Category: Pro Bono / Community Service

The Expungement Clinic helps low-income Akron residents seal the record of their criminal convictions.  A sealed record enables many people better access to jobs, housing, and volunteer opportunities.  Students will learn integral skills in the legal field including filing paperwork with the court, drafting motions, interviewing real clients, and communicating with clients both through the mail and over the phone. Students who are eligible for a legal intern certificate will have ample opportunities to appear in court and present an oral argument.
A student commitment to the Expungement Clinic can be for as few or as many hours as the student pleases.  The only requirement is that you devote enough time to attempt to contact your clients at least twice a week.  All hours qualify as Pro Bono Limited Means.

There are now two different volunteer opportunities to accommodate night and non-traditional students.  After attending a training, students can volunteer at our Saturday events without maintaining a regular presence from 8-5.

There will be three training sessions next week.  Students only need to attend one meeting  These sessions are informational only, and students are welcome to attend simply for a brief overview of the law surrounding sealing of a conviction.  The trainings will be Monday the 19th at 5:00 PM, Tuesday the 20th at 1:30 PM,  and Wednesday the 21st at 11:30 AM.  Sessions will be in the Legal Clinic Conference Room and will be expected to last 45 – 60 minutes.

Students with any questions please contact Russel Nichols at russel.nichols@gmail.com.

Stark County Honor Court is a specialized veterans treatment court for veterans and active duty military personnel that have been charged with low-level, non-violent felonies.  It is a year-long court program that partners with the Veterans Service Commission, the Veterans Administration and various legal and community organizations to assist veterans to successfully complete the program.

The mentoring program connects offenders to volunteer veterans from the local community. The combination of services provided by the court, supervision, and mentoring is intended to foster successful completion of the Honor Court program, and draw upon the codes of honor and service instilled in the offenders during their military service to our nation. The role of a veteran mentor is to assist the veteran in identifying his or her needs and to act as a support for the veteran at a time when the veteran may feel alone in a way that only another veteran can understand.

Requirements to be a Volunteer Veteran:

• Be an honorably discharged veteran of one of the branches of the U.S. Military
• Have a genuine concern for veterans involved with the legal system
• Be in good standing with the law
• Adhere to all Stark County Honor Court Program policies and procedures
• Commit to serving for a minimum of 12 months
• Commit to attending Honor Court Sessions every two—four weeks
• Complete the required training procedures and background check
• Participate in training sessions and adhere to an Oath of Office upon completion of training

To observe what this volunteer opportunity consists of, the Honor Court Team personally invites you to attend court sessions that take place every other week on Monday at 2:00 p.m., located at 110 Tuscarawas Street NW, Canton, Ohio 44702 (Corner of Tuscarawas Street and Market Avenue), Courtroom 203.

The next Mentor Training Session will be held Monday, June 2, 2014, 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Please register with Mr. Rowles in advance—(Lunch Provided)

 For more information, contact Terry Rowles at 1.330.341.9889 or sgtdad74@yahoo.com

Stark County Honor Court—Reclaiming Honor, Dignity and Lives

Hattie Larlham is seeking one student volunteer to post and drop off little stands containing advertising for its “Over The Edge” (OTE) event around the UA campus.

Estimated time commitment: 2-3 hours (can be split) or as needed. This will count toward the general community service requirement.

More volunteering opportunities will be available for this event in the future.

Hattie Larlham: http://www.hattielarlham.org/

OTE: see link at https://www.firstgiving.com/hattielarlham

For more information, contact Isabelle Bibet-Kalinyak, Esq. at (330) 554-4133 or Tonnie Alliance at (330) 274-2272 ext. 3069.

One law student needed to assist with the Law Week Free Legal Clinic on May 1, 2014 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. You will register clients, and you may also have the opportunity to participate in client interviews. If you are interested, please contact Professor Joann Sahl, jsahl1@uakron.edu.

The Stark County Bar Association Young Lawyers Committee is hosting James Bond Returns in Goldfinger Saturday, April 26, 2014. The event will begin with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. at Tapas 218 and will move to the Canton Palace Theatre at 7:45 p.m. for a showing of Goldfinger. The committee seeks four law student volunteers to assist with raffle ticket sales at the cocktail hour. Volunteers should plan to arrive at Tapas 218 by 5:30 p.m. General community service credit will be awarded to student volunteers. Volunteers are also invited to attend the movie showing after the cocktail hour. This is an excellent networking opportunity for students who are interested in practicing in the Stark County area. Many judges and local attorneys will be in attendance at this event. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Lia Thompson (LiaThompson@uakron.edu or 330.972.5298) by Wednesday, April 23, 2014.