Update from Legal Aid’s Executive Director

In an email today to the community, Legal Aid's executive director Colleen M. Cotter, Esq. shared the following statement:

Earlier this year we updated you about the financial difficulties facing The  Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.   Through our correspondence  to you and  an article in The Plain Dealer, we kept you informed about how recent financial situations beyond Legal Aid's control will impact how Legal Aid serves our community. I am sending this email to update you on our situation.

As you know, when 2011 came to a close, we learned of a 14 percent reduction in our 2012 funding from  the Legal Services Corporation. This cut was in addition to the already realized $2.6 million drop,  from $3.38 million to $700,000, in revenue derived from interest on lawyers' trust accounts (IOLTA). Meanwhile, poverty has increased in Northeast Ohio and demand for  Legal Aid's services increased.

We knew in 2012 we would need to decrease our  expenses to weather this financial situation. I am sorry to announce that last week we laid off 8 staff members. While this 10% reduction of our organization was a heartbreaking decision, these cuts were not as large as we had anticipated earlier in the year when we thought we would have to lay off up to 16 staff members (20% of our staff). We were able to maintain those extra 8 positions because of the generosity of the Northeast Ohio community - including an increase in grants and philanthropy from all sources.

These layoffs were a necessary move for us to continue to be a strong organization. But sadly, these  cuts mean we are losing valued colleagues. These cuts also mean that we will serve fewer clients as we move into 2013. However, we continue to work hard to be as efficient and as effective as we can with the staff and volunteers we have. We continue to be a strong organization providing high quality legal assistance to low income and vulnerable individuals and families in northeast Ohio. We will be smaller, but we will continue to have impact on our community. And, we continue to encourage you to make referrals to us and partner with us.

Thank you for helping us weather this economic storm. Thank you for your ongoing support of Legal Aid.   Thank you for your partnership in ensuring access to justice.

You can give online anytime at  lasclev.org. Or, mail your check of support to "The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland" at our address below.

Colleen M. Cotter, Esq.
Executive Director
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
1223 West Sixth Street
Cleveland, OH   44113