The Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law has announced two new programs within the college’s clinical offerings that will further assist individuals in Allen and Hardin counties.

In conjunction with former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton’s efforts to provide better protection for service members and veterans before the courts of Ohio, the ONU Legal Clinic has revised its service priorities to place service personnel and veterans at the top of its intake list.

ONU law students also are joining forces with Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LaWO) in Lima, Ohio, and the Domestic Relations Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Allen County to assist in incoming cases.

During the January intersession term, ONU students will volunteer 30 hours of time to conduct intake interviews of persons seeking various domestic relations orders and prepare the appropriate paperwork. Bruce French, interim director of clinical programs and professor of law, will supervise these students and the subsequent court proceedings. Students will receive recognition on their transcripts with a notation of Pro Bono Service.

The ONU College of Law manages an in-house civil and transaction clinic in Lima for persons of limited income, with an emphasis on domestic relations, general civil practice, and representation of nonprofit organizations that serve Allen and Hardin counties.