Say Yes to Education: CMBA and Legal Aid Partner to Help Cleveland's Children Succeed

As written in the December Issue of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal.

Jennifer Himmelein, Chair of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s Justice for All Committee, co-authored an article with Dinola Phillips, an attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, discussing the Cleveland Chapter of the Say Yes to Education program, the increasing need for legal support services, and how attorneys can make a positive impact through their participation.

With the pandemic, families who were already struggling are now facing more challenging circumstances with schools being forced into remote work and the future of uncertainty. The program Say Yes to Education is a national nonprofit that provides scholarships and support to low-income children in public schools, and this includes free legal counseling. The CMBA has partnered with this program and legal counseling is provided through The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. Counseling often includes common legal issues such as establishing guardianship, negotiating with landlords to make home repairs, and obtaining public assistance benefits.

Partner Jennifer Himmelein says “CMBA members have a unique opportunity to make a difference in their community by taking a case with Legal Aid through the Say Yes partnership.” She notes “[we] as lawyers are privileged to have this legal knowledge,” “[c]hildren become our city’s adults, our city’s future! We want future generations to have the opportunities that we had.”

Click here to read the full article.