The Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, its board and staff, honor the memory of long time Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer, who died unexpectedly April 2, 2010.
Throughout his tenure, Chief Justice Moyer supported robust funding for the delivery of legal services to those in Ohio who cannot afford to pay for a lawyer. He also reiterated often the message found in the Supreme Court’s Statement Regarding the Provision of Pro Bono Legal Services by Ohio Lawyers, that lawyers ensure access to justice for all by participating in pro bono activities.
His calls to service were accompanied by generous expressions of gratitude for the pro bono work he saw, noticed and thanked publicly. In the fall of 2009, Chief Justice Moyer served with U. S. District Court Judge Walter Rice as honorary state co-chairs for the first National Pro Bono Celebration. At the Pro Bono Convention which opened events in Ohio, Chief Justice Moyer said to attendees, “Your participation is emblematic of the value you place on the ideal of service to others. You recognize that attorneys have a special responsibility to ensure that those without power, without the means to pay for legal services, have access to courts and the legal process.”
“I first got to know Chief Justice Moyer in the early 1990’s, when we worked together on the Implementation Committee that led to the founding of The Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation,” said Robert M. Clyde, OLAF’s Senior Counsel and Director of Government Relations. “The Chief was really invested in access to justice; he understood it and was committed to it. We’ve truly lost one of Ohio’s giants in the fight for access to justice.”
Julie A. Davis, President of OLAF’s Board of Trustees, said of Chief Justice Moyer, “The Chief Justice was a compassionate and staunch supporter of legal services and justice for the poor in Ohio, and we will honor his memory with our tribute and by continuing to support legal services and pro bono service by Ohio attorneys to achieve his ideal of justice and fairness.”
Joseph R. Tafelski, Executive Director of Advocates for Basic Equality (ABLE), recalled that, “Chief Justice Moyer was a really strong supporter of legal services and pro bono, but many other court programs that he supported, such as technology, diversity initiatives, mediation and interpreter services, have also had a positive impact on legal aid clients.”
Frederick L. Oremus, Emeritus Board President, remembered Chief Justice Moyer as a, “tireless advocate for pro bono services and the responsibility of every lawyer to contribute to meeting the civil legal needs of Ohio’s poor people. While we have lost a great friend, Tom Moyer’s legacy will serve as a shining example to those that follow him of the importance of the cause of pro bono services.”