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100 CLEVELAND CITY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO LEARN ABOUT THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM DURING CRIMINAL JUSTICE DAY ON NOVEMBER 2ND
For Immediate Release: October 31, 2005
Contact: (216) 696-3525
CUYAHOGA COUNTY COMMISSIONER PETER LAWSON JONES TO KEY NOTE.
CLEVELAND – The Criminal Law Section of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, long with Cleveland State University's Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and the Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD) are pleased to announce Criminal Justice Day, a full-day program for Cleveland Municipal School District students to be held at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law on Wednesday, November 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The theme of the program is "Pursuing Justice: Understanding the Goals of our Criminal Justice System." 100 Cleveland City school students will have the opportunity to meet some of Cleveland's top criminal law practitioners including federal and local judges, prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys and law enforcement agents, and will participate in a mock criminal trial involving witness presentations and jury deliberations.
Participants will include: Cleveland Schools C.E.O. Barbara Byrd-Bennett, Cleveland- Marshall Dean and former federal prosecutor Geoffrey S. Mearns, Cleveland Chief of Police Michael McGrath, United States District Judges for the Northern District of Ohio Lesley Wells, Ann Aldrich, and retired Chief U.S. District Judge George W. White, United States Magistrate Judge Patricia Hemann, Cuyahoga Court of Common Pleas Judge David Matia, Cleveland Municipal Court Judges Ronald Adrine, Ron O'Leary and Joan Synenberg, Cleveland Chief Prosecutor Anthony Jordan and Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones, who will deliver the keynote address during the luncheon at the law school.
Founded in 1873, the over 5000-member Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association is a private, non-profit organization which provides a wide variety of membership services and operates as a center for legal professionalism in the region by educating the bar, providing resources that enhance client service and by promoting integrity and ethical behavior among lawyers. The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association was one of the first bar associations in the nation, even predating the Ohio State Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and is currently the largest metropolitan provider of legal seminars in Ohio.
CLEVELAND BAR ASSOCIATION RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS ABA NATIONAL AWARD FOR PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICES INITIATIVE
For Immediate Release: August 15, 2005
Contact: (216) 696-3525
CLEVELAND, OHIO – The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association is the recipient of the prestigious American Bar Association 2005 Harrison Tweed Award. The Award was presented at the recent joint luncheon of the National Conference of Bar Presidents, National Association of Bar Executives and National Conference of Bar Foundations in conjunction with the American Bar Association’s Annual Meeting in Chicago on Friday, August 5. Past President David A. Kutik, a partner at Jones Day, accepted the award on behalf of the Association. Created in 1956, the award recognizes the extraordinary achievements of state and local bar associations that develop or significantly expand projects or programs to increase access to civil legal services to poor persons or criminal defense services to indigents.
Upon receiving the ABA’s 2005 Harrison Tweed Award, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association President, P. Kelly Tompkins, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of RPM International, commented, “Our Association’s receipt of the ABA’s prestigious Harrison Tweed Award is especially gratifying since it recognizes, from a national perspective, the extraordinary commitment to pro bono and public service by our members. Our lawyers are meeting real community needs and every member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association should take great pride in this accomplishment. My hope is that more of our members, from all practice settings, will be inspired to offer their time and talent in service to those Clevelanders in need. Let us use this time to not only celebrate our success but to renew our call to serve.”
Tompkins added, “The Harrison Tweed Award, along with the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation’s 2005 Presidential Award for Pro Bono Legal Services received a few months ago, are fitting tributes to the dedicated leadership of David Kutik. His vision, coupled with staff and volunteer support and our partners at The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, clearly demonstrates that Our Commitment to Our Community is more than a slogan -- more than a program. It is truly our commitment to our community.”
The Association was selected to be one of only three recipients from among all state and local bar associations for its initiatives to increase pro bono participation and improve the delivery and coordination of pro bono legal services in the Greater Cleveland community. The Association launched a three-prong, interrelated campaign that included: 1) the establishment of Our Commitment to Our Community, a pro bono and public service pledge campaign to increase volunteer service; 2) the creation of the Pro Bono Improvement Task Force to improve and coordinate legal services delivery to the poor; and 3) the development of new clinical programs serving low income individuals in collaboration with The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.
