About Ohio Legal Help

Ohio Legal Help leverages technology and innovation to improve justice and fairness for all Ohioans. Our work removes barriers to the law so that all Ohioans can understand their legal options, make informed decisions and connect to legal and community resources.

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What We Do

Ohio Legal Help empowers low-income Ohioans to understand and resolve their civil legal issues. We provide:

Plain language legal information that is accessible, accurate, and user-centered.
Self-help tools and court forms to make navigating the legal system more manageable.
Connections to trusted legal and community resources that address the real-world needs of people living in or near poverty.

Our mission is rooted in addressing the justice gap—the fact that 92% of civil legal problems experienced by low-income Americans receive little or no legal help, according to the Legal Services Corporation’s Justice Gap Report. Similarly, the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Task Force on Access to Justice found that many Ohioans, especially those living at or below 125% of the federal poverty level, face significant barriers to understanding their legal rights. For families experiencing divorce or custody disputes, tenants facing eviction, or seniors struggling to access benefits, this gap means that justice is often out of reach.

Launched in 2019, Ohio Legal Help was created in response to these findings to ensure that Ohioans can access the legal help they need in critical areas like housing, family law, income, and consumer issues—areas that deeply affect health, safety, and economic stability.

We are also uniquely positioned to respond to emerging issues. Our legal help information is written by Our Team and reviewed by expert private and legal aid lawyers. By working closely with our partners, we quickly develop and deliver critical resources that help Ohioans in times of urgent need.

History

In 2015, Ohio’s Task Force on Access to Justice, convened by the Supreme Court of Ohio and comprised of members of the courts, legal aid, the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation and the private bar, recommended specific actions to help close the civil justice gap. The sixth recommendation from the Task Force's report was to “develop and maintain a statewide website devoted to providing free and accurate legal information to Ohio residents.” In response to this charge, in 2017 a Steering Committee of diverse stakeholder groups came together to develop Ohio Legal Help. Today, these stakeholder groups continue to guide the content and tools developed for Ohio Legal Help through our Advisory Committee.