Posted October 25, 20238:00 am
Legal Aid volunteers work with Legal Aid staff to extend Legal Aid's reach in Northeast Ohio. Learn here the #MyLegalAidStory of Mike Ungar, a longtime Legal Aid volunteer.
For Mike Ungar, a Partner with Ulmer & Berne and a member of the Board of Directors of Legal Aid, it was a “no brainer” when he made the decision to volunteer with Legal Aid.
“I think we owe it to the legal profession and to society to ensure that everyone has access to justice,” he said.
Mike first heard of Legal Aid in a clinical program while studying at Boston University School of Law. “I was warned that if you get involved with legal aid, it will get into your blood and it will be with you forever wherever you go. It turned out to be true,” he said. What started off as volunteering turned into a leadership role when Mike became Legal Aid’s Board President in 2020.
“Everything about Legal Aid’s mission is attractive to me,” said Mike. “I live and die by the old adage: ‘For those to whom much is given, much is required.’”
Now serving as a member on Legal Aid’s Board of Directors, Mike continues to do volunteer work with Legal Aid.
“I enjoy meeting the clients and helping them with their problems,” he said. “I am always amazed by the level of appreciation that they show, and I am humbled by it as well, since I am just as appreciative of the opportunity to serve them.”
Mike would encourage anyone who is interested in volunteering to stop talking about it and just do it.
“The clients will benefit from that decision… and so will you. You will develop as a lawyer and will find the experience to be extremely rewarding."
Legal Aid salutes the hard work of our pro bono volunteers. To get involved, visit our website, or email probono@lasclev.org.
And, help us honor the 2023 ABA's National Celebration of Pro Bono by attending local events this month in Northeast Ohio. Learn more at this link: lasclev.org/2023ProBonoWeek