Ohio Militaryveterans Legal Assistance Project

“Organization's Primary Exempt Purpose (Continued)”

“To accomplish these purposes, the organization may:”

“(i) provide pro bono legal services to low income”

“veterans, active duty service personnel and related persons;”

“(ii) recruit and maintain a network of pro bono attorneys”

“and other persons qualified to represent, advise and”

“assist persons served by the organization;”

“(iii) develop knowledge of and interest in the work of”

“the organization among the public;”

“(iv) educate and inform military personnel and veterans”

“and others regarding the legal rights of veterans and”

“military personnel and related persons;”

“(v) provide training and support for attorneys and other”

“volunteers participating in the work of the organization;”

“(vi) work with law schools and organizations that offer”

“legal services to create clinical programs and/or other”

“programs to carry out he work of the organization; and”

“(vii) engage in any and all activities incidental to or”

“necessary for the accomplishment of the purposes here described.”

“Recruit and Train Volunteer Lawyers -- The organization”

“created an online registration database whereby lawyers”

“could volunteer to offer pro bono representation to low”

“income veterans. Presentations about the site were given”

“to multiple local bar associations around Ohio and to”

“major law firms in Ohio's main cities. In it's first”

“year of operation, almost 200 lawyers across Ohio have”

“Staff support and occupancy 11525. Travel & parking 2854. Website design 787. Conference 29. Office supplies 81. Dues 900.”

“Transfer from ohio legal assistance foundation 95768.”

“volunteered to the database to provide pro bono services”

“to low income veterans.”

“Since most volunteer lawyers do not regularly practice”

“legal issues encountered by the poor, Continuing Legal Education”

“seminars have been presented by the organiozation at no”

“cost in areas such as landlord/tenant housing and evictions,”

“credit card debt defense and uncontested divorce with”

“sessions presented in Columbus, Cleveland and at the Ohio”

“Bar Association Convention.”

“Outreach to the Military Community -- The Organization”

“established a toll free phone number for low income veterans”

“and active servicemembers to request legal assistance.”

“It has produced a brochure explaning its services and”

“distributed supplies of the brochure to organizations”

“that regularly interface with the military community,”

“such as the VA, the county Veterans Services Commissions,”

“other organizations such as the American Legion and the VFW.”

“It has attended and set up exhibit booths at events aimed”

“at serving veterans. It has created a website for veterans”

“to access and taken steps to promote that site through various”

“search engines and has linked it to the sites of other”

“organizations serving veterans needs. It retained an Outreach”

“Consultant to find ways to more robustly raise the recognition”

“level of free legal services within the veteran Community.”

“Services to Low Income Veterans -- Since opening, the”

“organization has received 305 calls from veterans and active”

“duty servicemembers. Most of them did not match organization”

“service criteria because of: (1) INCOME, (2) the geographic”

“regions in which volunteer attorneys have been recruited,”

“or (3) the type of legal issue presented. 56 of the veterans”

“did qualify and all have connected to pro bono representation”

“by one of the organization's volunteer lawyers. As the”

“organization is still in infancy, a large number of these”

“representations are still pending and reports from those lawyers”

“have not yet been submitted. But from the very limited reports”

“to date, those few cases have reported about $4000 worth”

“of attorney time has been contributed to low income veterans.”