The Supreme Court of Ohio

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF

The Supreme Court of Ohio

TASK FORCE ON PRO SE & INDIGENT LITIGANTS

Honorable John Adkins, Chair April 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Supreme Court of Ohio

Task Force on Pro Se & Indigent Litigants

i

Acknowledgements

iii

I. Introduction

1

II. Recommendations to Improve Indigent Criminal Defense

2

III. Recommendations to Increase the Participation

of Ohio Attorneys in Providing pro bono Legal Services

9

IV. Recommendations Related to Improving

Access for Self-Represented (pro se) Litigants

15

V. Recommendations to Facilitate

Limited Representation by Ohio Attorneys

25

VI. Funding Recommendations

36

VII. Implementation

44

VIII. Conclusion

45

APPENDICES

47

A. Attitudes toward and Provision

of Volunteer, pro bono and Bar Association Activities

B. Guidelines & Instructions for Clerks Who Assist pro se Litigants in Iowa's Courts

The Supreme Court of Ohio

TASK FORCE ON PRO SE & INDIGENT LITIGANTS

Hon. John Adkins, chair Circleville Municipal Court Circleville

Mary Asbury Executive Director Legal Aid Society of Greater

Cincinnati Cincinnati

David Bodiker Ohio Public Defender Columbus

Beth Bray Delaware

Becky Carpenter Administrator Fairfield County Court of

Common Pleas Lancaster

Hon. Marc Dann Ohio Senate Youngstown

Hon. Timothy DeGeeter Ohio House of

Representatives Parma

Lenny Eliason Athens County

Commissioner Athens

R. Daniel Hannon President, Ohio Association

of Criminal Defense Lawyers Batavia

Hon. Bill Harsha 4th District Court of Appeals Chillicothe

Phyllis Henderson Lima

Hon. Jim James Stark County Family Court Canton

Hon. Jim Jordan Ohio Senate Urbana

Hon. Mary Kovack Medina County Domestic Relations Court Medina

Hon. Paul Kutscher Seneca County Probate/

Juvenile Court Tiffin

Kent Markus Capital University Law School Columbus

William Mason Cuyahoga County Prosecuting

Attorney Cleveland

Lynne Mazeika Lake County Clerk of Courts Painesville

Sharon Ray Medina County

Commissioner Medina

Laura Restivo Magistrate, Lucas County

Juvenile Court Toledo

Hon. Nancy Margaret Russo Cuyahoga County Court of

Common Pleas Cleveland

Kimberly C. Shumate, vice chair

Office of Legal Affairs The Ohio State University Columbus

Thomas Weeks Executive Director Ohio State Legal Services

Association Columbus

Hon. John Willamowski Ohio House of

Representatives Lima

Hon. Mark Wall Middletown Municipal Court Middletown

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Members of the Supreme Court Task Force on Pro Se & Indigent Litigants would like to thank the Supreme Court of Ohio for its support throughout this process. A special thank you is extended to Jo Ellen Cline, the Court's staff liaison to the task force. The task force would also like to thank Stan Odesky and his research team for their work on the pro bono survey. The task force acknowledges the contributions of John Alge of the Office of the Ohio Public Defender; Robert Clyde, Dave Ball and Jeffrey Fortkamp of the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation; John Leutz of the County Commissioners' Association of Ohio; and Connor Kinsey and Megan Robinson, Supreme Court of Ohio externs. The task force would also like to recognize former members whose input was important to the overall discussion and final product of this task force.

iii

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