Posted January 2, 202112:00 pm
Lauren Gilbride assumes the role of managing attorney of Legal Aid's Intake Department and Volunteer Lawyers Program. She takes the reins from Ann McGowan Porath, who retired on December 31 after nearly four decades as a lawyer at The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.
Ms. Gilbride, a resident of Shaker Heights, joined Legal Aid more than 13 years ago as a summer associate from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Upon graduation, she joined Legal Aid as a staff attorney and most recently was a supervising attorney of the Intake and Volunteer Lawyers Program under Ms. McGowan Porath's tutelage.
Legal Aid's Intake Department fields thousands of phone calls each year and processes, on average, 20,000 intakes annually. The group not only assists people applying for Legal Aid's services, but also provides brief advice and referrals to many.
The Volunteer Lawyers Program supplements the legal work of Legal Aid's 64 staff attorneys by engaging private attorneys in Legal Aid's mission. More than 3000 attorneys are signed-up to volunteer with Legal Aid, and 600-700 participate in a pro bono event or handle a case annually.
Ms. Gilbride has deep experience identifying client needs through intake and creating programs to engage pro bono attorneys to meet those needs. She also helped lead a transition of Legal Aid's case management software in 2018 and the launch of online intake in 2019, which helped Legal Aid continue serving the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To honor Ms. Gilbride's new tenure, attorneys are encouraged to:
- take a case - click here to view a current list of available pro bono cases, or
- sign-up to join the Volunteer Lawyers Program.
Questions? Email probono@lasclev.org.