Reminger Co., LPA is proud to share that the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) has chosen Barbara Bellin Janovitz as an Accredited Estate Planner designee. The Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) designation is a graduate level, multi-disciplinary specialization in estate planning. It is awarded by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils to recognize estate planning professionals who meet stringent requirements of experience, knowledge, education, professional reputation, and character.

Barbara has been the chair of Reminger's Estate Planning Group for more than twenty years and has been counseling clients on estate planning and probate and trust administration issue for more than thirty years. Barbara counsels clients on both simple and complex estate, charitable and retirement planning matters, and has experience dealing with the Internal Revenue Service to resolve estate and gift tax issues. Her notable accomplishments include: 2017 Recipient of Cleveland Jewish News "Difference Maker" Award, 2014 Recipient of YWCA Woman of Professional Excellence, 2007 Recipient of the Cleveland Clinic Speaking Of Women's Health Award for Leadership and Community Service and she has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for Trusts and Estates since 2009.

Barbara stays active in the community as a member of Beachwood City Council, and as a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Association, Ohio Women’s Bar Association, The American Bar Association, and The Estate Planning Council of Greater Cleveland. Additionally, she is a board member of the Montefiore Foundation, the Benjamin Rose Institute, the Center for Community Solutions, and the Rose Centers.

Barbara states, “I am proud of my ability to maintain close, long-term relationships with my clients and to educate and advise them about the personal, as well as tax, aspects of their estate plans. I strive to assist clients and their family members through the planning and probate administration process with compassion.” Join us in congratulating Barbara on her designation from the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils.

Barbara can be reached by emailing bjanovitz@reminger.com or by calling 216.430.2178.

About Reminger, Attorneys at Law: Reminger Co., L.P.A. is a full-service law firm with fourteen offices throughout the Midwest: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Akron, Youngstown, Sandusky, Toledo, Fort Mitchell, Lexington, Louisville, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Northwest Indiana and Evansville. With more than 150 attorneys collectively, Reminger's practice areas include all aspects of litigation, along with corporate, tax, real estate and probate matters. Our fundamental objective in all the legal services we provide is to obtain the best possible results for our clients in the most practical and efficient manner possible. For more information, visit Reminger at www.reminger.com.

Marilyn McClure-Demers shares her top ten leadership strategies, which help drive change at Nationwide with kindness

Marilyn McClure-Demers’s entire approach to leadership sits in a nearby drawer, ready to be pulled out when a team member comes in to vent or is frustrated. It’s a symbol that can be drawn anywhere, anytime, even by McClure-Demers herself, who admits that “artistic” is one of the last ways she would describe herself. It’s a heart in the middle of a piece of paper with larger concentric circles: essentially a hearted bull’s-eye target.

McClure-Demers will pull out the piece of paper to disrupt her team’s negative thoughts or to encourage them that they’re doing the right thing. She calls it “Pure Heart Leadership,” a way to

unburden her team of things they can’t control. As long as they’re doing their best, that’s all that matters. “It’s something that rallies us together to solve problems and make things better,” McClure-Demers says. “I think everyone could agree we could use a lot more of that.”

The vice president and associate general counsel of corporate and class action litigation and discovery at Nationwide has seen her Pure Heart Leadership model employed by those she mentored and even papers written on the subject. But it’s a larger umbrella of top ten leadership strategies that she has developed over an extensive legal career both in the firm world and as in-house counsel. She has molded and built out each component of her list over a long period of time. Recently, she harmonized all ten at once and leveraged them during a legal transformation at Nationwide. This list has served as a model throughout her many leadership successes.

“I was charged with taking over an operation that was in dire need of some turnaround,” McClure-Demers says. “We needed an upgrade in our talent and development in best legal practices as well as increasing engagement and inclusivity on our teams.” In short, a lot of moving parts with the potential for pushback, upheaval, and all of the growing pains that a turnaround can elicit. Here, in McClure-Demers’s own words, is a snapshot of her top ten strategies in action, practiced with the full realization that even when they are successful, “there is always something else to nurture.”

1.  Lead at All Times

“As we journeyed through this process, there was no downtime when you weren’t leading or influencing. This was about a renewed investment in talking about the concepts of First Team [that leaders should assist and advocate for their fellow leaders, prioritizing these ties over those with their direct reports] and how we collaborate and reach alignment.”