The first year of the OCTOC campaign yielded pledges of 71,300 hours in pro bono and public service for calendar year 2005 from 28 law firms, three law departments and numerous individual lawyers, representing over 2,000 lawyers. Each participant committed to provide service to a specific pro bono project with a specific number of hours of pro bono or community service. OCTOC participants also agreed to track and report their hours of service. The increased commitment to pro bono service enabled existing programs, including the Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistance Program, to be expanded. It also provided volunteers for the newly created clinical programs developed in collaboration with the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. Over 30 brief advice, evening law firm clinics and substantive legal clinics have been scheduled during 2005.
Founded in 1873, the over 5000-member Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association is a private, non-profit organization which provides a wide variety of membership services and operates as a center for legal professionalism in the region by educating the bar, providing resources that enhance client service and by promoting integrity and ethical behavior among lawyers. The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association was one of the first bar associations in the nation, even predating the Ohio State Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and is currently the largest metropolitan provider of legal seminars in Ohio.
CLEVELAND BAR ASSOCIATION INAUGURATES RPM INTERNATIONAL INC.
GENERAL COUNSEL P. KELLY TOMPKINS AS ITS 95th PRESIDENT
For Immediate Release: June 16, 2005
Contact: (216) 696-3525
Tompkins pledges to build bridges within the Association,
legal profession and community
CLEVELAND -- P. Kelly Tompkins, senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of RPM International Inc., took office today as the 95th president of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association for a one-year term, succeeding David A. Kutik of Jones Day. Tompkins was sworn in by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Connor at the Association's annual meeting.
'I am extremely honored and humbled to represent the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and to follow in the footsteps of David Kutik,' said Tompkins. 'David's dedication to the legal profession, the Association and, particularly, to the needs of the working poor in the community is inspiring to us all. I intend to build on the solid foundation that David laid during his tenure, and to involve even more members of the Association in our programs to give back to the community.'
In his keynote address, Tompkins outlined his goals for the Association and stressed the importance of building bridges within the Association, the legal profession and the community at large. He laid out the following initiatives to broaden the Association's appeal to an even more diverse cross-section of members:
Sustain the momentum of the Association's successful 'Our Commitment to Our Community' initiative by expanding the pool of participants and serving as a catalyst for change in the community.
Address and heighten awareness of issues of concern to women, including leadership, mentorship and work/life balance.
Deliver value to members by providing excellence in service, which includes offering quality programming, policing the profession and enhancing its image. On a broader scale, Tompkins said he hopes the Association can foster collaboration among the various bar associations and legal service providers in the area to help raise awareness of the need to give back to the community. He noted that the Association is in active discussions with leading civic organizations to explore specific ways the Association can lend its institutional voice and the skills and experience of its members to address regional economic development and related government reform.
To continue building on the Association's long tradition of civic contribution, Tompkins has tapped former President and Thompson Hine partner Steve Kaufman to help spearhead the organization's participation in broad-based, community-wide stakeholder dialogue programs.
'We are delighted to welcome Kelly Tompkins as our 95th president. His dedication to the profession and his passion for upholding the highest standards in all we do will be a benefit to the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, its members and the community,' said D. Larkin Chenault, executive director and secretary of the Association. 'In addition, with his corporate experience and background, Kelly brings a unique perspective to the position.'
Tompkins is only the second corporate general counsel to serve as president in the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association's 132-year history. Previously, he served as president-elect (2004), vice president (2003-2004) and trustee (2000-2003). As a member of the executive, fiscal policy and planning committees, Tompkins led a successful capital campaign for the Association that raised funds to offset the cost of the move to its new office space in the Galleria.
Tompkins also is a charter fellow and trustee of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation, the nonprofit affiliate of the Association. His affiliation with the Association started early in his career, when he worked as a law clerk for the organization during law school.
Since 2000, Tompkins has served on the visiting committee of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, which he has chaired since 2002. At the invitation of Cleveland State University President Michael Schwartz, Tompkins served on the search committee that recruited Geoff Mearns to be the new dean of the law school. Last month, Tompkins delivered the commencement address to the 107th graduating class of Cleveland- Marshall law school. His contributions to Cleveland State were recognized recently when he received the George B. Davis Award for distinguished service.
Tompkins is active in the National Paint & Coatings Association (NPCA), which he serves as chair of the corporate counsel advisory group. In October 2003, he received an industry achievement award for his work in developing the Lead Exposure Warnings and Education and Training Programs Agreement among NPCA, industry and state attorneys general. He is a member of several other professional associations, and is a frequent speaker and panelist on a range of legal- and business-related topics.
