Get to Know Us
The GDVLP is a pro bono program created in 1988. We are located at the Dayton Bar Association and are supported by Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO). We serve as a complement to Legal Aid by registering private attorneys to provide pro bono legal services in civil case areas. The VLP does no criminal work.
If you are not familiar with VLP and your first contact with us is online, we would be pleased to help you. If you are a member of the Legal community please click on the Attorney Registration if you wish to sign up to help.
Looking for legal help? You must contact http://www.legalaidline.org/ and apply for assistance. Legal Aid Line can also be reached at 1-888-534-1432. Legal Aid Line does all intake for VLP.
Staff
Meet The Team
Summer Hawks
Executive Director
Summer Hawks joined the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project in February of 2022 as its third Executive Director. A graduate of Washington & Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Virginia, Summer's prior experience includes five years as a Senior Consultant at LexisNexis and 10 years with WilmerHale as a Discovery Attorney and Legal Project Manager. When she isn't serving the Dayton community through the GDVLP, Summer serves the Kettering community through her role as a board member for the Kettering Backpack Program and as ED of Kettering Clean Care. In her free time, Summer enjoys travel all over the world and walks with her husband and rescue dog, MooMoo!
Tricia Griffieth
Paralegal
Tricia Griffieth, our Domestic Relations specialist since March of 2022, graduated from Edison State Community College with her paralegal degree in 1999. She earned her Bachelor of Organizational Management in 2005 and went on to obtain her MBA in business administration in May, 2021 - both from Bluffton University. Tricia is responsible for all divorce clinics and placements coming through the GDVLP. She is the right hand to the volunteer divorce attorneys, while traveling to the various counties we serve. In her spare time, she enjoys playing with her four-legged baby, Apollo, and working on the various projects around her home. Tricia is also involved with medical mission trips to Belize every January.
Hope Becker
Paralegal
Hope Becker is a 2022 graduate from the Sinclair Community College with a Paralegal degree. She leads the Criminal Record Sealing and Family Law programs for the GDVLP. Hope is thrilled to start her career in public interest work as she has a passion for aiding those in need, especially families dealing with domestic violence. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and traveling with her new furry four-legged friend Koda. She also enjoys spending time with her parents and enjoying evenings with friends.
Rachel Thompson
Paralegal
Rachel Thompson is a graduate of Bluffton University and the paralegal program at Edison State Community College. Rachel handles the bankruptcy, debt collection, and landlord tenant clinics. She joined the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project in July of 2021 and has over 20 years of experience as a paralegal in the areas of bankruptcy and collections. In her spare time she enjoys volunteering with her church and spending time with her family and friends.
Heather Kujawa Creager is the newest addition to the GDVLP Team. She is a Legal Assistant who is leading a new program focused on growing our outreach for wills, estates, advanced directives, probate, and twisted titles programs. Heather brings a positive outlook and dedication to assisting anyone needing it. She spends her free time on adventures with her family and four legged friends.
Research shows that 40% of low-income households will face at least one legal issue each year; yet, there is only one legal aid attorney for every 6,415 low-income individuals. We need the pro bono involvement of local attorneys in order to meet this great need.