Page 15 - MayJune25 Report

PAID PARTNERSHIP
Pro Seniors
50 Years Old & Proud of It
By Dimity V. Orlet
I have participated in the HRAP program since 2023. I am honored to assist low-income seniors in getting their estate planning affairs in
order and have received many good full fee referrals from the program. I appreciate that you can choose the areas of law you are able to
assist in and can still evaluate the case to determine acceptance based on availability and client fit.”
— Olivia K. Smith, Esq., Cornetet, Meyer, Rush & Spillane
Pro Seniors Board Member & HRAP Panelist
Pro Seniors is proud to celebrate its 50th anniversary and
rich history of advocating for the dignity and rights of older
adults, particularly those with limited incomes or who
are most vulnerable. Originally established as a non-profit law
firm in 1975, Pro Seniors’ mission expanded over time to include
the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program for Southwest Ohio
(advocates for residents of long-term care) and the Ohio Senior
Medicare Patrol Program (providing statewide education and
support to prevent and report Medicare fraud, scams and iden-
tity theft).
Funding for legal aid services is dramatically insufficient to
meet the needs of the most vulnerable members of our commu-
nities. The Legal Service Corporation’s 2022 Justice Gap Report
shared the sobering fact that low-income older adults did not
receive any or enough legal help for 91% of their civil legal prob-
lems. Pro Seniors strives to leverage available resources, including
2024 LEGAL PROGRAM
IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS
13,281
Legal Helpline
appointments
8,383
legal matters
handled
893
Veteran clients
assisted
5,060
clients with a
disability helped
are confronted with an issue impacting their health, housing,
or financial stability. Helpline attorneys help clients understand
their rights, options, and plan next steps. The Helpline collab-
orates with our team of in-house staff attorneys and legal aid
attorneys throughout the state to refer clients who require addi-
tional assistance. Where referral to legal aid is not possible, we
attempt to refer the matter to a private attorney on our referral
panel. Currently we have a critical shortage of private attorneys
to whom we can refer these matters.
Help Bridge the Justice Gap – Join Pro Seniors’
Helpline Referral Attorney Panel
Every year Pro Seniors makes more than 1,000 referrals to
private attorneys enrolled in our referral service. Due to a crit-
ical shortage of referral attorneys, we are unable to connect many
clients with the further legal help they so desperately need. You
can make a difference in the lives of these older adults by joining
the referral panel. Perks of our panel include:
•
Ohio Supreme Court approved with no membership fee
•
Referrals in a wide range of civil legal areas
•
All referrals are vetted by an attorney
•
Pro bono, reduced, contingent and full-fee referrals are avail-
able based on this client’s income. Attorneys are encouraged,
but not required, to accept reduced-fee and pro bono referrals.
For more information or to register for the panel,
scan the QR code.
collaborations with other legal aids and private attorneys, to reach
more older adults in need of legal help.
The cornerstone of Pro Seniors’ legal program is our no-cost
statewide telephone Legal Helpline, which provides informa-
tion and advice on any civil legal issue to all Ohioans aged 60
or over. For many older Ohioans with modest and low incomes,
the Legal Helpline is their sole means to access help when they
THE REPORT | May/June 2025 | CincyBar.org Dimity V. Orlet, J.D., Executive Director, Pro Seniors
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