Pro Bono

Download the Confidential Pro Bono Reporting Form

The Columbus Bar will use this confidential data primarily to track the amount and types of pro bono services that are being provided and to identify the unmet legal needs in our community. Information that is filed with the Columbus Bar will only be reported in the aggregate.

Problem:

Despite significant efforts to bridge the gap in legal services, 75% of low-income individuals in Ohio still do not receive legal assistance. Our country’s current economic challenges mean that even more individuals and families urgently need legal assistance but cannot afford an attorney.

Solution:

Just Take One. One meeting, one letter, one phone call, or one piece of advice can make a big difference to a low-income person with a legal matter.

The new Just Take One program encourages all attorneys to make a difference by providing pro bono legal representation annually to at least one individual or family that otherwise cannot afford an attorney. Attorneys who wish to participate in the Just Take One program can volunteer with one of many Columbus Bar pro bono programs, including:

Columbus Bar Lawyers for Justice

Attempts to reduce the unmet need for civil legal services among indigent residents of Central Ohio. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Columbus Bar Homeless Project

Attorneys visit one of six area homeless shelters or two domestic violence shelters to offer brief advice and counsel to residents referred by the shelters’ staff. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Columbus Bar Military Assistance

Attorneys educated in the special protections afforded under military law, provide free legal assistance to men and women in the military. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Interfaith Legal Services

Volunteer lawyers meet low-income individuals with legal problems at Pro Bono clinics in various Ohio communities. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Legal Aid Referral Project

Volunteer attorneys receive referrals of low-income clients in a field of their choice from Legal Aid. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Choose Your Own

The Columbus Bar works hard to provide and coordinate pro bono opportunities, matching local attorneys with low-income clients in need of legal services. If one of the above projects doesn't fit your needs or you prefer to donate pro bono time to a low-income client or project of your choosing, we encourage you to do so. We’d be glad to help if you have questions along the way.

Interested volunteers should contact She'lia Bolding at 614/221.4112 or e-mail She'lia Bolding.