Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio

Name

Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio

Legal name

Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio

Website

https://lasco.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO) is a 1966-founded nonprofit delivering free civil legal aid to low-income individuals, seniors, and veterans across 36 Southeast and Central Ohio counties via 8 local offices and a pro bono partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Other Legal Services (54119), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Civil legal aid
• Free legal services
• Tenant representation
• Fair housing enforcement
• Pro bono programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: LASCO operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through institutional grants and appropriations from federal, state, and local government sources, as well as private foundations. Major funders include Legal Services Corporation (federal), Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, and The Columbus Foundation.
2. Individual and Corporate Donations: LASCO receives charitable contributions from individual donors, corporate partners, and law firms. In 2025, nearly $500,000 in combined support was received from 30+ corporate/organizational partners and approximately 500 individual donors. Monthly donor program ('Defenders of Justice') provides recurring support.
3. Event Sponsorship: Revenue generated through event sponsorships for annual events such as the Journey Toward Justice Reception and Fresh Start Gala.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LASCO provides free civil legal aid and advocacy to people with low incomes, veterans, and seniors across 36 counties in Southeast and Central Ohio through 8 local offices. Core offerings include direct legal representation in housing, family law, consumer issues, public benefits, immigration, healthcare, education, tax, veterans, work, seniors, and reentry matters, supplemented by the Tenant Advocacy Project, the Fair Housing Center project, and a Pro Bono Volunteer Program that engages private attorneys.

Product overview

Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO) is a nonprofit law firm that provides civil legal aid and advocacy to overcome unfairness and injustice, reduce poverty, and increase opportunity. The organization operates as a unified legal services provider rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core offerings include direct legal representation through the Tenant Advocacy Project (TAP) and various substantive law teams (housing, family, consumer, public benefits, immigration, tax, veterans, education, reentry), supplemented by the Fair Housing Center project and partnership with the Ohio Poverty Law Center. Service delivery is supported by a Pro Bono Volunteer Program engaging private attorneys, a Fellowship Development Program for law students, and digital outreach through the Pursuing Justice Newsletter and online client intake system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fair Housing Center of Southeast and Central Ohio: A project of LASCO dedicated to ensuring fair housing opportunities, eliminating housing discrimination, and promoting equitable access to housing through education, outreach, advocacy, and enforcement of fair housing laws
• Tenant Advocacy Project (TAP)
• Defenders of Justice
• Pursuing Justice Newsletter
• Community Connections Newsletter

