Most people think individuals get driver’s license suspensions in Ohio because they are “bad drivers.” But about 60% of all suspensions in the state are because of a person’s failure to pay money owed to a court, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles or a private third party.
“The idea of suspending someone’s license so they can’t get to work to earn the money to pay a fee is hard to imagine,” says Brian Mikelbank, associate professor of Urban Studies, Cleveland State University. “This was supposed to be an effective way to get people to come to court and pay what they owe, but that doesn’t always happen.”
Mikelbank collaborates with the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland so it can support and represent those who have lost their licenses because of this kind of debt. The goal? To get eligible drivers back behind the wheel.
Legal Aid’s Road to Nowhere: Debt-Related Driver’s License Suspensions in Ohio report shows Ohio drivers face more than 3 million debt-related suspensions annually, totaling a debt average of $7.9 million a year to residents of Ohio’s highest poverty zip codes. The advocacy work Legal Aid attorneys, staff and volunteers perform to end this harmful cycle is part of the organization’s community engagement commitment.
That dedication also aligns with Legal Aid’s mission to “secure justice, equity and access to opportunity for and with people who have low incomes through passionate legal representation and advocacy for systemic change.”
“We have done community engagement since Legal Aid’s founding in 1905. But now we are very intentional about informing people about the work we do,” says Kimberly Barnett-Mills, managing attorney for community engagement.
Legal Aid’s Legal Center for Low-Income Entrepreneurs provides guidance and representation to aspiring businesses that want to take the next steps toward success. That includes help with writing bylaws, understanding and fulfilling regulatory compliance (licensing, etc.), tax rules, insurance, contracts, record-keeping or facing third-party issues such as contracts or lease evictions.
Of course, some individuals or groups haven’t gone much further than “a dream,” says Barnett-Mills. In that case, Legal Aid, which serves five counties in Northeast Ohio, will help make connections to appropriate community resources that will work with potential business owners to get a good start. Then, if necessary, they can reach out again to Legal Aid when their plans advance.
A variety of more than 40 businesses have been helped by the Center since its founding in 2019. About 21 cases for legal assistance to low-income entrepreneurs or low-income nonprofits were opened since the beginning of 2024 and eight have been closed.
“Legal Aid’s help allows people to build wealth for themselves and their communities,” says Barnett-Mills, a former assistant public defender for Cuyahoga County and a former chief prosecutor for the City of Cleveland.
The Haslam Sports Group has shown its commitment to the community in many ways, supporting education, housing, law enforcement and employment concerns. But most recently “has added equity through economic advancement for members of disadvantaged communities as a focus,” according to Peter John-Baptiste, chief communications officer for the sports organization.
John-Baptiste says Legal Aid earned the Haslams’ and Cleveland Browns’ financial support because it aligned with the sports organization’s social justice initiative.
Mikelbank adds that Legal Aid has lessened the financial hit that neighborhoods in particularly low-income areas suffer when residents with suspended licenses can’t get to work. (He notes less than 2% of people use transit.)
“Cleveland State University has always had an outreach commitment where we put our skills to good use in the community and make an impact,” says Mikelbank. “When Legal Aid has a data question or needs special analysis or has mapping needs to find out information — like it does to find out where community engagement is most needed and its programs need to be offered — I like to be able to help out.”
