Closing the Justice Gap
Scranton Road Legal Clinic was formed by a group of faith-motivated attorneys who wanted to help close the justice gap. In 2012 under the umbrella of Scranton Road Ministries C.D.C., the legal clinic program was developed. Sheila Fell, Director of Scranton Road Legal Clinic, reported that, “In 2017, 86% of the civil legal problems reported by low-income Americans received inadequate or no legal help” she explained, “and we wanted to offer legal advice and community-based education to help meet the high demand for legal services.”
Serving over 450 families per year, Scranton Road Legal Clinic offers a variety of services- from brief legal advice on issues like landlord/tenant disputes, debt collections, visitation/custody, wills/powers of attorney, to community-based legal education workshops and more.
Providing Legal Education
The Legal Clinic is not only passionate about helping families in times of need, but they also want to provide education in order to increase public awareness of legal rights and responsibilities. In addition to educating the community, they also offer free Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits for attorneys, addressing the legal concerns most frequently encountered by low-income communities.
When a member of the community goes to Scranton Road Legal Clinic for help, they’ll have an individualized appointment with an attorney to talk through their situation. In addition to in-house appointments at their clinic, they also provide legal services onsite at local homeless shelters like Laura’s Home and The City Mission, providing ongoing follow-up for all clients.
Fell sees her job as both important and rewarding, explaining that “legal barriers can stand in the way of employment, safe housing, family unification, health care, and more” she explains, “I love problem-solving and bringing a sense of peace to people in the midst of a challenging situation.”
Learn More
To learn more about Scranton Legal Clinic, visit their website at www.scrantonroadministries.org or visit them at their new building, located inside Scranton Road Bible Church, at 3095 Scranton Road, Cleveland, OH 44113.
