October 23, 2024 / Press Release

Barry Kiser honored with 2024 Pro Bono Impact Award

Porter Wright is proud to announce that paralegal Barry Kiser has been honored by Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO) with the 2024 Pro Bono Impact Award. For more than a decade, Barry has been a steadfast and invaluable contributor to LASCO’s pro bono clinics, providing crucial support to the community through his work at brief advice clinics and at wills clinics in partnership with the Paralegal Association of Central Ohio.

"Barry’s unwavering dedication to pro bono work over the past decade, alongside his 28 years at Porter Wright, has made a profound impact on both our community and our firm,” shares Bob Tannous, managing partner at Porter Wright. “His commitment to helping others embodies the true meaning of service as he approaches every client with respect, empathy and a genuine desire to improve their lives. We are incredibly proud of Barry for receiving this year’s Pro Bono Impact Award, and we’re thankful to have him as part of our firm."

For Barry, the most rewarding aspect of his work is the satisfaction of helping someone improve their life. Whether assisting clients at a clinic or simply being a compassionate listener, he finds deep fulfillment in supporting clients on their journey. He values the collective experience of volunteering – witnessing the gratitude of those he helps and collaborating with fellow volunteers to foster a positive, supportive community.

Barry’s dedication to pro bono work is both an inspiration to others and a powerful reminder of the meaningful difference legal professionals can make in the lives of those seeking justice.

LASCO provides civil legal services in 36 Ohio counties and is committed to searching out the patterns, causes of and solutions to the repetitive and fundamental legal problems facing low-income Ohioans and pursuing the legal recourse needed to address those problems. Since 1966, LASCO has helped thousands of Ohio’s poor obtain and keep housing, secure public benefits, worked with families to gain and maintain economic stability and helped domestic violence survivors to live free of fear and abuse and to obtain the resources needed to sustain themselves and their children.