Tompkins lives in Westlake, Ohio, with his wife, Cathy, and their three daughters.
Founded in 1873, the over 5,000-member Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association is a private, non-profit organization which provides a wide variety of membership services and operates as a center for legal professionalism in the region by educating the bar, providing resources that enhance client service and by promoting integrity and ethical behavior among lawyers. The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association was one of the first bar associations in the nation, even predating the Ohio State Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and is currently the largest metropolitan provider of legal seminars in Ohio.
LAWYERS REPORT MORE THAN 15,000 HOURS OF PRO BONO AND PUBLIC SERVICE IN FIRST QUARTER 2005
For Immediate Release: June 6, 2005
Contact: (216) 696-3525
CLEVELAND - Through the first quarter of the year, some 425 lawyers have reported to the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association that they have devoted 15,430 hours to volunteer pro bono and public service through the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association's pioneering Our Commitment to Our Community initiative.
All told, over 30 law firms, corporate and government legal departments, representing over 2,000 lawyers, as well as numerous solo practitioners in Northeast Ohio, have pledged 71,300 volunteer hours in 2005. The first quarter work represents 22 percent of the total pledges for 2005. More impressively, of the firms and lawyers reporting their efforts to the Bar Association, hours volunteered in the first quarter represent 42 percent of their total commitment for the year.
'Given that this is the first year for Our Commitment to Our Community and many firms are reorganizing their pro bono and public service programs, the first quarter hours are far beyond what was expected,' says David A. Kutik, president of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, who initiated the volunteer program at his installation in June, 2004. 'These results demonstrate that our lawyers are very involved in the community and that they are doing some great work on behalf of those who need it most.'
Of the total volunteer hours worked by lawyers in the first quarter in Our Commitment to Our Community, 42 percent were pro bono - meaning free legal service to the poor or non-profit groups serving the needy. The remaining 58 percent was devoted to public service activities, which includes such volunteer services as serving on a non-profit board or tutoring students.
Law firms providing information for the first quarter report are: Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP; City of Cleveland Law Department; Giffen & Kaminski, LLC; Hickman & Lowder Co., LPA; Jones Day; The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland; McDonald Hopkins Co., LPA; Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP; Rabin & Rabin Co., LPA; Reminger & Reminger Co. LPA; Schneider Smeltz Ranney & LaFond PLL; Speith Bell McCurdy & Newell Co., LPA; Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP; Thompson Hine LLP; and Wegman Hessler & Vanderburg.
Individual lawyers reporting their hours: Michael P. Harvey, Timothy A. Hess, Carol Rogers Hilliard; Mark L. Hoffman, Marlon Primes, U.S. Department of Justice, Carole S. Rendon, Kushner & Rendon, Co., LPA; Susan Grody Ruben, arbitrator & mediator; and Kathleen Sasala, Cleveland Law Library Association.
Founded in 1873, the 5,000-member non- profit Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association operates as a center for legal professionalism by providing resources that enhance client service and promote integrity and ethical behavior among lawyers. The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar was one of the first bar associations in the nation. It is the largest metropolitan provider of legal seminars in Ohio.
2ND ANNUAL MATCHMAKER EVENT TO GIVE MINORITY BUSINESSES THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH CLEVELAND'S LARGEST LAW FIRMS
For Immediate Release: May 31, 2005
Contact: (216) 696-3525
CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and the local chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators will co-sponsor the Second Annual Law Firm Matchmaker Event which will network the area's largest law firms with more than 100 minority-owned companies on Thursday, June 2 from 8:00 - 11:30 am, at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Cleveland.
Representatives from each of the 19 participating law firms have identified scores of products and services that they regularly purchase, including computer and telecommunications equipment and office furniture, as well as services ranging from travel arrangements to catering. Invited minority- owned vendors were identified by the Northern Ohio Minority Business Council, based on the products and services they provide.
'We want to make sure that every minority business has an equal opportunity for Cleveland's law firm business spending,' says David A. Kutik, president of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. 'The Matchmaker will allow minority businesses to show how they can help meet the needs of law firms.'
The idea of a Matchmaker event originated with Dennis M. Lafferty, executive assistant to the managing partner of the global law firm of Jones Day, Cleveland's largest, to begin long-term relationships for minority vendors.
Last year's inaugural event connected ten local law firms with 112 area minority-owned businesses.
