News
News at Community Legal Aid
Preserving Homes and Promoting Stability: Legal Aid Helps Families Facing Foreclosure
Check out these two recent articles, printed in The Vindicator, about the continuing foreclosure crisis and Legal Aid's efforts to assist families in saving their homes
"I hope they have a heart" - Legal Aid foreclosure attorneys work to save a disabled Youngstown woman's home.
Facing Foreclosure - As the number of foreclosures in northeast Ohio increases, Legal Aid attorneys strive to provide relief before foreclosures are filed.
Legal Aid Board Member Named 2010 LightHouse Vision's Honoree
Legal Aid Board Member, Audrey Snowden, was one of four Massillon residents honored by LightHouse Visions for their many contributions to the community. At LightHouse Vision's Sixth Annual Black History Program last week, Ms. Snowden was recognized for her achievements as one of the first black nurses in Massillon. Ms. Snowden currently serves as a Legal Aid Board Member, works as the director of medical nursing services at Massillon Community Hospital, and has been a lifelong member of Shiloh Baptist Church.
To learn more, read the full article in The Independent.
Check Out Legal Aid in The Akron Legal News
Check out yesterday's article in The Akron Legal News about Legal Aid's recent promotions of Steven McGarrity and Christina Janice and the hire of our new Development Director, Margaret D. Lazzerini.
Importance of Legal Aid is topic for January 13th Program
The following article featuring Terri Underwood, a Community Legal Aid paralegal, was printed in the Akron Legal News on January 6th, 2010:
Community Legal Aid Services case handler Terri Underwood of Medina will speak on providing legal services to people who cannot afford to retain a lawyer when NALS of Northeast Ohio, the association of legal professionals, holds its monthly education program, Wednesday, January 13th, 2010.
A Norwayne High School and Wayne County JVS graduate, Underwood is a paralegal in the Medina and Akron offices of Community Legal Aid Services, which serves clients in eight Northeast Ohio counties. Specializing in administrative law, she works with clients who need assistance with Welfare and Social Security hearings.
The dinner program will begin at 6 p.m. at Stinger's Restaurant 7429 Wooster Pike (State Route 3), south of Medina.
NALS of Northeast Ohio is a non-profit association of legal secretaries, paralegals, legal assistants, and city and county court employees who line in and/or work in Medina, Summit, Cuyahoga, and surrounding counties. NALS is dedicated to enhancing the professionalism of those who work in the legal support field through education, certification skills, and networking. Prospective members are welcome to attend as guests. Those interested in attending should send an email to Nancy J.Suvak, PP, PLS, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at (330) 725-6082 by Tuesday January 12th, 2010.
To view a pdf of the original article, click here.
Legal Services Corporation Awards Community Legal Aid Techonology Initiative Grant
The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) recently awarded $3.5 million in techonolgy grants to LSC-funded programs, including an award to Community Legal Aid. LSC awarded Community Legal Aid a Technology Initiative Grant (TIG) to develop the Next Generation Legal Services Desktop (NGLSD) for legal services advocates throughout the United States.
The NGLSD project will use the iGoogle platform to develop a model homepage for legal services advocates and staff using both currently available iGoogle gadgets and custom gadgets that will be developed with the support of TIG funds. Community Legal Aid is collaborating with several organizations on this project including the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, National Technology Assistance Project, Legal Assistance of Western New York, and Montana Legal Services Association.
To view LSC's press release on all the Techonology Initiative Grants awarded nationwide, read on here.
Local Mayors Proclaim October 25th-31st as Pro Bono Week
Three local Mayors have proclaimed this week, October 25th-31st, as Pro Bono Week to recognize the attorneys throughout Northeast Ohio who have provided free legal advice and representation to individuals who could not otherwise afford civil legal assistance and to encourage and inspire other attorneys to join the pro bono movement. Mayors Jay Williams, Bob Breneman, and Don Plusquellic, of Youngstown, Wooster, and Akron, respectively, each signed a proclamation declaring this week Pro Bono Week in their cities. Community Legal Aid would like to thank the cities of Youngstown, Wooster, and Akron for contributing to Legal Aid's National Pro Bono Week Celebration. The full text of the proclamations reads:
WHEREAS, thousands of Ohioans continue to lack access to legal assistance that is often critical to their safety and independence, forcing them to resolve complex legal problems on their own, including domestic violence, divorce, child custody, evictions, mortgage foreclosures and the physical and financial abuse of the elderly; and
WHEREAS, there are only about 300 legal aid lawyers to serve Ohio’s low income population; and
WHEREAS, while members of ______’s legal community donate substantial hours in free legal services and make generous financial contributions to legal aid organizations in our city, a huge unmet need for legal assistance remains for our disadvantaged citizens; and
WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Statement Regarding the Provision of Pro Bono Legal Services by Ohio Lawyers underscores that lawyers have a special professional obligation to ensure that the justice system is accessible to everyone; and
WHEREAS, the National Pro Bono Celebration is being observed across the country during the week of October 25-31, 2009, to recognizes the valuable work lawyers do throughout the year, without fee, to represent those who cannot afford civil legal assistance, and the ______ County bar Association has events planned for the week which will both recognize those lawyers who provide pro bono service to those who cannot afford a lawyer, and which will recruit more lawyers to pro bono service to help meet the significant ongoing need;
NOW, THEREFORE, I ________________, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF _______, do hereby proclaim October 25 – 31, 2009 TO BE Pro Bono Week in the City of _______, and urge all residents to recognize the contributions of our legal community to help those most in need.
