Southeastern Ohio Legal Services (SEOLS), an Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation-funded legal aid serving 30 counties in east and southeast Ohio, has announced that three of its offices are closing, effective January 31, 2014.
The offices that are closing are located in Lancaster, Marietta and Zanesville. Residents of counties served by those offices will be directed for help to one of the six remaining SEOLS offices.
The closings come as the result of significant reductions in funding by the Foundation and by the federal Legal Services Corporation. According to SEOLS, combined reductions in funding from these sources have resulted in a 40 percent loss of funding for SEOLS since 2008.
“These office closures are devastating,” said Angela M. Lloyd, executive director for the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, Ohio’s largest single funder for civil legal aid. “The promise of ‘justice for all’ means everyone must get a fair shake from the justice system, not just those who can afford to hire an attorney. We must do more to ensure our legal aids have all the resources necessary to meet this challenge.”
“I know the dedicated lawyers and staff at SEOLS will continue to do all they can to solve critical, life changing legal problems for the people of Southeast Ohio,” Lloyd said.
The SEOLS Lancaster office serves Fairfield and Hocking counties. The Marietta office serves Washington, Morgan, Monroe, and Noble counties. The Zanesville office serves Muskingum, Guernsey, and Perry counties.
Current clients of the offices that are closing will continue to have a SEOLS lawyer for their attorney. Telephone requests for legal help from residents of the affected counties will be routed to another office beginning on January 6. Those seeking legal help may also request assistance through the “Request for Services Online” page on the SEOLS website, www.seols.org .