Law firms participating in this year's Matchmaker Event include: Baker & Hostetler LLP; Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP; Brouse McDowell, L.P.A.; Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP; Davis & Young; Hahn Loeser + Parks LLP; Javitch Block & Rathbone L.L.P.; Jones Day; McDonald Hopkins Co., LPA; Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP; Roetzel & Andress, LPA.; Spieth Bell McCurdy & Newell Co., L.P.A.; Squire Sanders & Dempsey LLP; Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP; Thompson Hine LLP; Tucker Ellis & West LLP; Ulmer & Berne LLP; Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease LLP; and Wegman Hessler & Vanderburg.
Founded in 1873, the over 5000-member Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association is a private, non-profit organization which provides a wide variety of membership services and operates as a center for legal professionalism in the region by educating the bar, providing resources that enhance client service and by promoting integrity and ethical behavior among lawyers. The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association was one of the first bar associations in the nation, even predating the Ohio State Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and is currently the largest metropolitan provider of legal seminars in Ohio.
DAVID A. KUTIK RECEIVES 2005 OLAF PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICES
For Immediate Release: April 21, 2005
Contact: (216) 696-3525
CLEVELAND, OHIO - Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association President David A. Kutik is the recipient of the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation's 2005 Presidential Award for Pro Bono Legal Services which is presented annually to by the president of the OLAF board to individuals, firms or organizations who have provided outstanding leadership in the delivery of pro bono legal services in the state of Ohio. This Award is also presented in appreciation for the volunteer contributions of private lawyers who best promote the values of fairness and justice in Ohio. Kutik, a partner in the Cleveland office of Jones Day, received the award today during the Ohio State Bar Association's 2005 Annual Convention in Columbus, Ohio.
"Kutik has led an unprecedented community-wide campaign to enlist the commitments of hundreds of Cleveland-area attorneys to give of their time to an impressive array of pro bono and community service opportunities," stated David C. Weiner, OLAF President. "This program known as Our Commitment to Our Community was initiated last June at Kutik's inauguration as Cleveland Metropolitan Bar President, because of the critical need for quality legal services for low-income individuals and nonprofit organizations in Greater Cleveland." Since then, the program has gained national attention because of its unique nature and scope.
"Although lawyers in Cleveland have been active in pro bono and public service work, Our Commitment to Our Community is a groundbreaking program," stated Kutik. In its first year, the campaign gathered pledges from 35 law firms or legal departments representing 2,000 lawyers who have committed to more than 70,000 hours of volunteer service in 2005.
Firms participating in Our Commitment to Our Community are asked to establish a pro bono goal within the firm budget, give credit toward billable hour requirements and/or bonuses for hours worked on approved pro bono matters, encourage firm management and other leading partners to do pro bono work - personally and visibly, and promote broad- based participation in pro bono activities by lawyers in all practice groups.
Lawyer volunteers provide pro bono service in a wide range of programs, including at least 36 new Evening/Law Firm Clinic, Brief Advice & Referral Clinic and Substantive Legal Clinic programs created in collaboration with the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. Existing programs are also expanding to provide much needed service to low income individuals.
Founded in 1873, the over 5000-member Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association is a private, non-profit organization which provides a wide variety of membership services and operates as a center for legal professionalism in the region by educating the bar, providing resources that enhance client service and by promoting integrity and ethical behavior among lawyers. The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association was one of the first bar associations in the nation, even predating the Ohio State Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and is currently the largest metropolitan provider of legal seminars in Ohio.
CLEVELAND BAR FOUNDATION'S BOOKS FOR KIDS PROGRAM EXCEEDS GOAL
For Immediate Release: April 21, 2005
Contact: Mary Groth, Programs Director - (216) 696-3525 ext. 5004
CLEVELAND - Christmas is coming early this year for several elementary and middle schools in the Cleveland area. The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association's Labor & Employment Law Section recently played Santa Claus to hundreds of Cleveland children and delivered a present of nearly $11,000 in new books to the Cleveland Municipal School District.
Last December, the Labor & Employment Law Section hosted the 2nd Annual Scrooge-Cratchit Holiday Benefit, a fundraising event for the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation's 'Books for Kids' program. A raffle and live auction helped to raise money offering a variety of Cleveland-area entertainment and gift packages. The original $10,000 goal of the benefit was exceeded, with nearly $11,000 in donations. Because of the generosity of donors from Cleveland's legal and business communities, the program has raised over $16,000 for books in the first two years of the holiday event.
