Recent News

October 8, 2010

Legal Aid Names New Director

Maria Soto, former deputy director for Legal Services of Greater Miami, has joined the Legal Aid Society of Columbus as its new executive director.

“Maria’s experience serving for more than a decade as the highly regarded deputy director of the legal services program serving the Miami-Dade and Monroe county areas will allow her to hit the ground running here,” said Tom Weeks, executive director of OSLSA.

Ms. Soto acknowledged the daunting job before her. “We are, by the nature of the times we live in, hugely challenged by both significantly reduced resources and significantly increased client demand,” she said. “Nonetheless, LASC has great strengths including a committed and dedicated Board and a steadfast and hard-working staff. I am completely confident that we will meet our challenges and continue to provide high quality legal services to the low income communities we are charged with serving.”

Ms. Soto earned her law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1982 and recently completed a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington in Seattle. The degree came with a certificate in Law Librarianship.

In Miami, she served on the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts and of the Miami Book Fair International. She is already settling into her new hometown, becoming a member of the Wexner Center for the Arts and the Franklin Park Conservatory.

A reception to meet the new Legal Aid Director, Maria Soto, and to honor attorneys who have provided pro bono services to low income individuals and families in our community this year, will be held October 26 from 5:00-6:30. The reception is sponsored by the Columbus Bar and Columbus Bar Foundation and will be held at the Columbus Bar offices (175 S. Third St., Suite 1100, Columbus, OH 43215). RSVP to JoAnne Roots at jroots@columbuslegalaid.org.