Ohio Northern University’s Claude W. Pettit College of Law (ONU Law) proudly announces its participation in “Lawyers = Justice: A Northwest Ohio Legal Collaborative,” an innovative initiative that aims to address the critical shortage of attorneys in rural communities in Northwest Ohio.
Lawyers = Justice is a collaboration between the Ohio State Bar Association (Ohio Bar), Ohio State Bar Foundation (OSBF), ONU Law, and the University of Toledo College of Law (Toledo Law). The program is being funded through a $1.465 million grant from OSBF, along with in-kind support from both law schools and the Ohio Bar.
Across the state, 78 of Ohio’s 88 counties are considered “legal deserts,” which are areas with fewer than one lawyer per 1,000 residents. This means that for many rural Ohioans, a legal problem can quickly become a family, housing, financial, farming, or small business crises because affordable legal help is difficult to find close to home.
“This initiative is a natural fit for us,” said ONU Law Interim Dean Bryan Ward. “ONU Law is one of the few law schools in the country located in a rural region, so we understand firsthand the vital role lawyers play in supporting underserved communities.”
To respond to the lawyer shortage in a practical and community-centered way, Lawyers = Justice will:
- Support four newly licensed Attorney Fellows each year as they build sustainable private practices in underserved Northwest Ohio communities;
- Provide up to 40 law students annually with hands-on, clinical experiences serving rural clients under the supervision of experienced lawyers and law school faculty;
- Expand access to legal services for an estimated 720 people each year, through the fellows’ private practices and new or enhanced satellite legal clinics;
- Build a long-term path from law school to rural practice through mentoring, skills training, and community-based practice.
As part of this effort, ONU Law will significantly broaden the footprint of its established Legal Aid Clinic in Lima, Ohio. Currently serving residents with family law, estate planning, real estate, consumer protection, small business issues, criminal law, and other matters the affect daily life and community stability, the clinic’s reach will expand beyond Allen and Hardin counties to include income-eligible residents in Auglaize, Putnam, and Van Wert counties.
Concurrently, Toledo Law will establish a legal aid clinic in Bowling Green, Ohio, to serve residents in Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Ottawa, and Wood counties.
“For decades, our Legal Clinic in Lima has connected people with the legal help they need while giving our students meaningful, hands-on experience serving real clients,” said Ward. “This initiative expands upon that commitment.”
Recruitment of Attorney Fellows and law students begins in September 2026, with a goal of having the clinics fully staffed and operational later this fall. Long-term, the partners hope to expand the program beyond its initial three-year run and replicate the model in other underserved regions across Ohio.
“Legal deserts pose serious access-to-justice issues, especially here in Ohio,” said Jonathan Hollingsworth, president of OSBF. “The OSBF is proud to help fund an initiative that builds a pipeline to meet this need and could be replicated beyond the state.”
“Collaboration is the key to solving this problem and we could not be prouder than to be working with our Foundation and two outstanding Ohio law schools that share our commitment,” said Jan Allen Baughman, president of the Ohio Bar.