Category: Pro Bono / Community Service

Looking for community service hours? The University of Akron’s Institute for Teaching and Learning is excited to invite you to volunteer  for “Rethinking Race: Black, White and Beyond.” This series runs from Friday, February 1 – Friday, February 15 and provides a forum where race and race-related issues can be discussed and examined by both the University of Akron community and residents of Northeast Ohio. In order to make this event a success, we need volunteers to help scan ZipCards (for attendance counts) and to help pass out/collect surveys. With over 50 events over the course of 2 weeks, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities available for every schedule. If you’re interested, please follow the link below to sign up. A list of the events can be found at www.uakron.edu/race.

 Here’s how to sign up for “Rethinking Race” in 3 easy steps:

1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/hV34Ts

   2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot)

   3. Sign up! Choose your spots – VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

 Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me (itlga1@uakron.edu) and I can sign you up manually.

“Peace of Mind” Uncollectible Clinic: Thursday, March 21st at Akron Legal Aid office, from 5 – 7:00 PM.

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! To volunteer, please email Professor Joann Sahl: jsahl1@uakron.edu.

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).

Pro Bono Bankruptcy Project:

The Jerome L. Holub Pro Bono Bankruptcy Project is a collaborative project between the Akron Bar Association, Community Legal Aid, and the law school.  Students will receive substantive training on bankruptcy law and receive practical experience in working with clients.  Law students are responsible for conducting telephone interviews to gather information for the attorney’s review and for completing any necessary follow up investigation and research.  Law students meet with clients in person to gather the documents necessary to build a Chapter 7 bankruptcy file.  Students are provided with the opportunity to attend a 341 Hearing and are trained on using bankruptcy software. When possible, students are given an opportunity to prepare a bankruptcy petition for filing.

Because of the time spent in training, law student volunteers are asked to commit 8 to 10 hours per week, preferably in two or three half-days each week.

To volunteer for the Pro Bono Bankruptcy Project:

Cindy Adair, Paralegal

Volunteer Legal Services Program

Community Legal Aid Services

Akron Centre Plaza

50 South Main St., Suite 800

Akron, OH 44308

330-983-2695 ext 2534

(Fax) 330-535-0728

Interested in volunteering with the Volunteer Lawyers Program of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland? Our Neighborhood Brief Advice Clinics are a great introduction or re-introduction to volunteering with VLP.  As we begin a new year of our Neighborhood Brief Advice Clinics, I invite you to join us for our first Clinic on Saturday, January 26th from 10 – 12 noon at the Rice Branch of the Cleveland Public Library, E. 116th and Shaker Blvd.  If you are able to join us, please register at www.lasclev.org/registration  and we will send you more information and logistics about the Saturday clinic.Thank you!