Category: Pro Bono / Community Service

Attention Class of 2013: All pro bono and community service hours must be reported to Alisa Benedict O’Brien or Professor Joann Sahl no later than Monday, April 1st by 5PM. You may either hand in your forms at either of our offices, or you may email your forms: jsahl1@uakron.edu or ab139@uakron.edu. Thank you!

Community Legal Aid Services seeks volunteers for its “Peace of Mind” Uncollectible Clinic.The clinic is designed to assist clients whose income and assets are of a type that is exempt from garnishment or attachment through legal process.  Students will attend a training session on the day of the clinic.  Student volunteers will work individually with each client to review and verify their financial situation.  Afterwards, clients and their assigned law student will participate in an educational presentation on Ohio’s exemption statute (O.R.C. 2329.66).  The client and student will then meet individually with an attorney who will review the client’s documents, verify that the client is “exempt from collection upon judgment,” and confirm that creditors have been correctly identified.  In order to determine the effectiveness of the “Notice of Uncollectibility” letters and identify potential violations of the Fair Debt Act (U.S.C. 15 §1692), students will be required to make follow up contact twice with each assigned client.

 

Each volunteer for the clinic must commit a minimum of five hours. This includes the clinic and client follow up. One clinic will satisfy the pro bono of limited means’ graduation requirement.

 

The next clinic is scheduled for May 16, 2013. Students must be at Community Legal Aid Services, Inc. at 3:30 p.m. for the training. If you are interested, please e-mail Professor Joann Sahl.

Students from Akron’s Law and Leadership Institute traveled to Toledo on Saturday, March 16, 2013 to compete in a moot court and debate competition. Akron’s students won the 9^th and 10^th grade moot court competitions and the 12^th grade debate competition. This is the first time Akron has won one of the inter-site competitions. The Law and Leadership students were coached by their law student teachers: Loren Fekete, David Peters, Tiffany Hoover, Adrienne Borgstahl, Chelsey Elsey, Amanda Novelli, Samantha Rutsky and Alexander Porter.

Community Legal Aid Services Inc. is hosting a Will Clinic on April 16, 2013 at its office in downtown Akron. Law students are needed to assist with the clinic in two shifts (8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) If you are interested in volunteering please e-mail Professor Joann Sahl. Please indicate which shift you are available.

Law students are needed for the Law Week Free Legal Clinic on May 2, 2013. The clinic will be held at the Job Center, 1040 E. Tallmadge Avenue, Akron. Law students may volunteer for the morning shift (9:30 – noon) or the afternoon shift (noon – 2:00 p.m.) Lunch will be provided. If you are interested, please e-mail Professor Joann Sahl. Please indicate which shift you are available.

Akron Law, along with the American Heart Association, will host a “Coeds Go Red” luncheon on Wednesday, Feb. 27 from 11:30 a.m. –  1 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. At the event, a “heart-healthy” lunch will be served as information about the “Go Red for Women” movement is presented.  Also, the College of Nursing will offer free blood pressure screenings, BMI assessment and more. The lunch, which is open to all UA faculty, staff and students, is free of charge, however registration is required. Participants are encouraged to wear red to show support.

 This event also affords a unique community service opportunity for Akron Law students to assist with registration, work at the luncheon table, and more.  In addition to the benefits noted above, students participating in the community service opportunity will receive two hours counting toward their general community service graduation requirement.

 Students interested in volunteering should contact Molly Palmer (molly.palmer@heart.org or 330-664-1908).