Legal Aid Services Expand as Wealth and Poverty Gaps Continue to Grow

Tom Mlakar, deputy director of advocacy for the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, would love to be out of work. Indeed, Mlakar would love to see the need for all Legal Aid Societies across the country disappear altogether.

But that’s not reality.

In his present position since 2012, Mlakar manages the organization’s legal work, focusing on serving low-income communities through representation, impact legislation and intake systems. He has worked with Cleveland Legal Aid since graduating law school in 1992. Today, he oversees the efforts of a staff of over 100 professionals, including attorneys, paralegals, intake specialists and three social workers.

“Tom is truly an expert in Legal Aid’s work,” says Colleen Cotter, executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. “His knowledge, leadership and kindness make him a natural mentor to colleagues across the organization.”

Think of Legal Aid Society’s services as a three-legged stool. The first leg of that stool is dedicated to Representation.

“We have something called acceptance guidelines, where we try to figure out the most important cases that our staff can handle,” says Mlakar. “Then we try to determine where we can use volunteers.”

The demand is very high. And the problem is not just across the five counties served by Cleveland Legal Aid. According to the latest national Justice Gap Report, low-income Americans do not receive any or enough legal help for 92% of their civil or legal needs. Many are forced to “go it alone” without representation.

The second leg of the stool is Community Engagement.

“This is where we send our staff attorneys and paralegals out to do things in the community,” says Mlakar. “We also use volunteer attorneys.

“We partner with community organizations and offer a lot of educational presentations, such as ‘Know Your Rights,’” says Mlakar. “We also help educate other nonprofits in terms of understanding the work that we do, or how we can work with them so they can make appropriate referrals.”

The third leg is Advocacy.

“It can mean using the media or doing more impactful policy work or litigation,” Mlakar says. “It can also include appeals or amicus work (friend of the court opinions) and include bringing affirmative cases for individuals or groups.”

This includes important issues such as lead abatement in houses and the environment and driver’s license suspensions for non-driving offenses, “some of which are enforced without the person even being aware that they have been suspended,” says Mlakar.

Legal Aid Advocacy also addresses housing legal issues such as mortgage foreclosures, “but today, it is often more about rental evictions rather than mortgage foreclosures or tax delinquencies,” says Mlakar. “It may also include a person’s right to qualify for subsidized housing. Here, we are also doing a lot of work for veterans as well as the previously incarcerated.

“In Cleveland, we have a program that focuses on a right to counsel, which is designed to help increase the stability of families in Cleveland.”

But you need to have very low income to qualify for the program, and you need to have a child in the household, stresses Mlakar.

“I guarantee that we have some of the smartest and most creative attorneys right here in Cleveland as my colleagues,” adds Mlakar. “And we will keep fighting the good fight as we make a difference for as many people as we can.”