The money raised by the fundraiser has provided new books for six Cleveland Municipal elementary and middle school media centers including, Benjamin Franklin School of Tomorrow, Patrick Henry, Carl F. Shuler, Margaret Spellacy, Carl & Louis Stokes Central Academy, and Willson. Ten sets of encyclopedias as well as other books were delivered to the schools on April 8, 2005.
Prior to the involvement of the Labor & Employment Law Section, 'Books for Kids' was organized as a book donation program the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association's Justice for All Committee in 2002, which provided books for Cleveland schools.
Founded in 1873, the over 5000-member Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association is a private, non-profit organization which provides a wide variety of membership services and operates as a center for legal professionalism in the region by educating the bar, providing resources that enhance client service and by promoting integrity and ethical behavior among lawyers. The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association was one of the first bar associations in the nation, even predating the Ohio State Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and is currently the largest metropolitan provider of legal seminars in Ohio.
2005 OHIO HIGH SCHOOL MOCK TRIAL TEAMS TAKE ON WEBSITES AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT
For Immediate Release: February 11, 2005
Contact: Mary Groth, District Competition Coordinator - (216) 696-3525 x5004
The 2005 Ohio Center for Law-Related Education's High School Mock Trial case involves a lawsuit brought against the Animal Rights Foundation (ARF) by Biotex Labs LLC, for printing 'inflammatory' statements on their website against the Zanesville laboratory that was performing animal testing for an antidote to the nerve gas Serin. Biotex claims that because of the website's declarations, the building was attacked by those incited by the statements on the site, years of research was destroyed, equipment was smashed and animals were let out of cages, putting their work back six weeks. ARF claims it did nothing wrong and is not responsible for the actions of those who read their website.
That is the challenge 300+ students at the following local high schools will take to court on February 11 as part of the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education's 2005 Mock Trial Competition: Berea, Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Gilmour Academy, Independence, Mayfield, Midpark, North Royalton, Orange, Solon, Strongsville, Trinity, University School and Villa Angela/St. Joseph. First round district competition, hosted by the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, will be held at the Justice Center Court of Common Pleas from 12:45 p.m. until 5:45 p.m.
More than 3,000 students representing over 250 high school teams are competing at 31 district sites across the state. The top 48 teams will advance to the state finals in Columbus on March 10-12. Four teams will advance from the Cuyahoga District Competition. The final championship round will be played at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. The Ohio High School Mock Trial competition is the third largest in the country, behind California and New York.
Students play the roles of attorneys and witnesses, and must be prepared to argue both sides of the hypothetical case. Team members have spent many weeks preparing their cases, working with a teacher-coach and local attorney. The students will compete in trials lasting up to two hours, in which participants are scored for creativity and persuasiveness. Judicial panels of local judges and attorney volunteers select the winning teams and also choose the best individual student lawyers and witnesses for special recognition.
OCLRE is sponsored by the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Ohio State Bar Association, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Foundation and the Ohio Attorney General's Office. In addition, the Ohio Mock Trial competition is made possible in part by a grant from the Ohio State Bar Foundation. For additional information on the state competition, contact Betsy McNabb, Ohio Mock Trial State Coordinator, Ohio Center for Law Related Education, (614) 485-3504 or toll free (877) 485-3510, bmcnabb@oclre.org.
The Cuyahoga District Competition is sponsored by the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, with funding support provided by the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation. Fifty one volunteers - judges and attorneys - from the Cleveland legal community are serving as judicial panelists at today's competition.
2,000 NORTHEAST OHIO ATTORNEYS PLEDGE 70,000 HOURS TO PRO BONO & PUBLIC SERVICE IN 2005
For Immediate Release: January 18, 2005
Contact: (216) 696-3525
CLEVELAND - Some 30 firms in Northeast Ohio, along with two large publicly held corporations, the City of Cleveland law department, and numerous solo-practice lawyers - approximately 2,000 lawyers all told - have pledged over 70,000 hours to volunteer pro bono and public service in 2005 through the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association's pioneering Our Commitment to Our Community initiative.
'Although lawyers in Cleveland, for many years and in many ways, have been active in pro bono and public service work, Our Commitment to Our Community is a groundbreaking program,' says Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association President David A. Kutik. 'Through it, lawyers have pledged a specific amount of volunteer time to specific projects. We will also report on their work to demonstrate what we have done to fulfill our commitments.'