2.  Authenticity

“People know if you’re genuinely interested in helping them. This played out in a number of ways successfully. This brought several folks to a fork in the road where they were able to assess for themselves if this was where they wanted to be and if they possessed the skills to be able to be part of this transformation.”

3.  Cultivate a Growth Mind-Set

“Once we started to assemble the talent we needed, it was an opportunity to create new processes and efficiencies. It was a chance for our folks to really live into a growth mind-set.”

4.  Listen

“You need to come in and demonstrate your desire to learn from your team and listen to them. It’s important for insight, validation, and to ‘lean in’ to enable others to lead and grow, too.”

5.  Be a Strategic Visionary

“We need to be providing more enhanced efficiencies and corporate value. Some people can help create the vision; some cannot. But once you’ve come together as a leadership team on what the vision is, you have to create a strategy for executing on something that others can live into.”

6.  Be Courageous

“There were plenty of naysayers on the sidelines. Making this kind of cultural and organizational change is going to create some rough seas. That’s when you need courage and fortitude as a leader to stay the course and be steadfast.”

7.  Be Resilient

“It’s really hand in glove with courage. There were many late nights and early mornings where we had to work through a crisis. Resiliency and adaptability during these times is absolutely essential.”

8.  Value People and Their Differences

“When you have to go through change—and you do have to, to make the organization better—you can do it in a way that appreciates people and helps them achieve their own goals. You can empower people to make their own decisions, and you have to be OK with the fact that sometimes that means they will go their own direction with your full support.”

9.  Remain Grateful

“One of the biggest rewards was having those on my team who thanked me for giving them a chance. I could see personal growth in myself and growth in others, and I wanted to be sure to let those appreciate the accolades that came our way.”

10.  Employ Grace and Kindness

“In difficult times, when conflict resolution may be necessary, you have to have the grace to slow it down and have meaningful exchanges, giving people the opportunity to build deeper relationships. Doing that has given people the chance to really surprise me. Always be kind to others and acknowledge and appreciate when they are kind to you, too.”

Marilyn-isms

Marilyn McClure-Demers has a way with words, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. The lawyer has had at least a couple informal volumes of her “Marilyn-isms” lightheartedly created by her teams and colleagues.

Certain phrases from McClure-Demers are well loved. Her analogy of “enterprise as an octopus” landed a stuffed purple octopus in her office. And the VP’s assistant can easily rattle off one of her boss’s favorite standby phrases: “If we’re dealing with apples, let’s deal with apples and not make a fruit salad out of it.”

This well-honed technique is a key part of her leadership style and an effective way to connect with others. Marilyn uses her Marilyn-isms to get others’ attention and to keep them focused, especially when encountering challenging scenarios.

***

Dentons:

“Marilyn draws strength and insight from challenges she has overcome and makes a difference for others. She appreciates the unique talents of each member of her teams and makes them feel valued, supported, and inspired.”

–Sonia Martin, Partner

• By Billy Yost
• Photo by Ryan Montgomery

Twenty-two high school teachers from Eastern Europe and Central Asia met with Ohio Supreme Court Justice Melody J. Stewart recently to talk about the judiciary and openness in government.

The scholars from 11 countries are studying media literacy at Kent State University as part of the Fullbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program. It’s a six-week professional development program where teachers take seminars and observe professors and their students.

Justice Stewart walked the students through her career, starting with college.

“I got my undergraduate degree in music. With a name like Melody, what else would I study? “Justice Stewart joked. “My primary instrument was piano. After graduation, I took a job in health care. I managed a small health care company in Cleveland and I got intellectually bored. The vice president of the company, who was also in law school at the time, brought his law books into the office and I’d peek at them. Then, I decided to go to law school.”

From there, Justice Stewart practiced law, defending the city of Cleveland in lawsuits. She then became a law professor and assistant dean and spent 12 years on the Eighth District Court of Appeals. She was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in November 2018 and took office Jan. 2, 2019.

“I’ve had a wonderful career practicing law, teaching law, and serving on the judiciary,” Justice Stewart said. “If I never do anything in law again in my life, it would be ok because it’s been a great ride.”

Students asked questions about cases involving the press, social media, and the dangers of misinformation.

“Media literacy is so important in the world today because of the threat of fake news, disinformation, and propaganda, “said Nadina Nicolici, a secondary teacher from Romania. “It was interesting to find out new things and have a clear idea of how things function here.”

The teachers will take the skills they learn at Kent State and practice them in their schools and communities back home.

By Anne Yeager | October 10, 2019

COLUMBUS, Ohio – OhioHealth announced today that Tara Aschenbrand, Esq., has been promoted to vice president and Associate General Counsel for Labor and Employment.

In her new role, Aschenbrand is the primary counsel for the organization’s labor and employment representation.  Aschenbrand regularly partners with human resources and business leaders on management of associates and employment related compliance issues.

She also oversees the organization’s responses before government agencies, manages employment litigation, and provides legal guidance for OhioHealth Protective Services and Human Resources Benefits portfolio.

“During her tenure at OhioHealth, Tara has provided exceptional legal and strategic guidance to the organization and the senior leadership team, said Terri Meldrum, Esq., Sr. Vice President and General Counsel. “She is a poised and thoughtful leader who has quickly gained the trust and confidence of the organization and this new leadership role positions our organization and department to benefit even further from her dynamic skill set.”

“I am beyond excited about this new challenge and the organization’s trust in me,” said Aschenbrand. “I’m grateful to be part of OhioHealth and proud to be part of such a talented and compassionate team.”

Education and Employment History

Prior to joining OhioHealth in 2015, Aschenbrand served as a Principal at the global law firm of Squire Patton Boggs in Columbus. During her nearly 15 years there, she focused on all matters related to labor and employment.

Aschenbrand earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, Summa Cum Laude, in 1999.

She received her J.D., with honors, from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 2002. Upon graduation, she served as judicial clerk to Judge James L. Graham of the United States District Court. 

Community and Professional activities

Aschenbrand sits on the board of trustees and is past president of the Ohio Women’s Bar Association. She has also served on the board of directors for Amethyst, Inc, providing services and housing to recovering addicts.

Honors include being selected to Business First’s “40 under 40” list of up and comers, and also as an “Ohio Rising Star” by Super Lawyers.

Personal

Aschenbrand is married with three kids, lives in Dublin, practices yoga and loves camping with the family.

About OhioHealth

OhioHealth is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, charitable, healthcare outreach of the United Methodist Church.

Based in Columbus, Ohio, OhioHealth has been recognized as one of the top five large health systems in America by Truven Health Analytics, an honor it has received six times. It is also recognized by FORTUNE as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” and has been for 13 years in a row, 2007-2019.

Serving its communities since 1891, it is a family of 30,000 associates, physicians and volunteers, and a network of 12 hospitals, 200+ ambulatory sites, hospice, home-health, medical equipment and other health services spanning a 47-county area.

OhioHealth hospitals include OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Hardin Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Marion General Hospital, OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital, OhioHealth Shelby Hospital, OhioHealth Grove City Methodist Hospital and OhioHealth Berger Hospital. For more information, please visit our website at www.ohiohealth.com.

Thirty-seven new magistrates received a three-day crash course on what it’s like to transition from the bar to the bench during a second annual orientation at the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center. 

Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor offers advice and guidance to new Ohio magistrates.

“You didn’t get this job by accident,” Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor told the group. “You are in this position because a judge found you knowledgeable about the law and trustworthy in your decision-making ability. Both magistrates and judges have the same mission when they ascend to the bench every day.”

“You must dispense justice faithfully and impartially. You must ensure that all litigants and interested parties know that you listened thoroughly to their cases,” she said.

The event – organized by the Court’s Judicial College – is constructed to help attendees learn about their new role and also offers a chance to network with colleagues.

“It’s been outstanding to meet the other magistrates and we talked about how it’s nice to realize you aren’t alone. There are so many people in the same boat,” said Jennifer Towell, a new magistrate in Akron’s Municipal Court.

Before her appointment, she was an attorney in private practice and also served as a judge advocate general (JAG) lieutenant for the U.S. Navy based in Washington D.C.

“I’ve learned judicial decorum,” Towell said. “(I’ve learned) how to manage my courtroom and navigate my relationships with court staff.”

Unlike judges, magistrates are not elected. They’re appointed by a judge and operate under the supervision of that elected judge.

Charmine Dose, a magistrate from Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court, sees the training as extremely valuable.

“I get to see it from all perspectives.” Dose said. “As a prosecutor, you have one angle. As a private practitioner, I had that angle. Now I get to make decisions and I know both angles.”

These magistrates will continue their education throughout their tenure on the bench. Ohio magistrates must complete 40 hours of continuing legal education, including 10 hours of instruction offered by the Judicial College, every two years.

By Anne Yeager, October 3, 2019

Ahead of the Ohio State Bar Foundation's annual awards dinner next Friday, the organization has announced a slate of honorees to be recognized at the event.

The 2019 celebrated class includes an attorney who has improved the lives of inmates, another who has given to more than a dozen non-profit agencies, an organization that fights for crime victims and an attorney who is on the front lines of fighting the opioid epidemic, according to the foundation's announcement of this year's winners.

The event - a gathering of foundation fellow, board members and friends from across the state - also serves as an opportunity to review the efforts of organizations and individuals funded by foundation grants.

"Our honorees this year have made extraordinary contributions in changing lives, while furthering the foundation's mission of improving access to justice and helping the public better understand the rule of law," foundation President Rob Ware said. "These honorees exemplify the best that Ohio has to offer in upholding the ideals of selfless public service for the greater good."

The honors listed below are to be awarded to the following individuals:

• Ritter Award: Richard Swope of Swope and Swope, Attorneys at Law in Reynoldsburg. The Ritter Award is the highest honor awarded by the Foundation, given to an attorney for a lifetime of service. Swope has spent six decades representing clients, advocating for inmate rights by helping to provide better access to Ohio's legal system.

• Ramey Award for Distinguished Community Service: Donald Messinger of Thompson Hine LLP in Cleveland. This award is given to an Ohio attorney whose career has been exemplified by dedication to public and community service, integrity, honor, courtesy and professionalism. Messinger has undertaken significant volunteer leadership roles with multiple charitable organizations in Northeast Ohio, including United Way of Greater Cleveland, Legal Aid, Gateway Economic Development Corporation, Circle Health Services and the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center.

• Outstanding Program or Organization Award: Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center of Powell, Cincinnati and Cleveland. Given annually, this award highlights a program or organization that promotes improvement in the Ohio justice system. This year's recipient, the Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center, is a state- wide non-profit organization that ensures that Ohio state and federal crime victims are treated fairly during the criminal justice process.

Statewide Community Service Award for Attorneys 40 and Under: Meigs County Prosecuting Attorney James Stanley. Stanley has passionately combatted the opioid epidemic and addiction crisis in Meigs County and has taken proactive measures to prevent addiction and assist recovery before individuals enter the legal system.

John and Ginny Elam Pro Bono Award: Michele Sherrin of Medina. The John and Ginny Elam Pro Bono Award recognizes a lawyer's exceptional pro bono legal work in the state of Ohio. Sherrin has been a long-standing Community Legal Aid volunteer. While maintaining a busy legal practice, she has provided pro bono services for the past 10 years to clients with a variety of legal issues.

"We have an outstanding group of award recipients this year," foundation Executive Director Lori Keating said. "Each individual and organization has contributed their time, talents and expertise in helping so many Ohioans better their lives.

"We are deeply honored to recognize them for their contributions."

The Exchange at Bridge Park in Dublin is host to the dinner and awards ceremony.

For reservations or to make a donation to the foundation, call Cynthia Kincaid at (614) 487-4477.

The largest bar foundation in the United States, the Ohio State Bar Foundation works to advance the law and build a better justice system by awarding more than $750,000 in grants annually to non-profit organizations across the state of Ohio.

Copyright © 2019 The Daily Reporter - All Rights Reserved

KEITH ARNOLD
Special to the Legal News

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY- Northern Kentucky University’s Chase College of Law honors Beatrice (Bea) E. Wolper with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Wolper will be featured as a distinguished graduate on October 11, at Chase’s Annual Alumni Awards Luncheon in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes exemplary professional accomplishments and service to the legal profession and the community. Wolper is a practicing attorney in Columbus, Ohio, serving as president of Emens & Wolper Law Firm, in Columbus and St. Clairsville, Ohio. She is also a co-founder and an advisory board member of the Conway Center for Family Business, a nonprofit that offers educational resources and programs for familyowned businesses in central Ohio. In practice, she focuses on family-owned businesses, succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, estate planning, oil and gas law, and contracts.

As an educator, Wolper is a lead instructor for the Ohio State Bar Association continuing legal education course Family Business Succession, has taught family business courses at Ohio Dominican University and will be an adjunct estate planning profession in spring 2020 at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from Chase,” said Wolper. “I hope to serve as a role model for current Chase students on how to achieve professional goals in the practice of law and service to the community.”

