Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative

06/06/2026

Our June Pro Bono Collaborative was another success! With Judge Jennifer Towell at the helm, our partners there to provide resources, and more than thirty people seeking legal advice we left the day feeling proud of the service we are offering. Judge Towell and Judge Joy Malek Oldfield give a special thanks to Community Legal Aid Services, Elliot Kolkovich, Summit County Prosecutor, Summit Legal Defenders, Summit County Executive's Office, Summit County Clerk of Courts, Summit County Fiscal Office, Summit County Sheriff's Office and all our community members who showed up and showed out! A big thank you to all our volunteer attorneys. We couldn’t do this without you We don’t have the clinic in July, but we will see you in August!

06/03/2026

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT!

The Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative is proud to partner with Fair Housing Contact Service (FHCS). FHCS is a local, non-profit, community-based organization that addresses issues of housing discrimination, tenant-landlord concerns, and provides housing counseling for home buyers and homeowners. Their mission is to prevent and eliminate housing discrimination and promote equal housing opportunity.

FHCS will be on-site monthly at our Pro Bono Collaborative to address these areas of concern.

Click the link in the bio to register to join us on June 5, 2026 to receive free legal advice and resources about this and other helpful services in our community.

05/30/2026

Members of the Pro Bono Collaborative have been traveling throughout Summit County to spread the word that free legal assistance is available to those in need. Thank you to the Rotary Club of Tallmadge and Rotary Club of Cuyahoga Falls, as well as Ward 7 Councilman Donnie Kammer Jr, Ward 8 Councilman Bruce Bolden, and Ward 9 Councilperson Tina Brode Boyes. We will soon be at Ward 1 with Fran Wilson, Ward 3 with Councilwoman Margo Sommerville, and Brad McKitrick Akron Ward 6 City Council, and more are on the way! If you are a council member, a member of a rotary, or part of any other organization with a monthly membership meeting and would like to hear about the project, please reach out! And don’t forget our upcoming June 5 clinic at the Summit County Common Pleas Court! Registration at the link in the bio.

05/29/2026

Are you struggling with civil legal issues and can't afford an attorney? The Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative is here to help you conquer those legal obstacles. This collaborative, presented by Judge Jennifer Towell, Judge Joy Malek Oldfield, Community Legal Aid Services, Elliot Kolkovich, Summit County Prosecutor and Summit Legal Defenders, comes back to the courthouse on June 5. Come talk to a volunteer attorney and, while you’re here, check out our community partners who will be available on site to assist you with questions about sealing, housing, transportation, child support, driver's license issues and more. Sign up at the link in the flyer to register to have an attorney answer your questions!

Get FREE legal help on Friday, June 5th at the NEXT Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative clinic. Doors open at 8am and the clinic runs from 9 to 11am. You can save time and avoid long lines by registering now at https://info.communitylegalaid.org/scpbc

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05/01/2026

Do you need legal assistance in Summit County? Be sure to come by the courthouse TOMORROW between 9 and 11 a.m. to get free help at the Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative. Whether it's child support, debt collections, or housing issues, stop in and our group of volunteer professionals will be here to help you.

Pre-register now at https://info.communitylegalaid.org/scpbc

05/01/2026

The kickoff of the Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative was a success! Thank you to the sixteen volunteer private practice attorneys, as well as many others from Community Legal Aid Services and The University of Akron School of Law, who volunteered from 9-11 am to assist more than fifty people in need of legal advice and other community resources. We had a special appearance from Judge Joan Synenberg, founder of the Cuyahoga County Pro Bono Collaborative who helped Judge Jennifer Towell and Judge Joy Malek Oldfield to bring it here. Special thanks to CLAS, Summit Legal Defenders, Elliot Kolkovich, Summit County Prosecutor, Tavia Galonski, Summit County Clerk of Courts, Summit County Fiscal Office, and Fiscal Officer Kristen Scalise, Summit County Executive's Office Department of Job & Family Services, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, United Way of Summit & Medina, Summit County Children Services, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Fair Housing Contact Service, Summit County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Kandy Fatheree, and METRO Regional Transit Authority. We have enormous gratitude for this group effort. See you on June 5 for the next one! Let’s keep working to help those in need.

04/30/2026

We're going to pause on our partner spotlights to make another push for attorney volunteers. Tomorrow is our kickoff! We are always looking for more attorneys to provide assistance to those community members who seek legal counsel. Don't forget you earn CLE credit for your time, and your malpractice insurance is covered for this engagement. If you haven't signed up, please go to the link in the bio for Attorney Volunteers and register. Thank you to all those who are participating in providing this service. See you tomorrow!

04/28/2026

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT!!

The Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative is proud to partner with Summit County Clerk of Courts Tavia Galonski. The mission of the Clerk's Office is to PRESERVE a complete record of the court that is directly and remotely accessible to the residents of Summit County; PROTECT the confidentiality of private information and ensure the accuracy and security of all funds, title records, and documents filed under seal; and, PROVIDE outstanding customer service in a friendly and professional manner. Clerk Galonski is the first black person to lead a countywide charter office.

The Clerk's Office will be on-site monthly at our Pro Bono Collaborative to provide access to cost, fee, and fine balances, and share final disposition information. They will also be able to help you see how to navigate their website to get the information you need; and, will have people there to direct you to their office to access additional forms and to file on-site.

Click the link in the bio to register to join us on May 1, 2026 at our kickoff volunteer legal clinic to receive free legal advice and resources about other helpful services in our community.

04/27/2026

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT!!

The Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative is proud to partner with the Summit County Fiscal Office, and Fiscal Officer Kristen Scalise. The Summit County Fiscal Office is made up of the divisions of Auditor, Recorder, and Treasurer. This office is responsible for the issuance of various licenses (including dog licenses), handles real estate tax bills and does fuel quality testing, just to name a few responsibilities. This office also issues veteran ids to our community members with military service. For the fee of $1, veterans can apply to have their DD-214 recorded and a veteran identification card issued as a convenient way to prove military service. For our May 1 Pro Bono Collaborative kickoff, those veteran ids will be provided free of charge.

Click the link in the bio to register to join us on May 1, 2026 at our kickoff volunteer legal clinic to receive free legal advice and resources about other helpful services in our community.

04/23/2026

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT!

The Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative is proud to partner with the Department of Job & Family Services of the Summit County Executive's Office.

When you appear for legal advice at our monthly Pro Bono Collaborative clinics, you will also find a DJFS representative available on site to talk to you. DJFS helps residents meet basic needs, including food, shelter, health care, and other essential services like child care and job support. DJFS also helps people build skills for the future. Through job training and education, DJFS supports individuals in finding employment and becoming more financially stable. And to ensure you have no obstacle to your appearance, Executive Ilene Shapiro has authorized parking validation for all who attend.

Click the link in the bio to register to join us on May 1, 2026 at our kickoff volunteer legal clinic to receive free legal advice and resources about other helpful services in our community.