The Ohio Justice Bus will be at the Akron Bar Association Wednesday to provide free legal advice, access to lawyers and other legal information.
Advice will be available on a variety of legal areas, including domestic relations and family matters, as well as criminal cases, traffic and probate issues.
Akron Bar Association Office Manager Brett Howell said the event will provide important resources to the community.
“Court is something that’s not easy to deal with, it’s nerve-wracking for many people,” he said. “I think just bridging that gap between the community and letting people know that there is valuable information that comes without judgement.”
The Ohio Justice Bus is a service of the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to provide access to legal aid and justice for low-income Ohioans.
According to Howell, the event is especially important because local court dockets are currently backed up.
Howell said in addition to providing access to lawyers, those on the bus will also provide legal information.
“Even if you’re not looking for direct council, they’ll have all of their flyers and their supplies and all of that information so that people can gain as much knowledge about the system and how it works and the people in it,” he said. “The overall goal is just to build familiarity which would make people much more comfortable with the courts.”
While there will be specific resources for dealing with the local courts, Howell said anyone will be able to seek legal advice.
“We are just dealing with the local court system, so we will be filing papers, we will be doing a lot of things on behalf of the courts,” he said. “However, the information will still be there for everybody.”
Howell said planning the Justice Bus event has been a rewarding experience.
“In a time where the court system and the police and everybody are dealing with turmoil it’s kind of a great piece of positivity to have,” he said.
The Ohio Justice Bus will be parked outside the Akron Bar Association 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Get info on other stops by the Ohio Justice Bus here.
