from Cleveland Jewish News: Legal Aid Society of Cleveland offers free legal assistance

By Lydia Kacala

Legal representation can be a difficult service for people to find, especially if they don’t have a lot of money to spend. However, the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland works to help the community by providing pro bono services to clients with low incomes.

In 2023, the Legal Aid Society worked on 9,000 cases, which impacted over 24,400 people, according to the organization’s website. In order to serve the community and fulfill its mission, the Legal Aid Society offers legal representation; pro se assistance for those that wish to represent themselves; advice; community engagement, education and partnerships; and advocacy for systemic change.

All of the services the Legal Aid Society offers are pro bono, or free, Melanie Shakarian, attorney, director of development and communications, told the Cleveland Jewish News.

“At Legal Aid, all of our services are free,” Shakarian, who will retire on Feb. 28, said. “And so, anybody accessing Legal Aid services gets the benefit of the expertise of an attorney at no cost thanks to the support from the community.”

In her role, Shakarian leads the external affairs for the organization, which includes working with members in and outside of the Cleveland community that want to contribute to the Legal Aid Society, she said. Support comes from a range of people and community partners, such as foundations, law firms, corporations and individuals who wish to donate.

In December 2023, the organization received a $2.5 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the CJN previously reported. Shakarian said the gift was a “one-time, unsolicited investment” from Scott, who does “private research” to decide which organizations to support.

Philanthropic efforts supporting the organization have also been made through partnerships with other nonprofit organizations in the Cleveland area, she said. Organizations that get funding can “pass through to Legal Aid” for on-site legal services, she said.

“One of our most interesting partnerships is our medical legal partnership, where we are partnered with the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and MetroHealth,” Shakarian said.

“Legal Aid attorneys are on site at those health care institutions,” she said. “At the health care institutions, we trained medical providers, doctors and nurses and other health care workers
on how to spot legal red flags in their patient cases. And then, because we’re right there and on site, referrals can be made directly to Legal Aid so we can resolve legal issues that affect health for individuals, helping to make, not just that individual and family more healthy, but the whole community more healthy.”

The organization also works with legislators and other public officials to provide services to a number of constituents throughout Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties, she said.

“We work closely with legislators (and) executive bodies throughout all five counties that we serve, making sure that their constituents know and understand their legal rights and that we’re partners to help people who have problems with shelter, safety and economic security,” Shakarian said. “And also, public officials look to Legal Aid and invite us to provide feedback on policy and laws, and our attorneys are super smart, and we enjoy having that opportunity beyond our casework to reply to those invitations from public officials.”

While pro bono services can be found at other organizations, such as the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, the Legal Aid Society only offers pro bono services to those at 200% of the federal poverty level and below that don’t qualify for aid, she said. According to the U.S. Department of Human Health & Services, being at 200% of the federal poverty level in 2024 meant a household of two people had a yearly income of $40,880.

“Legal Aid is the only organization of its kind that does this type of work in Northeast Ohio,” Shakarian said. “And so, we are so proud to partner with all of the different nonprofits in Cleveland and be this unique voice in our social service ecosystem.”