'The 70,000 hours as a total pledge is unprecedented and unrivaled in any legal community in the country, yet we view this campaign as ongoing,' adds Kutik. 'We know that there will be many more firms and individuals making volunteer commitments this year. And we expect to report on those as we go through this year.'
Kutik initiated Our Commitment to Our Community in June at his inauguration as Cleveland Metropolitan Bar President because of the critical need for quality legal services for low-income individuals and nonprofit organizations in Greater Cleveland. Since then, the program has gained national attention because of its unique nature and scope, and Kutik has been invited to speak later this year to the annual national seminar of the Pro Bono Institute in Washington, D.C. and the Equal Justice Conference of the American Bar Association in Austin, Texas.
In addition to the hours pledged, Our Commitment to Our Community has already achieved success in creating and expanding upon programs to provide legal assistance to the poor. Lawyer volunteers will provide pro bono service in a wide range of programs, including at least thirty-six new Evening/Law Firm Clinic, Brief Advice & Referral Clinic and Substantive Legal Clinic programs created in collaboration with the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. Existing programs are also expanding to provide much needed service to low income individuals. For example, staffing for the Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistance Program has nearly quadrupled due to commitments made through Our Commitment to Our Community.
Participants commit to:
- A specific number of hours for public service or pro bono projects.
- A specific pro bono project or projects.
In addition, Our Commitment to Our Community asks law firms to establish a pro bono goal within the firm budget, give credit toward billable hour requirements and/or bonuses for hours worked on approved pro bono matters, encourage firm management and other leading partners to do pro bono work - personally and visibly, and promote broad-based participation in pro bono activities by lawyers in all practice groups.
Our Commitment to Our Community partner organizations are Baker & Hostetler LLP; Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP; Brouse McDowell LPA; Buckingham, Doolittle & Buroughs, LLP; Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP; Davis & Young; Duvin, Cahn & Hutton; Giffen & Kaminski, LLC; Goodman Weiss Miller LLP; Hahn Loeser + Parks LLP; Hickman & Lowder Co., LPA; Jones Day; McCarthy Lebit Crystal & Liffman Co., LPA; McDonald Hopkins Co., LPA; Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP; Rabin & Rabin Co., LPA; Reminger & Reminger Co. LPA; Schneider Smeltz Ranney & LaFond PLL; Speith Bell McCurdy & Newell Co., LPA; Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP; Thompson Hine LLP; Tucker, Ellis & West LLP; Turner & Geisse LLC; Ulmer & Berne LLP; Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease LLP; Walter & Haverfield LLP; Wegman Hessler & Vanderburg; Weston Hurd Fallon Paisley & Howley LLP; the legal department of RPM International and KeyCorp Law Group; The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland; and the City of Cleveland Law Department. Pledges from these law firms, corporations and government entities totaled more than 69,000 hours.
In addition 27 solo practitioners and other individuals -- including two current judges -- have pledged nearly 1,700 hours of their time and talent including: Kristina A. Arcara, Premier Farnell Corporation; Yvonne Billingsley, Cuyahoga County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney; Robert A. Boyd, Gibson Brelo; Julia Brouhard, Ray Robinson Carle & Davies PLL; John J. Burns, Singerman, Mills, Desberg & Kauntz; Hon. Janet Burnside, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas; Pamela A. Daiker- Middaugh, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law; Karen Gellen; Mark Greenfield, Smilanick & Associates; Edward T. Haggins; Michael P. Harvey, Michael P. Harvey Co., LPA; Timothy Hess, Law Offices of Timothy Hess; Carol Rogers Hilliard; Debra Kackley; Larry J. Kramer, Lawrence J. Kramer Esq., LLC; Michael P. Maloney; Gary R. Meador; Stephen M. Nowak, Meyers Roman Friedberg & Lewis; Marlon Primes, U.S. Department of Justice; Carole S. Rendon, Kushner & Rendon, Co., LPA; Susan Grody Ruben; Monica Russell, Carlisle-Kesling & Associates, LLC; Karen Schneiderman; Kenneth F. Seminatore; Sylvester Summers; Hon. Robert J. Triozzi, Cleveland Municipal Court; and Deborah Tymcio.
Founded in 1873, the over 5000-member Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association is a private, non-profit organization which provides a wide variety of membership services and operates as a center for legal professionalism in the region by educating the bar, providing resources that enhance client service and by promoting integrity and ethical behavior among lawyers. The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association was one of the first bar associations in the nation, even predating the Ohio State Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and is currently the largest metropolitan provider of legal seminars in Ohio.
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