Dated this _______ day of ____________, 2009.
To see a full schedule of Pro Bono Week events sponsored by Community Legal Aid, click here.
To view the hard copies of the three proclamations see below:
Pro Bono Week Proclamation, Mayor Jay Williams Youngstown
Pro Bono Week Proclamation, Mayor Bob Breneman Wooster
Pro Bono Week Proclamation, Mayor Don Plusquellic Akron
Ohio State Bar Association Recognizes Volunteer Gayle Montalto
The Ohio State Bar Association recognizes Gayle Montalto for her pro bono work on behalf of foreclosure victims in Summit and Cuyahoga Counties.
Cuyahoga Falls Attorney Uses Past Experience as Escrow Officer to Help Homeowners
Columbus, OHIO (Oct. 20, 2009) – Ohio State Bar Association member Gayle Montalto of Cuyahoga Falls spent 10 years as an escrow officer, witnessing the subprime mortgage crisis firsthand. Today, Montalto is an attorney in private practice who is one of the more than 1,300 attorneys who are providing legal services free of charge through “Save the Dream,” a statewide foreclosure assistance program that connects qualified homeowners with lawyers.
“When the call went out to attorneys to volunteer for ‘Save the Dream,’ I knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of it,” Montalto said. “With my knowledge of loans, mortgage companies and banks, I knew that I could be helpful to homeowners.”
More than 3,200 Ohio families have avoided foreclosure through the counseling and legal assistance they have received since the “Save the Dream” initiative began on April 1, 2008.
Montalto has worked with the Community Legal Aid Services in Summit County and the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland on five cases in Summit, Stark and Cuyahoga counties. One of those was Edith McWilliams of Cleveland’s east side. “When my husband got sick and was forced to retire, we got behind on our mortgage payments,” McWilliams said. “Even when she got laid off from her job, Gayle stuck with our case and worked with us step by step to get a new payment so that we could stay in our home.”
Montalto feels there’s plenty of incentive for attorneys to volunteer for this program, especially attorneys who have lost their jobs. “If you’re out of work, the best thing to do is volunteer to keep yourself involved in legal issues. If you’re a law school graduate with no job prospects, this kind of experience is great to put on your resume,” she advises.
OSBA President Barbara J. Howard praised Montalto, and other attorneys like her, who have stepped forward to assist homeowners. “The attorneys who take part in ‘Save the Dream’ are truly inspiring in their dedication to helping those in their communities who face foreclosure,” Howard said. “Their commitment should serve as a spark to other attorneys to join in the efforts.”
“Save the Dream” is supported by the OSBA, the Governor’s Office, the Ohio Department of Development, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, the Ohio Treasurer’s Office, the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Ohio Department of Commerce, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, various legal aid organizations, and housing counseling agencies.
Ohioans seeking assistance are encouraged to call the Save the Dream hotline at 1-888-404-4674. Attorneys interested in becoming involved should go to the member pages of the OSBA Web site, www.ohiobar.org, and click on “Foreclosure,” or call OSBA member services at 1-800-232-7124.
Howard said, “We encourage more lawyers to get involved in pro bono activities across the state. Lawyers interested in pitching in are urged to contact the Ohio State Bar Association, their local bar association or their local legal aid society.”
The Ohio State Bar Association, founded in 1880, is a voluntary association representing approximately 25,000 members of the bench and bar of Ohio as well as nearly 4,000 legal assistants and law students. Through its activities and the activities of its related organizations, the OSBA serves both its members and the public by promoting the highest standards in the practice of law and the administration of justice.
See the original article.