LAW RELATED ORGANIZATIONS

In These Times...

We are certainly living in interesting and difficult times. Like you and your law practice, the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project (GDVLP) has been navigating By Kelly A. Henrici Esq. the COVID-19 pandemic. Executive Director, GDVLP The GDVLP has thrived historically when large groups of people kelly@gdvlp.org are in our offices or at a remote location connecting volunteers, 937.461.3857 clients and staff to engage in service delivery. Sometimes those interactions result in individualized representation, as when the volunteers We have worked out all of the processes required to engage in go to Domestic Relations Court for final divorce hearings. At other remote services delivery in each of the seven counties in our sertimes, these gatherings result in the production of paperwork for vice area and we are now serving almost all clients remotely. We the clients to take to Court to file pro se. In peak times, like when may never return to the “good old days” of bringing large groups of children need to be registered for school, we in past years have had up individuals together but if we do, it is nice to have this spectrum of to 25 clients at a clinic, and an additional 10 or more volunteers and service delivery options available. staff members to support the clinic. The days of providing services We are so extremely grateful to our volunteers in 2020. You, too, in this manner came to a halt at the beginning of the pandemic and were navigating troubled waters in a COVID world yet you carved we suspect we will not return to this model of service delivery in the out time to serve those less fortunate. October is Celebrate Pro Bono foreseeable future. month and we have something special in store for our 2020 volun When Governor DeWine issued his initial order related to teers! COVID-19 in midMarch, the GDVLP staff of four grabbed laptops and headed home to weather the COVID storm and to develop processes to engage volunteer attorneys for service delivery in a way that was effective and designed to ensure the safety of volunteers, clients and staff. Thanks to the generosity of CareSource, which shares the GDVLP’s mission to serve the low-income DAYTON Bar Association HERBERT M. EI KENBAR Y population in our community, laptops, dual monitors, and printer/scanner/copier units were donated to help GDVLP staff remain productive while working Trust remotely. We also explored other required technology and became proficient not only with Skype, but also with Zoom and Cisco Webex to connect volunteers, clients and staff for service delivery. We also explored options for getting documents signed remotely and settled on PandaDoc for the electronic signing of paperwork. GDLVP staff also studied and passed the test required to become an online notary public, further What isThe Ei e bar Trust? eliminating the need for in-person interaction to complete service delivery.

While some volunteers fear technology more than The late Herbert M. Eikenbary granted the bulk of his the virus and continue to prefer in-person interactions (provided social distancing and other safety measures are in place), we are finding that many volunteers are willing to assist more individuals overall as remote estate to fund Grants and Loans to lawyers under the age of 35 who practice/reside in Montgomery County. These Grants and Loans are to aid young, deserving lawyers who are in need of financial assistance. service delivery eliminates travel and other efforts not Individual loans, are available up to $6,000 at 4% directly related to delivering service. Likewise, many interest, while grants up to $4,000 are also available. clients were already tech savvy in terms of what they could accomplish using their telephone and during this pandemic, even more clients are learning the skills To App : Jennifer Otchy,DBA Chief Executive Officer needed to gain access to services remotely. Dayton Bar Association | 109 N. Main St., Suite 600 | Dayton, OH 45402-1129 jotchy@daybar.org | 937.222.7902 | www.daybar.org

Dayton Bar Foundation

Help Build Our Foundation.

The Dayton Bar Foundation (DBF) is the charitable giving arm of the Greater Dayton Legal Community. Your contribution will enable the DBF to continue to fulfill its mission of funding innovative local organizations in their quest to improve our community by promoting equal access to justice and respect for the law. In the past few years your contributions helped to fund grants to: - Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project (GDVLP) - Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE) - Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO) - Life Essentials Guardianship Program - Law & Leadership Institute - Wills for Heroes

University of Dayton School of Law

Write, Call or Email: Jennifer Otchy, Chief Executive Officer Dayton Bar Foundation 600 Performance Place 109 N. Main Street Dayton, Ohio 45402 Phone: (937) 222-7902 Email: jotchy@daybar.org

109 N. Main St., Suite 600 Dayton, OH 45402–1129 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

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