Ohio Legal Help

“The form 990 is distributed to the full board for review and approval prior to filing.”

“Ohio legal help's conflict of interest policy and procedure extends to all directors and to ohio legal help's executive director. Each director and officer must annually complete and sign the "annual business relationship and conflict of interest form". Determinations of whether an actual conflict of interest exists are made by the board through a majority vote which excludes the vote of a potentially conflicted director(s). No director or officer may preside over, vote on, or participate in any deliberation of any matter in which such director or officer has a conflict or potential conflict of interest.”

“On an annual basis at ohio legal help's june meeting, the full board discusses the salary and compensation of the executive director in executive session. The salary and compensation of the executive director for the next fiscal year is then set based upon her annual performance review and review of executive salaries from comparable non-profit organizations in ohio and nationally.”

“Ohio legal help's irs form 990 filing and audit are available via its website. Further, any files requested by the public will generally be made available in digital format via electronic delivery.”

“Ohio legal help started with the idea of equitable justice for all. In 2015, the ohio supreme court's task force on access to justice recommended that the access to justice community "develop and maintain a statewide website devoted to providing free and accurate legal information to ohio residents." in response to this charge, a group of community and legal organizations met in 2017 to plan the creation of a statewide, user-centered legal portal that would become ohiolegalhelp.org. After two years of research and community-led design, ohio legal help launched to the public in 2019. In the second year of operations, the website assisted more than 623,000 visitors to the site with legal issues ranging from divorce to eviction. By providing actionable and accurate information, ohio legal help transforms the lives of low-income, underserved and vulnerable populations and fulfills the mission of access to justice for all. When ohio legal help launched in september 2019, no one could have predicted the unprecedented need for legal help that would follow as the covid-19 pandemic hit in march 2020. Recognizing this need, ohio legal help created a covid-19 hub that is regularly updated with the latest protections and benefits available to ohioans. As ohio began to move forward in 2021 despite ongoing challenges, ohio legal help built out new tools and content that allowed ohioans to take action to resolve their legal problems. Since the onset of the pandemic, ohio legal help has helped over 1 million families with their legal issues. Through funding from the legal services corporation and partnership with community legal aid, ohio legal help created and launched my olh, a secure user hub where users can find, save and complete court forms. My olh was created to make filling out forms on a phone easier for hardworking individuals, like a mom who is juggling providing for her family and the additional stressors brought on by the pandemic. My olh launched with forms like divorce without children and the cdc eviction moratorium declaration, but soon added more including the domestic violence civil protection order. The tool enables domestic violence victims and survivors to safely and easily access and complete the legal forms they need to obtain a civil protection order. Since launch in october 2021, nearly 7,000 users have been helped by the dv cpo content and forms. As 2021 came to a close, ohio legal help created two new legal modules to help ohioans seal criminal records and find reliable, trustworthy information on immigration. Giving ohioans the tools needed to seal their criminal records will break down barriers to safe and stable housing and employment. Trustworthy and accurate immigration information and resources will help new americans avoid scams and become citizens. New content and tools such as these empower ohio families to have economic and employment stability. In 2021 in total, ohio legal help assisted more than 623,000 users who worked to rebuild and recover from the pandemic. Ohio legal help's 2021 user metrics are as follows: - total users assisted: 623,000 - total visits to ohiolegalhelp.org: 793,000 - users with eviction issues: 111,000 o including 20,000 users with the cdc eviction moratorium form from september 2020 to the end of the moratorium in august 2021 and; o over 15,000 referrals to emergency rental assistance. - users with unemployment issues: 62,000 - users with food + snap needs: 21,000 - users with divorce, dissolution and domestic violence needs: 68,000 - referrals to ohio's 600+ courts, legal aids, and local social service agencies: o total referrals: 164,000 o courts: 89,000 o social service agencies: 44,000 o legal aid (including pro seniors): 16,000 o public defender/court appointed: 8,000 o private bar association (lrs): 7,000 these metrics show the vital role of trusted, 24/7 online legal assistance as ohioans work to rebuild and recover from the covid-19 pandemic. As a part of the organization”

“The process has not changed from the prior year.”