The Ohio State Bar Association welcomes new team members to build on efforts to expand access to attorneys and protect the public

The Ohio State Bar Association (Ohio Bar) recently expanded its talent pool by increasing efforts to address Ohio’s attorney shortage, particularly in rural communities, and remains committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in the practice law by investigating and retaining responsible attorneys and judges when they fail to meet these standards.

Attorney Amy Milam has joined the Ohio Bar team as a national and general practice attorney, and attorney Christopher Klasa has joined as a bar attorney.

Milam is no stranger to mission-driven associations like the Ohio Bar. Most recently, he was associate state director of advocacy and outreach for AARP Ohio and former director of legal education and member engagement for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. In each of these roles, she worked to advance public policy at the state and federal levels through education, increasing awareness and building strategic community partnerships.

This experience will serve Milam well as she leads the Ohio Bar’s efforts to encourage more attorneys to practice in underserved communities, inspire more young people to pursue careers in the legal profession, and provide support to Ohio’s solo, small firms, and primary care physicians so they have the practice resources they need to best serve their clients and help close the legal services gap in their communities.

Currently, 82 of the 88 provinces do not have enough lawyers to meet the legal needs of the population. That includes Pike County, where Milam grew up. She went on to receive her bachelor’s degree with honors in communication studies from Ohio University, and her JD from Capital University Law School. She began her legal career in private practice, which allowed her to bring that important perspective to her new role.

“Ensuring that all Ohioans have access to quality legal services has become a major challenge because we are not producing enough new attorneys to make up for those nearing retirement and younger attorneys are more likely to continue practicing in our cities practice,” said Mary Amos Augsburger, CEO of the Ohio Bar. said. “Amy is someone who has lived in a rural community, practiced privately and has a strong track record of bringing together key stakeholders to solve problems, and we are more than excited to put her to work to tackle this problem to catch.”

Klasa will serve as a member and staff counsel of the Ohio Bar’s Certified Grievance and Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL) Committees. Each division consists of attorneys who are members of the Ohio Bar and who review complaints, investigate and, if necessary, prosecute attorney misconduct or criminal investigations, as well as cases against individuals who provide legal advice even though they are not licensed or trained to do so. Through both efforts, the Ohio Bar works to protect the public in close collaboration with the Ohio Supreme Court through the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, the Board of Professional Conduct and the UPL Committee.

Klasa comes to the Ohio Bar from the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, where he spent the past four years as an attorney leading similar efforts. At the Ohio Bar, as in Cleveland, he will also educate and develop resources for Ohio Bar members to keep them abreast of the latest developments in legal ethics.

Before joining the bar, Klasa spent 16 years as a trial attorney at respected Cleveland firms, including Thomason Hine LLP and McCarthy, Lebit, Crystal & Liffman Co. LPA. He received both his bachelor’s degree cum laude and his JD from Cleveland State University. And even before he became a lawyer, he cut his teeth in law firms as a paralegal and docket clerk.

“Chris is a great addition to the Ohio Bar team as we continue to do our part to maintain the highest standards in legal ethics,” said Augsburger. “Chris is ideally suited to support and lead our volunteer lawyers on the Grievance and UPL Committees, and to provide excellent counsel and resources to help our members maintain professional standards and avoid ethical pitfalls.”

Klasa is currently working with Kelly Heile, the association’s current Bar Counsel, who will leave at the end of the year following her expected election to the Butler County Court of Common Pleas. She runs unopposed.

About the Ohio State Bar Association: Founded in 1880, the Ohio Bar Association is the state’s largest legal network, representing attorneys, judges, legal professionals and law students committed to the highest standards in the practice of law. The Ohio Bar is proud to serve its members and the public through its ongoing efforts to promote justice and advance the legal profession.

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