Wolper is Ohio past-president of the International Women’s Forum, having served as president from 1993 through 2015. She is also a member of legal advisory boards for the Columbus Foundation, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Central Ohio Planned Giving. She previously served on executive committees of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Columbus Center of Science and Industry, Women’s Business Board, Greater Columbus Arts Council, Mount Carmel College of Nursing and Greater Columbus News Bureau. She was an elected delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business in 1995.

Wolper received the Women Who Make a Difference Award of the International Women’s Forum in 1993, presented to only nine women leaders in the world. She has also been recognized with the Columbus YWCA Women of Achievement Award and the Women in Business Advocate Award of the United States Small Business Administration.

Wolper holds a Juris Doctor from the Chase College of Law, where she was editor-in-chief of the Northern Kentucky Law Review, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Cincinnati. She is a frequent writer and lecturer and is co-author with her husband, Dick Emens, of the book Family Business Basics: The Guide to Family Business Financial Success (2nd Ed 2004).

About Salmon P. Chase College of Law: Chase College of Law is located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, seven miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio. The law school was founded in Cincinnati in 1893 and merged with NKU in 1972. Chase offers full-time and part-time programs of study and has an enrollment of about 400 students on the NKU campus. In addition to traditional classes, students can participate in the college’s W. Bruce Lunsford Academy for Law, Business + Technology. For more on Chase, visit its website.

###NKU###

About NKU: Founded in 1968, we are a growing metropolitan university of more than 14,000 students served by more than 2,000 faculty and staff on a thriving suburban campus near Cincinnati. Located in the quiet suburb of Highland Heights, Kentucky—just seven miles southeast of Cincinnati—we have become a leader in Greater Cincinnati and Kentucky by providing a private school education for a fraction of the cost. While we are one of the fastest growing universities in Kentucky, our professors still know our students' names. For more information, visit nku.edu.

Contact: Anna Wright | Director of Public Relations | 859-572-5808 | wrighta15@nku.edu

The Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center has received an historic collection of items related to Ohio president William McKinley. Mary DeGenaro, a former Ohio Supreme Court Justice, donated the photographs and political ephemera, which were part of her family’s collection. 
 
“I am thrilled to be donating these items to the Statehouse, where McKinley served as governor, for all Ohioans to enjoy,” DeGenaro said. “I have a personal connection to the Statehouse and its history. In the room where Abraham Lincoln learned he had been elected president in 1861, I was told by Governor John Kasich that he was appointing me to the Ohio Supreme Court.” 

In addition to photographs and paper ephemera, the collection includes platters and dishes related to McKinley. One of the standout objects is a photograph of William McKinley in an open carriage in Niagara Falls, N.Y., taken just over an hour before his untimely assassination. Other excellent pieces include historic postcards of the Statehouse featuring the McKinley Monument.
 
“The McKinley collection is a wonderful addition to the Ohio Statehouse Museum,” said Dayna Jalkanen, Deputy Director of Museum and Education for the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB). “The Ohio Statehouse is an appropriate place for the collection since McKinley spent so many years there serving in the Governor’s Office, and we recognize Red Carnation Day every year on January 29, the day McKinley was born.”
 
The Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center will preserve and maintain these historic artifacts for the people of Ohio. In the near future, items from the collection will be displayed for the public in Map Room exhibit cases or in the McKinley hearing room on the first floor of the Ohio Statehouse. 
 
McKinley was one of eight U.S. presidents from Ohio. He was born in Niles, Ohio, in 1843. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and was noted for serving the troops under heavy enemy fire. McKinley was governor of Ohio from 1892 to 1896. McKinley became president of the United States in 1897. He was killed by an anarchist assassin in 1901. McKinley is included in the Great Ohioans display at the Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center and memorialized with the McKinley Monument that stands in front of the Ohio Statehouse.   
 
DeGenaro is a native of northeast Ohio and has been involved in public service on village council in Poland, Ohio; as a judge in the Ohio 7th District Court of Appeals, and as an Ohio Supreme Court Justice. She is currently serving as Chief Legal Counsel to Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber.
 
DeGenaro’s collecting interests include historical items relating to Abraham Lincoln, Ohio political history, suffrage, and Judge Florence Allen, who was the first woman to serve on the Ohio Supreme Court. DeGenaro has always had a great personal interest in Ohio presidential politics and became particularly interested in McKinley items after moving to Poland, Ohio and learning about the president’s connection to the small Western Reserve town.

“I thought it was amazing that part of the building where McKinley attended school was now a part of the library we took our sons to countless times, and the tavern where he enlisted to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War was still standing -- walking distance from our family home,” DeGenaro said.
 
