New Ohio Collaborative Targets Legal Deserts in 78 of 88 Counties

The Ohio State Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Foundation, University of Toledo College of Law, and Ohio Northern University Claude W. Pettit College of Law have joined forces to launch Lawyers = Justice: A Northwest Ohio Legal Collaborative. This three-year initiative aims to expand legal access for rural residents and create pathways for attorneys to build long-term practices in communities with limited legal resources.

Funding for the collaborative includes a $1.465 million grant from the Ohio State Bar Foundation, supplemented by in-kind contributions from the participating law schools and the Ohio Bar. The initiative will operate through two clinic locations: one in Bowling Green, overseen by the University of Toledo, serving residents across Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Ottawa, and Wood counties; and another in Lima, expanded by Ohio Northern, reaching income-eligible residents of Allen, Auglaize, Hardin, Putnam, and Van Wert counties.

Each year, the program plans to support four newly licensed attorney fellows as they develop sustainable private practices in the region, while providing up to 40 law students with supervised, hands-on experience working alongside rural clients. Organizers project that the combined efforts of the clinics and fellows could expand legal access for approximately 720 people annually. Residents are expected to receive assistance with matters that affect daily life, including family law, estate planning, real estate, consumer protection, small-business concerns, criminal law, and agriculture-related issues. Fellows will also provide representation to individuals who earn too much to qualify for legal aid but face difficulty covering traditional legal fees.

The initiative addresses a critical problem: across Ohio, 78 of 88 counties are classified as legal deserts, defined as having fewer than one attorney per 1,000 residents. This shortage extends beyond courtroom access, delaying estate planning, complicating property transfers, leaving families without guidance in guardianship or custody matters, and limiting the ability of farmers and landowners to navigate development, zoning, and environmental questions.

Michelle L. Kranz, founding partner of Zoll & Kranz and former president of the Ohio State Bar Association, has been a sustained advocate for addressing rural attorney shortages. As a Wood County resident whose family raises beef cattle, she has direct familiarity with the people, businesses, and land-use concerns that define rural Northwest Ohio. "A legal problem can threaten a family's stability, a farm's future or a small business's survival, and those consequences do not become less serious because the nearest attorney is an hour away," Kranz said. "This initiative addresses today's need for counsel while creating a real reason for young lawyers to put down roots in the communities they serve."

Kranz also emphasized the importance of community integration: "Rural communities need lawyers who understand that a land-use decision, an estate plan, and the future of a family operation may all be connected. Building that kind of trust takes time. By pairing practical service with training and mentorship, Lawyers = Justice gives new attorneys the opportunity to become part of the community rather than simply pass through it."

Recruitment of attorney fellows and law students is expected to begin in September 2026, with both clinics targeted to be fully staffed and operational later in the fall. The participating organizations have identified the initiative as a potential model for other Ohio regions facing comparable attorney shortages.