Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative

08/27/2026

This week Judge Oldfield attended the Cuyahoga County Pro Bono Collaborative Gratitude Reception, held by Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Joan Synenberg at Tavern Of Little Italy. Judge Synenberg is the original founding jurist for the Pro Bono Collaborative, and began this program in Cleveland almost ten years ago, in partnership with The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and with funding from the Nord Family Foundation. This year, Judge Joy Malek Oldfield and Judge Jennifer Towell collaborated with Community Legal Aid Services, Elliot Kolkovich, Summit County Prosecutor and the Summit Legal Defenders to bring the project here to Summit County.

Since its kickoff here in May, we have helped over 100 community members with legal concerns ranging from family issues, housing, bankruptcy, collection, driver’s license reinstatement and more. Additionally, in partnership with attorneys from CLAS, 27 independent volunteer attorneys have appeared and provided assistance. They are:

Andrew Zellers
Brian Williams
Casey Cerreta Perry
Catilyn Benzo
Charles Oldfield
Dan Orlando
Dylan Price
Edward L. Gilbert
Hanne-Lore Gambrell
Imokhai Okolo
Jack W. Hinneberg
Joann Sahl
Laura McDowall
Lori McGrady
Mackenzie Syska
Madison E Karn
Matthew Raymond Duncan
L. Mialon Morris
Michelle Drago
Michael Sermersheim
Natalie Gottfried
Patricia A. Millhoff
Russel Nichols
Sarah Conard
Scott Rilley
Stephen Funk
Tad Hoover

Register at the link in the bio to join us on October 2 for the next monthly clinic and receive free advice on civil legal areas of concern. Attorneys are encouraged to sign up and provide assistance to those in need. Together we can make positive change for our community.

08/06/2026

Today Judge Joy Malek Oldfield and Ken Mirkin from Community Legal Aid Services attended the Northampton Cuyahoga Valley Rotary Club lunch meeting to discuss the Summit County Turning Point Program and the Pro Bono Collaborative. It was a special meeting for Judge Oldfield as her father was a prior member of this rotary during his life, and enjoyed their service to the community. Thank you to President Tony Karam and the Northampton Cuyahoga Valley Rotary for your interest in these court programs. Together we are changing lives! Join us tomorrow for our monthly clinic!

08/06/2026

We are excited for tomorrow’s Pro Bono Collaborative at the Summit County Common Pleas Court. If you haven’t registered, please do so at the link in the bio (also listed on the flier). Any attorneys available to provide volunteer legal services are welcome and appreciated. We have many people pre-registered and hope to serve all who appear. See you tomorrow from 9-11 am.

06/06/2026

Our June Pro Bono Collaborative was another success! With Judge Jennifer Towell at the helm, our partners there to provide resources, and more than thirty people seeking legal advice we left the day feeling proud of the service we are offering. Judge Towell and Judge Joy Malek Oldfield give a special thanks to Community Legal Aid Services, Elliot Kolkovich, Summit County Prosecutor, Summit Legal Defenders, Summit County Executive's Office, Summit County Clerk of Courts, Summit County Fiscal Office, Summit County Sheriff's Office and all our community members who showed up and showed out! A big thank you to all our volunteer attorneys. We couldn’t do this without you We don’t have the clinic in July, but we will see you in August!

06/03/2026

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT!

The Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative is proud to partner with Fair Housing Contact Service (FHCS). FHCS is a local, non-profit, community-based organization that addresses issues of housing discrimination, tenant-landlord concerns, and provides housing counseling for home buyers and homeowners. Their mission is to prevent and eliminate housing discrimination and promote equal housing opportunity.

FHCS will be on-site monthly at our Pro Bono Collaborative to address these areas of concern.

Click the link in the bio to register to join us on June 5, 2026 to receive free legal advice and resources about this and other helpful services in our community.

05/30/2026

Members of the Pro Bono Collaborative have been traveling throughout Summit County to spread the word that free legal assistance is available to those in need. Thank you to the Rotary Club of Tallmadge and Rotary Club of Cuyahoga Falls, as well as Ward 7 Councilman Donnie Kammer Jr, Ward 8 Councilman Bruce Bolden, and Ward 9 Councilperson Tina Brode Boyes. We will soon be at Ward 1 with Fran Wilson, Ward 3 with Councilwoman Margo Sommerville, and Brad McKitrick Akron Ward 6 City Council, and more are on the way! If you are a council member, a member of a rotary, or part of any other organization with a monthly membership meeting and would like to hear about the project, please reach out! And don’t forget our upcoming June 5 clinic at the Summit County Common Pleas Court! Registration at the link in the bio.

05/29/2026

Are you struggling with civil legal issues and can't afford an attorney? The Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative is here to help you conquer those legal obstacles. This collaborative, presented by Judge Jennifer Towell, Judge Joy Malek Oldfield, Community Legal Aid Services, Elliot Kolkovich, Summit County Prosecutor and Summit Legal Defenders, comes back to the courthouse on June 5. Come talk to a volunteer attorney and, while you’re here, check out our community partners who will be available on site to assist you with questions about sealing, housing, transportation, child support, driver's license issues and more. Sign up at the link in the flyer to register to have an attorney answer your questions!

Get FREE legal help on Friday, August 7th at the NEXT Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative clinic. Doors open at 8am and the clinic runs from 9 to 11am. You can save time and avoid long lines by registering now at https://info.communitylegalaid.org/scpbc

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05/01/2026

Do you need legal assistance in Summit County? Be sure to come by the courthouse TOMORROW between 9 and 11 a.m. to get free help at the Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative. Whether it's child support, debt collections, or housing issues, stop in and our group of volunteer professionals will be here to help you.

Pre-register now at https://info.communitylegalaid.org/scpbc

05/01/2026

The kickoff of the Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative was a success! Thank you to the sixteen volunteer private practice attorneys, as well as many others from Community Legal Aid Services and The University of Akron School of Law, who volunteered from 9-11 am to assist more than fifty people in need of legal advice and other community resources. We had a special appearance from Judge Joan Synenberg, founder of the Cuyahoga County Pro Bono Collaborative who helped Judge Jennifer Towell and Judge Joy Malek Oldfield to bring it here. Special thanks to CLAS, Summit Legal Defenders, Elliot Kolkovich, Summit County Prosecutor, Tavia Galonski, Summit County Clerk of Courts, Summit County Fiscal Office, and Fiscal Officer Kristen Scalise, Summit County Executive's Office Department of Job & Family Services, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, United Way of Summit & Medina, Summit County Children Services, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Fair Housing Contact Service, Summit County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Kandy Fatheree, and METRO Regional Transit Authority. We have enormous gratitude for this group effort. See you on June 5 for the next one! Let’s keep working to help those in need.

04/30/2026

We're going to pause on our partner spotlights to make another push for attorney volunteers. Tomorrow is our kickoff! We are always looking for more attorneys to provide assistance to those community members who seek legal counsel. Don't forget you earn CLE credit for your time, and your malpractice insurance is covered for this engagement. If you haven't signed up, please go to the link in the bio for Attorney Volunteers and register. Thank you to all those who are participating in providing this service. See you tomorrow!