Southeastern Ohio Legal Services (SEOLS) has learned that volunteer lawyer Doug Rogers has been chosen to receive the American Bar Association Business Law Section’s 2010 National Public Service Award. The award will be presented at the Section’s spring meeting, set for April 22-24, in Denver.
The award, created in 1994, is part of the Section’s pro bono efforts and recognizes significant pro bono legal services that demonstrate a commitment to providing services to the poor in a business context. It also emphasizes the achievements resulting from the public service work, for the clients and the client groups represented.
Doug Rogers retired from the Columbus firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, and served as Deputy Disability Director for the 2008 Obama Presidential Campaign prior to joining SEOLS as a volunteer attorney. He also worked as a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, a Director for Ohio Legal Rights Service, and as Executive Director for the Legal Aid Society of Columbus, among other professional accomplishments.
Attorney Rogers was nominated for the award by SEOLS staff attorney Peggy Lee, who described his work as a volunteer attorney assisting advocates with foreclosure defense cases and the related legal issues affecting homeowners nationwide. Rogers’ training and lengthy experience as a business lawyer enables him to support legal aid lawyers, and pro bono volunteers, in foreclosure cases involving complex mortgage loan agreements and electronic discovery rules. “His work has been a lifesaver for many advocates who simply would not otherwise have been able to address all issues in their clients’ foreclosure cases due to time constraints or lesser experience, or both,” she wrote. “There is no question that Mr. Rogers has been a driving force behind the development and growth of the foreclosure defense work being done through Southeastern Ohio Legal Services’ case handlers and project members.”