a wealth of experience when she joined OSLSA as Pro Bono Coordinator. Her expertise has enhanced OSLSA’s pro bono activities, and her promotion to Pro Bono Manager is sure to advance the program even further. In the new role, Pro Bono and Community Engagement Director Dianna Parker said Patricia will help to chart out the strategic direction of the program and have a voice in developing agency-wide programming.

Amid the upheaval and change of the pandemic, Dianna says she has been consistently impressed not just by Patricia’s ability and willingness to pivot and adapt to take on new challenges, but also by her compassion and empathy.

“She is incredibly responsive and professional, which will make her a wonderful manager,” says Dianna. “But she is also kind and supportive, which makes her a wonderful person.”

Patricia’s enthusiasm for working with pro bono attorneys shines through in everything she does. She is consistently inspired by how passionate volunteers are about helping their clients and how much effort and dedication they put into everything they do for them. In the face of a complicated legal system, Patricia says our volunteers not only help overwhelmed clients resolve their legal issues, but also make them feel valued, heard, and respected. “It is incredibly inspiring to see how our volunteers are willing to put clients’ needs before their own,” Patricia says.

Her commitment to the values of legal aid stems from her belief in the importance of equal access to justice in our communities. Legal aid, she says, has the power to change lives. From helping clients keep stable housing and securing income, to assisting with family issues and advocating for survivors of domestic violence, legal aid provides many of our most vulnerable citizens freedom, peace of mind, and basic dignity.

Patricia advises any potential volunteers who have been hesitant to get involved in pro bono work that volunteering could be one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives. “Their help would not only make a big impact in our clients’ lives,” Patricia said, “but would also contribute to honing their legal and professional skills.”

When asked about what she most looks forward to in her new role, Patricia says she is excited to lead the pro bono team, help her staff grow professionally, and expand OSLSA's pro bono services.

In her free time, Patricia loves spending time with her husband Thomas and their two babies, Santiago and Emiliana. “We sing, we dance and laugh so much together,” she says. “My favorite part of the day is when I get to be with them.”

Congratulations to Patricia on her well-earned promotion! We can’t wait to see what she does in the new role!

Location: Strongwater Food and Spirits—401 W Town St, Columbus, OH 43215

Date/time: Thursday, March 3, 6pm

Cost: $10 for students, and $15 for all others

Tickets can be purchased online or at the door

Opportunity Port is an exciting new platform that will help us 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 through the platform. This online portal will also enable clients and volunteer attorneys to schedule appointments and for clients to file their applications with the court electronically. Training will be provided for anyone who joins. To get involved, please sign up here.

In addition to serving the reentry needs of Franklin County litigants, we also continue to need volunteer attorneys for our remote Clean Slate Clinic, which helps rural clients with remote record sealing and/or those seeking help with Certificates of Qualification for Employment (CQEs). If you are interested in helping out with our remote Clean Slate Clinic, please sign up here.

Family Law Attorneys needed for Virtual Brief Advice Clinics 

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

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 to volunteer here. 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 to volunteer here.

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 online here (for new volunteers) or email Dianna Parker at dparker@oslsa.org (for existing volunteers). 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.

For each ticket purchased through www.bluejackets.com/LASC, the Blue Jackets will be giving back $10-$20 per ticket to the Legal Aid Society of Columbus!

LASC Attorney Molly Hennessey was quoted in this Columbus Dispatch article about Section 8 voucher-recipients’ difficulty finding housing in Columbus, “Some landlords reject Section 8 renters despite Columbus law against discrimination” (February 2, 2022).

LASC is listed as an organization that can help Section 8 voucher-recipients find safe and affordable housing in Central Ohio in this Columbus Dispatch article, “Section 8: What to know about the housing vouchers and discriminatory rental policies” (February 2, 2022).

LASC Housing Director Melissa Benson was interviewed and quoted in a series of ABC6 Columbus/FOX28 Columbus stories on topics related to fair housing violations, rent increases, retaliatory evictions, rental assistance, and housing conditions: “No landlords prosecuted amid 100s of complaints on Fair Housing Laws” (February 8, 2022); “Fight against rising rent creates rare tenants' union in Columbus” (February 8, 2022); “Know your rights, legal experts say retaliatory evictions maybe difficult to prove” (February 9, 2022); “Columbus mom ordered out of unsafe apartment by city slapped with eviction by landlord” (February 10, 2022); and “Millions of dollars still available for people struggling to pay rent in Columbus area” (February 11, 2022).

OPLC Director Susan Jagers was mentioned in a series of articles highlighting the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel and OPLC’s joint letter to Governor Mike DeWine urging him to appoint a consumer advocate as Commissioner of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) in the Toledo Blade, “DeWine reappoints Kasich’s pick for PUCO” (February 10, 2022); the Springfield News-Sun, “Calls for more changes to scandal-tainted HB 6” (February 10, 2022); Hannah, “DeWine Sets Aside OCC/OPLC Request, Reappoints Conway to PUCO” (February 10, 2022); Gongwer, “Governor Reappoints Conway to PUCO” (February 10, 2022), the Ohio Capital Journal, “DeWine re-appoints former utility lawyer as utility regulator” (February 11, 2022); and the Energy News Network, “Eye on Utilities: FirstEnergy works to limit impact in HB 6 cases” (February 15, 2022).

LASC Attorney James Mackey was quoted about evictions and the affordable housing shortage in this NBC4 Columbus story, “Columbus tenants face eviction, rising rents” (February 18, 2022).

LASC was listed as an organization which will be providing client services at the Directions for Youth and Families Social Service Center in this Columbus Dispatch article, “Nonprofit group still raising money to build community center in Eastland Mall area” (February 21, 2022).

LASC is mentioned as an organization that can help tenants navigate the Emergency Rental Assistance process in this Columbus Dispatch article, “Ohio is trying to get COVID-19 rental assistance money out. Here's how you can get it” (February 23, 2022).

SEOLS Staff Attorney Peggy Lee and OPLC Director Susan Jagers were cited in a Columbus Dispatch/Akron Beacon Journal article on the slow pace of distributing Emergency Rental Assistance in Ohio, “As evictions happen, Ohio could lose $104 million in COVID-19 rental assistance money” (February 23, 2022).

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