Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO) lawyer Valerie Hendrickson comes from a long line of attorneys. Her great-great-grandfather established a practice in her hometown of East Liverpool, Ohio. Her grandfather continued to run that practice until he retired at age 90. Her father and uncle are both attorneys. Now, Hendrickson has followed in their footsteps, proudly serving rural Ohioans out of LASCO’s Newark office.
A staunch advocate for rural Ohioans and the communities they call home, Hendrickson can’t imagine practicing anywhere else.
“One of the really cool things about working in rural Ohio is the strong sense of community,” she said. “There’s a sense of solidarity, a shared understanding that you’ve got to stick together.”
Hendrickson is a general practitioner, focusing her efforts on helping Ohioans navigate civil legal problems related to housing, income preservation, and family matters. While many of her rural legal aid clients face similar challenges to low-income Ohioans in urban parts of the state, some situations are unique to rural areas, like a lack of access to high-speed internet, fewer opportunities for social services, and a dearth of accessible public transportation.
“Transit options are hard to access and very limited,” she said. “People are spread out, and it’s difficult to get from place to place. If you’re relying on your cell phone for internet, that’s not reliable, but it’s hard to get to the library because it’s two towns over and you don’t have a car — just staying connected and being able to get the things you need is a huge challenge.”
While the number of private attorneys practicing in rural Ohio has declined due to retiring lawyers and other trends, the presence of legal aid remains crucial to ensuring rural low-income Ohioans can access the legal system. The Foundation is proud to fund legal services that address the rural attorney shortage and build better communities for rural residents.
Hendrickson sees her role as an integral part of the communities she serves. She is emphatic that although there are challenges, practicing in rural Ohio is a privilege and an honor.
“A lot of my clients are in rural Ohio because they love where they’re from,” she said. “They have other options, but the point isn’t to cut loose and go where it’s better. The point is to make it better here.”
The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation is the largest funder of civil legal services in Ohio. A gift to the Foundation supports legal aid’s work.