Local attorneys recognized for pro bono service
Each year, Community Legal Aid honors attorneys who demonstrate a commitment to serve and strengthen our community by participating in the Volunteer Legal Services Program. Legal Aid would like to recognize and thank the following Volunteers of the Year for their dedication to America’s promise of justice for all.
Mahoning County
Shirley Christian has been active in the volunteer program at Community Legal Aid for over 13 years helping clients through our clinic programs and direct representation. She provides assistance on matters such as consumer debt, custody/visitation and record sealing.
Christian graduated from Pettit College of Law at Ohio Northern University and is a member and past president of the Mahoning County Bar Association. She serves as Chairperson of the Grievance Committee and is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Ohio State Bar Association.
A strong leader within the community, Christian serves as a member of Youngstown Air Reserve Station Community Council. She also serves as the vice-president of the Board for the Lucy Beuchner Foundation, the first vice-president of Youngstown Lions Club, and as a member of the finance committee at Saint Jude Church.
Portage County
Nancy Grim has been a member of the volunteer program since 1996, helping with a variety of cases. She oversees the Portage County credit card debt clinic, offered in partnership with the Portage County Bar Association and local courts. Grim is a graduate of the University of Akron School of Law and specializes in employment/labor law.
Grim is certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a Specialist in Labor and Employment Law, is a trained mediator, and serves as appointed counsel in child welfare cases. She is an active member of the Portage County Bar Association, Ohio Employment Lawyers Association, Ohio State Bar Association, National Employment Lawyers Association and the National Lawyers Guild.
Grim also is involved in a number of civic organizations, including the Summit County Association for Justice, Portage County Community Action Council, and the Kent Natural Foods Cooperative. Grim is a prior board member of Community Legal Aid and served as president. She continues to serve as a committee member.
Stark County
Charlie Wilson joined the Volunteer Legal Services Program in 2017 and assists clients at legal clinics and through direct representation. Wilson previously served as an intern at Community Legal Aid while he attended law school. He graduated from the University of Akron School of Law and continues to volunteer at their monthly legal clinics.
Wilson is a member of the Akron Bar Association. When he is not busy with his practice, Wilson serves at the North Canton Food Pantry, participates in the Akron Derbytown Chorus, and volunteers as Santa Claus during the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway’s Polar Express.
Summit County
L. Mialon Morris has been with the volunteer program since 2019. Morris, a former staff member of Legal Aid, helps survivors of domestic violence end the cycle of abuse through divorce and other legal remedies. She graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law.
Morris is a member of the Akron Bar Association and serves on the board of Akron Promise fostering a community-involved culture of education in Akron.
Trumbull County
This year, Legal Aid is recognizing a group of attorneys as the Volunteers of the Year in Trumbull County for their faithful service at the Clarence Darrow Court Clinic, which currently operates virtually. The following attorneys are being honored: Pat Duricy, Shayla Schoder, Charlie Wilson, Theodore Oltmann, Fritz Coombs, Cherie Howard, Heather Steele, Dawn Chapman, Jane Davis, Richard Schwartz, Bill Flevares, Elise Burkey, Michael Rossi, Curt Bogen, J.P. Morgan and Mike Buzulencia
At the clinic, volunteers help clients address housing and debt related legal concerns. Their ongoing support has made the Clinic a success throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
