It's not everyday that you hear about lawyers hitting the road for equal justice; however, the lawyers of Marathon Petroleum Corporation's Findlay office are doing just that on Thursday, October 27, 2011. A group of 11 attorneys and six legal professionals are traveling up I-75 to the Toledo Office of Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc. (LAWO) and Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE) to assist the two law firms by offering pro bono (free) counsel and advice to call-in clients.
Quietly and unassumingly, this group of generous individuals have been volunteering their legal expertise to help those in need of free legal assistance. "Since the start of our pro bono program, Marathon attorneys, paralegals and administrative staff have volunteered many dozens of hours in support of pro bono litigation and counseling matters," says J. Michael Wilder, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation. Based in Findlay, Ohio, the legal staff of Marathon Petroleum Corporation has supported pro bono efforts in the Findlay and Hancock County area for several years through its Joe Simmons Pro Bono Legal Program.
In this newer venture, the volunteer attorneys are working with Legal Aid Line, ABLE and LAWO's telephone and online intake system based at the Center for Equal Justice in Toledo. Applicants who call ABLE and LAWO go through Legal Aid Line in order for their case to be assessed and assigned. "Depending on the issue, clients can be assigned for brief telephone counsel and advice or they can be referred to ABLE or LAWO for more extensive representation," says Deb Jennings, managing attorney of Legal Aid Line.
By generously volunteering their time, the attorneys and other professional staff at Marathon Petroleum Corporation are helping ABLE and LAWO meet an enormous client need that is growing every day. Though Legal Aid Line assists close to 30,000 callers per year, that number is only a small fraction of the poverty population of the thirty-two county region in north and western Ohio served by ABLE and LAWO. "Marathon's work in the Findlay/Hancock County community and with Legal Aid Line helps to fill these unmet legal needs," says Jennings.
We see a diverse array of legal issues at Legal Aid Line, Jennings says. "The time spent volunteering on Legal Aid Line is only a part of the volunteer work by Marathon Petroleum staff." Two special Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses for the attorneys on foreclosure, consumer debt, and other poverty law issues were held in advance of the volunteer day. "These are not areas the legal staff at Marathon work with on a regular basis," explains Jennings. Through the CLE training, Marathon attorneys are equipped to serve a wider group of clients.
Marathon Petroleum Corporation's day in the Legal Aid Office coincides with National Pro Bono Celebration, October 23-28, sponsored by the American Bar Association.