COLUMBUS – Ohio Legal Help is a statewide, mobile-first website that offers free legal information and resources.
The website recently launched “My OLH,” a secure hub where users can create an account to find, save and complete court forms, such as the Divorce without Children form and the CDC Eviction Moratorium Declaration.
Since the pandemic, user traffic on OhioLegalHelp.org has increased by 500% between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. People are looking for legal help 24/7, 365 days a year, and Ohio Legal Help saw an opportunity to create a mobile-first tool to help people complete court forms on their own time, when it’s most convenient for them.
“I see what is keeping Ohioans up at night, and I know that folks are stretched thin,” said Susan Choe, executive director of Ohio Legal Help. “We created My OLH to make filling out forms on your phone easier for hardworking people, like the mom who juggles providing for her family and dealing with the additional stressors brought on by the pandemic.”
Community Legal Aid, a legal aid organization serving central northeast Ohio, partnered with Ohio Legal Help on the My OLH project.
“Our clients need tools like this,” said Steve McGarrity, executive director of Community Legal Aid. “The court system isn’t easy to navigate. It’s a system that was built by lawyers and for lawyers; and if you aren’t a lawyer, it’s really hard to figure out what you need to do.”
The My OLH project was funded through a Technology Initiative Grant from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). The LSC released a report in 2017 confirming that time and connectivity limitations are a reality faced by low-income and vulnerable Ohioans, which makes the mobile-first My OLH user hub particularly beneficial to this population.
Ohio Legal Help’s website has assisted nearly 400,000 visitors during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It has been an invaluable resource, providing accurate and timely information on issues such as the eviction moratorium, unemployment benefits, returning to work and stimulus checks. Ohio Legal Help has also responded to the specific needs brought on by the pandemic, including easier access to legal forms and court documents.
OhioLegalHelp.org is one of several statewide legal assistance portals that was created to address the growing civil justice gap. In addition to My OLH user hub, Ohio Legal Help plans to add criminal-record sealing along with driver’s license reinstatement content and forms to the site in the near future.
Through launching My OLH, Ohio Legal Help is providing transformative civil legal help to Ohioans who need it the most during the COVID-19 pandemic and after.
