Free legal clinics return to CMSD schools
CMSD NEWS BUREAU
11/13/2017
Families who need legal advice but don’t have access to a lawyer need look no further than CMSD.
Free legal consultations are now being offered at Glenville High School and George Washington Carver School. Attorneys from the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association will be on hand to provide advice on civil matters.
The program is designed to increase student success by helping to resolve legal issues that contribute to family instability.
The clinics at Glenville, located at 650 East 113th Street, will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on the following Thursdays: Dec. 14, Jan. 11, Feb. 8, March 8, April 12 and May 10.
The volunteer lawyers will be at George Washington Carver, 2200 East 55th Street, from 5 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 7 and Thursday, Jan. 11.
Families can receive advice on legal issues such as bankruptcy, housing, child support, child custody, divorce, immigration and employment. The lawyers will not provide advice on criminal matters.
Consultations will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. The person making the request will be asked to complete a questionnaire.
The clinics are a continuation of the TLC at CMSD program launched last spring. The volunteer lawyers are seeking to reach more District families.
Katie Donovan Onders is the lawyer referral service coordinator for the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. She said having clinics in Cleveland schools is a way to make legal consultations convenient and accessible to parents and caregivers.
“We’re looking to give access to legal advice by coming to where the parents already are," she said.