The DeGenaros live in Columbus and have another home in Poland, where McKinley was a schoolteacher. 

Opened in 2009, the Ohio Statehouse Museum features high-tech, interactive exhibits that make learning about all three branches of state government immersive. The museum is packed with historical artifacts and images that detail how government works and who has come to serve their fellow citizens. 
 
The Museum includes 5,000 square feet of exhibit space on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse that enriches the experience of schoolchildren and visitors. The Museum offers exhibits that encourage visitors to participate in the government process by making choices, expressing their opinions, comparing viewpoints and even becoming a part of an exhibit by giving a State of the State address. The museum’s “deep dive” approach to education enables visitors to better relate to the governing process.

No matter where you look around or inside the Ohio Statehouse, you’re surrounded by history, and those who shaped it. Recently, in the building’s atrium, a group of women shared tales from the darkest years of their lives about their escape from abuse and human trafficking to enlighten and inspire hundreds of other people.

Nine women celebrated their graduation from Changing Actions that Change Habits (CATCH) Court. Started in 2009, the Franklin County Municipal Court specialized docket was the state’s first human trafficking court.

“CATCH Court saved my life. I didn’t have a light until they shined theirs on me so I could find mine,” said Melissa Callaway, who graduated after her second attempt in the program.

The two-year track involves intensive court supervision, addiction treatment, and trauma-focused therapy. Those who graduate – 67 people to date – get a clean slate, with the related charges erased from their record.

Often separated from their families and isolated from society because of their addictions, members of the program’s ninth graduating class were once again with their loved ones. Among them were mothers, daughters, and sisters expressing their gratitude to Judge Paul Herbert and his staff for their patience, care, and compassion.

“They’ve given me the greatest gift they could ever have given me in my life. They have given me my sister back, and I will be forever grateful to CATCH Court,” said Hollie Daniels, whose sister LaRose successfully completed the program.

For a group of women who struggled to trust court staff and treatment teams with their emotions and vulnerabilities when they started in the specialized docket, the survivors are now a source of promise and happiness for those they’ve impacted.

One such example is Barb Davis. Homeless for 37 years, much of that time was mired under the manipulation of abusers and substance use, which desensitized her despair.

“I want you to know that I remember a time that we were too busy trying to numb out our pain and trauma to ever believe there was something better waiting on us,” Davis said. “To be part of such an amazing circle of strong and resilient women is an honor for me.”

As the women transition to the next chapter of their lives, they’re pushing CATCH Court participants and others being exploited toward their own freedom.

“Don’t ever give up and don’t ever discourage yourself, because great things happen here,” said graduate Tierramarie Lewis.

CSABA SUKOSD
Supreme Court
Public Information Office

The Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, the largest funder of civil legal aid in Ohio, announced at its 25th anniversary celebration last night that it is changing its name to the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation. The name change reflects the Foundation’s broader commitment to access to justice initiatives.

“The name Ohio Access to Justice Foundation allows us to emphasize not only our commitment to funding and supporting Ohio’s legal aids, but also to recognize all of our efforts to increase justice for Ohioans struggling to make ends meet,” said Angie Lloyd, executive director.

With the name change comes a new domain name (www.ohiojusticefoundation.org) and a new logo.

Close to 200 attendees gathered to celebrate the Foundation’s 25^th anniversary. Since 1994, the Foundation has funded life-changing civil legal help for more than 4 million Ohioans including children, seniors, veterans and domestic violence survivors.

Programs supported and funded by the Foundation include Ohio Legal Help, a new mobile-first website that will help all Ohioans access the civil justice system; and the Ohio Justice Bus, a mobile legal aid office that allows legal aid and pro bono attorneys to travel to rural areas of the state to provide legal services at no cost to clients.

“We look forward to the next 25 years as the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation,” Lloyd said. “Our goal is to build on the successes of the past while remaining laser focused on supporting programs and partnerships that help more Ohioans access critically important legal services.”

The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation improves fairness and access to justice for all Ohioans. Established in 1994 as the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, the Foundation funds Ohio’s legal aids through the IOLTA/IOTA program, a civil filing fee surcharge, and donations. Legal aid helps families, children, veterans, seniors, and other Ohioans struggling to make ends meet get back on their feet and on the road to self-sufficiency. Through the Foundation’s work, Ohioans have access to legal help, advice, and representation, which ensures fairness for all in the justice system.