Products and services

• Tenant Advocacy Project (TAP) Provides free legal representation to income-eligible tenants in Franklin County, particularly in Columbus, helping clients avoid eviction through court representation, settlement negotiations, and advocacy. Represented 1,718 households in 2023 (30.5% of income-eligible tenants appearing in court) and helped 423 households avoid eviction.
• Fair Housing Center of Southeast and Central Ohio A project of LASCO dedicated to eliminating housing discrimination and promoting equitable access to housing through education, outreach, advocacy, and enforcement of fair housing laws across 36 counties.
• Ohio Poverty Law Center (OPLC) A sister organization to LASCO focused on systemic change and policy advocacy to alleviate barriers faced by Ohioans living and working in poverty, complementing LASCO's direct legal services.
• Pro Bono Volunteer Program Engages private attorneys throughout communities to provide pro bono legal services including case referrals, brief advice clinics, brief service clinics, in-house volunteering, and community economic development assistance.
• Fellowship Development Program Provides opportunities for rising 3L law students and recent graduates to collaborate with LASCO on fellowships that support disadvantaged communities through civil legal services outreach and advocacy projects.
• Client Intake System Online application system allowing prospective clients to complete an intake questionnaire to apply for legal services, available 24/7 with confidentiality at oslsaoi.legalserver.org.
• Local Office Civil Legal Representation (8 offices) Free civil legal representation for noncriminal matters including housing, family law, consumer issues, public benefits, immigration, healthcare, education, tax, veterans issues, and employment, delivered through 8 local offices across 36 counties in Southeast and Central Ohio.
• Community Legal Clinics Regular legal clinics held at community locations including churches, libraries, community centers, courthouses, and shelters throughout the 36-county service area, providing brief advice and limited-scope assistance to income-eligible individuals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Eviction displacement risk reduced from 92% to 18% with LASCO assistance
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Fair Housing Center of Southeast and Central OhiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA project of LASCO, the Fair Housing Center helps ensure that Ohioans have access to housing free of discrimination. The center focuses on education, outreach, advocacy, and enforcement of fair housing laws across 36 counties, protecting individuals from discriminatory practices based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, familial status, military status, and disability.
• Ohio Poverty Law Center (OPLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLASCO and OPLC work together to address the legal needs of low-income individuals and families. While LASCO provides direct legal services, OPLC focuses on systemic change and policy advocacy to alleviate barriers faced by Ohioans living in poverty. Together they pursue legal recourse needed to address repetitive and fundamental legal problems facing low-income Ohioans.
• Ohio State Bar AssociationcoreOthersFounded Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio in 1966. The organization was originally established as Ohio State Legal Services Association (OSLSA).
• Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLPcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLead Partner in Justice firm providing multi-year pledges of support, volunteer attorneys, and pro bono case handling. Named as longtime supporter of Legal Aid's mission.
• Barnes & Thornburg LLPcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAward-winning pro bono partner handling expungement clinics and complex legal cases. Firm participates in annual Day of Service and has received Exceptional Service by a Law Firm Award.
• NationwidecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate partner whose trial attorneys Chad Dworkin and Gretchen Lipari received Outstanding Pro Bono Collaboration Award. Company supports pro bono through Lawyers for Kids partnership with Nationwide Children's Hospital.
• Dinsmore & Shohl LLPmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate supporter recognized for Excellence in Employee Giving with 22 staff members donating $7,484.28 in 2025.
• Perry County CourtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Judge Luann Cooperrider to operate Perry County Free Legal Clinic since 2008, assisting an estimated 1,500-1,800 people. Also hosting Wills for Vets program.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Pro Bono Net: National nonprofit that builds technology and supports pro bono engagement for civil legal aid providers. Comparable to LASCO because LASCO uses LegalServer intake (an adjacent tech ecosystem) and depends on similar volunteer infrastructure for service scaling.

Direct peers

• Texas RioGrande Legal Aid: Large regional civil legal aid organization serving rural Southwest Texas. Comparable to LASCO in multi-county rural service delivery, free representation model, housing/eviction focus, and dependence on federal LSC plus state funding.
• Lone Star Legal Aid: Texas-based civil legal aid organization serving low-income residents across a large service area. Comparable to LASCO in mission, geographic breadth, free representation model, and dependence on LSC and state funding.
• Ohio Poverty Law Center: Ohio-based sister organization of LASCO focused on systemic advocacy and policy change for low-income Ohioans. Closely comparable to LASCO in mission and target population, complementing direct services with impact litigation and legislative advocacy.
• Atlanta Legal Aid Society: Georgia-based civil legal aid organization providing free legal services across multiple counties. Directly comparable to LASCO in service model, funding mix (LSC, state, local), practice areas (housing, family, public benefits), and pro bono volunteer engagement.
• Legal Aid Chicago: Chicago-based civil legal aid provider offering free legal services across multiple substantive areas. Comparable to LASCO in nonprofit legal aid model, similar client demographics, and reliance on pro bono and institutional funding streams.
• Legal Aid Society of Cleveland: Ohio-based civil legal aid organization serving Northeast Ohio. Directly comparable to LASCO in mission, service model (free civil legal services for low-income clients), funding sources (LSC, IOLTA, state), and pro bono volunteer programming.
• Ohio Legal Help: Statewide Ohio nonprofit providing free legal information, self-help resources, and referrals. Comparable to LASCO in civil legal aid mission, Ohio geographic focus, and online intake/referral model, though it leans more on information delivery than direct representation.

Others

• National Legal Aid & Defender Association: National membership and advocacy association for civil legal aid and public defense organizations. Comparable to LASCO as the sector's primary trade and capacity-building body, supporting similar funding advocacy and policy work.

Broad incumbents

• Legal Aid Society of New York: One of the oldest and largest U.S. civil legal aid providers, serving New York City and surrounding counties. Comparable mission, free civil legal services for low-income populations, and similar pro bono and institutional funding structure—though at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LegalAidSCO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/legalaidsco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio