Community Legal Aid Services

What Community Legal Aid Services does

Community Legal Aid Services, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit law firm founded in 1952 and headquartered at 209 S. High St., Akron, Ohio. The organization provides free civil legal aid to low-income individuals and families across eight counties in central northeast Ohio (Columbiana, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, and Wayne), with additional offices in Canton, Warren, and Youngstown. Its core service areas include housing/eviction defense, family law, consumer debt, record sealing and expungement, public benefits, and tax issues, delivered via a centralized HelpLine (800-998-9454), online applications, in-person legal clinics, and specialized projects such as the HEAL Medical-Legal Partnership with Akron Children's Hospital, the Right to Counsel eviction pilot, and the Pro Bono Project. Specialized sub-brands include the HEAL Project, Pro Bono Project, Right to Counsel Program, and the recently renamed John M. Petit Legal Advocacy Center in Canton.

The organization is funded entirely through grants and donations rather than client fees, with confirmed recent inflows including a $214,000 Medical-Legal Partnerships Plus grant from HHS, a $210,000 three-year grant from the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, and a $250,000/year City of Akron contract for the Right to Counsel pilot. Its underlying technology stack centers on LegalServer for case management, intake, document management, and impact reporting; no AI/ML, proprietary platform, or public API capabilities are disclosed. Service delivery relies on a combination of staff attorneys, a deep pro bono volunteer network (Goodyear, FirstEnergy, Brennan Manna Diamond), and embedded institutional partnerships with courts, hospitals, schools, and housing authorities.

The business model is a grant-funded nonprofit professional services operation with multiple recurring and one-time funding sources. GTM is community-led: clients are reached via court referrals, healthcare provider referrals (notably through the HEAL MLP), community clinics, and the HelpLine, with pro bono attorney recruitment as a parallel capacity-building channel. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees, led by Executive Director Steven McGarrity, with a management team of specialized managing attorneys and a Chief Development Officer overseeing fundraising.

Name

Community Legal Aid Services

Legal name

Community Legal Aid Services, Inc.

Website

https://communitylegalaid.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Community Legal Aid Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm founded in 1952 providing free civil legal aid to low-income individuals and families across eight counties in central northeast Ohio, funded by grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Akron

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donations: Community Legal Aid operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm. The organization generates revenue through grants from government agencies (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, OneOhio Recovery Foundation), foundations, and donations from attorneys and the community. Services are provided free of charge to eligible low-income clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Community Legal Aid is a non-profit law firm providing free civil legal aid services to low-income individuals and families across eight counties in central northeast Ohio. Core services include housing/eviction defense, family law, consumer debt, record sealing and expungement, public benefits, and estate planning, delivered through a HelpLine phone intake, online application, in-person legal clinics, and the HEAL Medical-Legal Partnership with Akron Children's Hospital.

Product overview

Community Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) non-profit law firm serving as a single, unified legal services organization providing free civil legal aid to low-income individuals in central northeast Ohio. The organization operates across eight counties (Columbiana, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, and Wayne) offering direct legal services through its HelpLine intake system, legal clinics, and specialized projects. Core programs include the HEAL Medical-Legal Partnership, Right to Counsel eviction defense, Pro Bono Project for volunteer attorney matching, Record Sealing and Expungement Services, Eviction and Parenthood Toolkits for self-help resources, and the Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative. Services are delivered through in-person clinics, online virtual clinics, phone-based assistance, and community outreach at partner locations including schools, libraries, and social service agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HEAL Project: Health, Education, Advocacy and Law project providing legal assistance to families through partnerships with healthcare providers including Akron Children's Hospital.
• Pro Bono Project
• Right to Counsel Program

Products and services

• Free Civil Legal Aid Services Free civil legal services for low-income individuals and families in central northeast Ohio, covering housing, family law, consumer debt, public benefits, and more.
• HelpLine Phone intake service at (800) 998-9454 for individuals seeking legal assistance, available to screen and qualify clients for legal aid services.
• Right to Counsel Program Pilot program in partnership with City of Akron and United Way providing legal representation to tenants facing eviction, with priority for households at 100% poverty line with children or elderly/disabled individuals.
• HEAL Project (Health, Education, Advocacy and Law) Medical-Legal Partnership with Akron Children's Hospital providing legal assistance to address social determinants of health including housing conditions, education needs, public benefits, and immigration matters affecting children's health outcomes.
• Medical-Legal Partnership Plus (MLP+) $214,000 federal grant program through HHS enabling expanded legal services at Akron Children's Hospital addressing root causes of poor health outcomes including housing, education, public benefits, and immigration.
• Record Sealing and Expungement Services Free legal assistance helping individuals clear criminal records to pursue employment and housing opportunities, including services for those in recovery through OneOhio Recovery Foundation funding.
• Pro Bono Project Volunteer attorney program connecting pro bono attorneys with clients needing legal assistance in areas including probate, family law, housing, and consumer matters.
• Legal Clinics Free legal clinics offering advice on topics including foreclosure, eviction, consumer debt, family law, record sealing, estate planning, and more across multiple counties.
• Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative Monthly legal clinic partnership with Summit County Common Pleas Court Judges and community agencies providing free civil legal assistance on issues including custody, collections, driver's license suspensions, evictions, and expungements.
• Legal Assistance to Victims (LAV) Project Project providing legal assistance to victims of violence, working with survivors to address housing, family law, and other civil legal issues.
• Assisting Reentering Citizens Project Program helping individuals with criminal records clear their records through expungement to improve employment and housing opportunities.
• Neighborhood Law Project Community economic development work organizing tenants and advocating for improvements in housing conditions in multi-unit residential complexes.
• Tenant Assistance Project Legal advocacy project helping tenants facing eviction, housing conditions issues, and other landlord-tenant matters.
• Online Eviction Clinic Free weekly online clinic (Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m.) helping tenants understand eviction process, options, and community resources available to help.
• Clarence Darrow Court Clinic Phone-based legal clinic in partnership with volunteer attorneys and local courts helping Trumbull and Mahoning county residents with housing concerns, foreclosure, consumer debt, and collection lawsuits.

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Akron Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical-Legal Partnership (HEAL project) for over 10 years. Attorneys receive direct referrals from healthcare providers for legal issues impacting children's health such as housing conditions, education needs, public benefits, and immigration. Funded by $214,000 MLP+ grant from HHS.
• United Way of Summit & MedinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Right to Counsel pilot program and Family Resource Centers in Akron Public Schools. United Way provides coordinating services and rental assistance for the Right to Counsel program.
• City of AkroncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for the Right to Counsel pilot program, providing $250,000 per year for three years to provide legal representation to Akron residents facing eviction.
• GoodyearminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for monthly online record-sealing and expungement clinics. Goodyear attorneys volunteer to meet with registered clients and help complete court forms.
• Summit County Pro Bono CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly legal clinic initiative with Summit County Common Pleas Court Judges Joy Malek Oldfield and Jennifer Towell, Summit County Prosecutor, and Summit Legal Defenders. Provides free civil legal help on first Friday of each month.
• Someplace SafeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for legal clinic serving victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, providing civil legal assistance including family law, housing, bankruptcy, and protection orders.
• FirstEnergyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for free wills and estate planning clinics. FirstEnergy attorneys volunteer through the Empowering Pro Bono Initiative to provide free legal documents to qualifying residents.
• Brennan, Manna, DiamondminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate legal partner providing pro bono assistance through neighborhood law clinics. Attorneys help with bankruptcy, debt, eviction, housing, business, employment, taxes, and probate matters.
• Akron-Summit County Public LibraryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost venue for Family Law Clinics and other legal events at the Main Library location.
• Summit County Common Pleas CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJudges Joy Malek Oldfield and Jennifer Towell partner with Community Legal Aid for the Summit County Pro Bono Collaborative monthly clinic.
• Akron Public Schools / United Way Family Resource CentersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership to provide legal office hours at school locations including Helen Arnold CLC, North High School, McEbright CLC, and Robinson CLC to serve APS families.
• Queer in CantonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for legal name and gender marker change information sessions in Stark County.
• Ohio Justice BusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Family Law Clinic serving Summit County residents at the Akron Bar Association location.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Legal Aid Society of Cleveland: Cuyahoga County-based nonprofit civil legal aid organization serving low-income Ohioans via direct representation, clinics, and intake hotlines. Same nonprofit law firm structure and practice mix (housing, family, consumer, public benefits), but operating in an adjacent Ohio geography (Cleveland metro). Directly comparable operating model despite non-overlapping service area.
• Lone Star Legal Aid: Texas-based 501(c)(3) civil legal aid nonprofit serving low-income residents across 72 counties. Highly comparable on intake hotlines, clinic-based delivery, federal grant reliance, MLP work, and broad civil practice areas including housing, family, and consumer law. Often cited as a benchmark large regional legal aid provider.
• Bay Area Legal Aid: San Francisco Bay Area civil legal aid nonprofit serving low-income clients across housing, family, public benefits, and consumer law with an intake hotline, clinic model, and pro bono attorney engagement. Comparable funding mix and program structure, including medical-legal partnership work.
• Atlanta Legal Aid Society: Georgia-based civil legal aid nonprofit serving low-income metro Atlanta residents across housing, family, public benefits, and consumer law. Same intake hotline + clinic + direct representation model with comparable federal/state grant dependency.
• Maryland Legal Aid Bureau: Statewide Maryland civil legal aid nonprofit providing direct representation, advice clinics, and intake across housing, family, consumer, and public benefits. Highly comparable on intake routing, county-office structure, and federal/state grant reliance; relevant because of its multi-county scale.
• Pro Seniors: Ohio-based nonprofit providing free legal services to older adults on housing, consumer, benefits, and family issues. Same state, same nonprofit law firm structure, overlapping intake and clinic model, and similar federal/state grant mix, but focused on elderly clients—a subset of Community Legal Aid's priority population.
• Pine Tree Legal Assistance: Maine statewide civil legal aid nonprofit serving low-income residents across housing, family, consumer, and public benefits. Comparable operating structure: intake hotline, clinic delivery, federal grant reliance, and regional multi-county footprint.

Broad incumbents

• The Legal Aid Society: New York City's largest civil and criminal legal aid nonprofit, providing direct representation, clinics, and impact litigation. Much larger and broader scope than Community Legal Aid but operates the same nonprofit law firm + intake + clinic model for low-income clients, and is one of the field's structural benchmarks for scale.
• Greater Boston Legal Services: Massachusetts-based multi-program civil legal aid nonprofit serving Greater Boston's low-income population across housing, family, immigration, and consumer practice. Comparable intake, clinic, MLP, and pro bono recruitment structure; broader regional scope than Community Legal Aid's 8-county footprint.

Others

• National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership: National hub at George Washington University that supports the MLP model and administers the HHS MLP+ demonstration program through which Community Legal Aid received its $214K federal grant. Acts as an enabling/sector organization rather than a direct competitor, but is the key institutional counterparty shaping Community Legal Aid's MLP funding pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CommLegalAid
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLVowXN6bTg3dh6FZfxfjLt39ZTNrPbggY
• Facebookfacebook.com/CommLegalAid
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/246840

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Legal Aid Services