Whatever happened to the Ohio Lawyers Give Back initiative that astonished 34 local nonprofits by handing out checks totaling $14 million last summer?

BY: Margaret Bernstein
PUBLISHED BY: Cleveland Plain Dealer

They're still playing the role of fairy godmother, having doled out nearly $500,000 to Ohio charities since being spotlighted last June in The Plain Dealer.

Being chosen is a "very pinch-me" experience, said Ginny Suhr of St. Malachi Center, who quickly applied to receive money last year after hearing about the June giveaways. "It seemed like such a long shot,"she said. "And one day, someone calls and says, 'We just want to give you a gift because you do a wonderful job.' It's a beautiful thing."

St. Malachi, on Cleveland's near West Side, received $20,000 in November to help pay for projects like its after-school care for children, showers for the homeless, and family-readiness and job-readiness programs.

The "Give Back" effort, founded by lawyers at Dworken & Bernstein, a law firm with Cleveland and Painesville offices, takes unclaimed funds from class-action lawsuits and redirects them to charitable groups.

Its $14 million payout was its biggest success so far, won in a class-action suit brought against Grange Mutual Insurance Co. on behalf of overcharged Ohio policyholders. Lawyers on both sides agreed to take settlement money earmarked for class members who couldn't be located and to share it with a wide range of Ohio charities instead.

The money went to Ohioans because the injured class in the lawsuit was overcharged Ohio policyholders.

Since last summer, the organization has divided another $480,000 among a variety of Ohio charities including Christ Child Society, Akron Children's Hospital and Lorain County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services.

The lawyers' initiative is a great source of hope and help for nonprofits trying to survive in a gloomy economy, said Howard Rabb, administrative partner at Dworken & Bernstein. "We're really hearing from a lot of charities that are in need."

Patrick Perotti of the Lawyers Give Back group said he is eager to spread the word to other lawyers and judges that the legal doctrine can be used effectively to channel unclaimed funds to deserving charities. If used more often during class-action settlements, it could free up millions of dollars annually to help community groups, he said.

Nonprofits wishing to receive money from future settlements can fill out an online application at ohiolawyersgiveback.com.

-- Margaret Bernstein

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