Columbus Bar Foundation

About the Foundation

The Columbus Bar Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Columbus legal community. As legal professionals, we can do more for this community working together than we can individually.

Our mission is to strive to increase access to justice, improve the administration of justice and promote excellence in legal education through scholarships and grants. Our members come from all areas of legal practice: private, corporate, government and public interest. Our vision of legal professionals working together for the benefit of the community is now a reality.

The Columbus Bar Foundation can be your way of "giving back" to our community. We make sure that every gift, large or small, makes a difference in the lives of the people of this community. The Foundation is a great place to create a memorial for a loved one, pursue your own philanthropic goals or leave a lasting legacy to this community.

Tax Status

The Columbus Bar Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization, was formed in 1950 by the Columbus Bar Association, with a mission to promote access to justice, understanding and respect for the law and lawyers, and improvements in the administration of justice in central Ohio. 15 trustees govern the Foundation.

Board of Trustees

2012-2013

David W. Alexander, President
Robert A. Meyer, Jr., Vice-President
Stephen R. Buchenroth, Secretary/Treasurer
Heather G. Sowald, Immediate Past President
James E. Arnold, Trustee
Belinda S. Barnes, Trustee
Michael H. Carpenter, Trustee
Sharon Chappelear, Trustee
John J. Chester, Jr., Trustee
James E. Davidson, Trustee
Sharon L. Davies, Trustee
Paul Giorgianni, Trustee
Michael K. Gire, Trustee
Hon. Carrie E. Glaeden, Trustee
Thomas W. Hill, Trustee
Ronald G. Linville, Trustee
Robert G. Palmer, Trustee
Mark Petrucci, Trustee
Hon. Guy L. Reece, II, Trustee
Stanley D. Ross, Trustee
Keith W. Schneider, Trustee
Gregory M. Travalio, Trustee
Robert J. Weiler, Trustee
Jay A. Yano, Trustee
James H. Balthaser, Counsel
Jill Snitcher McQuain, CBA Executive Director
Marion Smithberger, CBF Executive Director

Foundation Staff

Marion Smithberger

• Executive Director, Columbus Bar Foundation 1985-Present
• Assistant Executive Director, Columbus Bar Association 1978-Present
• Director, Lawyer Referral Service 1995-Present
• President, ABA National Conference of Bar Foundations, 1999
• Board member and past president, Columbus Legal Aid Society
• President, Ohio Center for Law Related Education, 2009-10
• Program Committee, Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation
• Chair, Ohio Supreme Court Committee for Lawyer Referral 1997-2003
• Member, Peer Assistance Review LRS Panel for ABA 2001-Present
• Chair, ABA National Association of Bar Executives, Lawyer Referral Forum, 2003, 2010
• Director, Continuing Legal Education 1978-1995
• Coordinated the development of the Lawyers for Justice Program
• Coordinated the transition from voluntary to mandatory CLE
• Chair, ABA National Association of Bar Executives CLE Section 1992-93
• Graduate, The Ohio State University, 1976
• Husband of Carol Sheehan, partner, Carlile Patchen & Murphy
• Deacon at St. Timothy Church, 2008-present

Grants

The Columbus Bar Foundation considers grants for programs that further the CBF mission: programs that foster access to justice, administration of justice, the training of new lawyers through scholarships and continuing education.

The first step in the application process is to write a brief letter of intent that emphasizes how the grant will further the Foundation's mission. Upon receipt, the Columbus Bar Foundation Board will consider the proposal and notify the applicant of how to proceed.

The Columbus Bar Foundation regrets that it will not award grants for worthy projects that fall outside our mission.

Our Mission

The Foundation is dedicated to promoting understanding of the law, the role of the legal profession, and access to justice for all. Through grants, the Foundation provides seed money and support for a variety of programs.

Over the past 20 years the Bar Foundation has carefully evaluated which community projects align with the Foundation’s mission and capacity to make a difference; currently making grants of approximately $200,000 annually from a corpus of $2.2 million. The following are representative of projects that the CBF has funded:

• $110,000 in scholarships to female and minority law students through the Schermer Scholarship Fund
• Over $510,000 to the Legal Aid Society of Columbus to help children and victims of domestic violence with the Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence
• Over $600,000 to operate Lawyers for Justice, the Bar’s pro bono program, helping hundreds of people annually since 1989
• The annual Chester Professionalism Institute
• Capital University Law School Program for Advanced Dispute Resolution Education
• The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Clinic Pro Bono Partnership Child Representation Program
• Over $400,000 to the Center for Child and Family Advocacy at Children’s Hospital