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Ohio Access to Justice Foundation recognizes legal aid atty
Community Legal Aid lawyer Wayne Sarna received the Denis J. Murphy Award from the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation on Dec. 6, 2023. The award was presented to Sarna, a staff attorney in Youngstown, by foundation board member Bill Dowling. Sarna is pictured on the left holding the award. (Photo courtesy of Wayne Sarna).
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: February 15, 2024
During his decades-long career Mahoning County attorney Wayne Sarna has helped thousands of low-income Ohioans resolve their civil legal challenges.
“I became a lawyer because I wanted to help people overcome situations that were creating turmoil in their lives,” said Sarna, a staff attorney for Community Legal Aid in Youngstown.
“I wanted to represent clients that had their backs to the wall by creditors that were forcing them to pay when they had no means to pay.
“If someone is facing foreclosure or debt collection actions related to credit cards or car loans it can hurt the entire family,” said Sarna. “My goal is to give clients the best possible chance to get through their struggles so they can get their lives back on track.”
In fact over the past 20 years, Sarna has assisted 3,100 clients in discharging $85 million of debt through bankruptcy. He has also defended clients against credit card and auto loan deficiency lawsuits and foreclosures.
Additionally, Sarna played an important role in discovering and investigating consumer fraud schemes and worked to address the disparate impact that court debt has on low-income Ohioans and people of color.
“I forced debt collectors to prove their cases, which resulted in many positive outcomes for my clients,” said Sarna.
“When the U.S. Department of Education adopted a new procedure to address the enormous amount of student loan debt in November 2022, I began pursuing the discharge of student loan debt in bankruptcy cases through the Department of Education and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
“I obtained discharges in many of these cases that erased the debt for many of my clients. I still have many cases pending in court.”
In recognition of Sarna’s years-long efforts on behalf of legal aid clients, last year the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation (formerly known as the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation) presented him with the Denis J. Murphy Award.
Sarna received the award on Dec. 6, 2023 during the foundation’s quarterly board meeting, which took place at Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown.
“I was very humbled and honored when I received the call informing me that I had been chosen,” said Sarna. “I do what I do because I enjoy helping people and it means so much to me to be recognized.”
Ohio Access to Justice Foundation board member Bill Dowling presented him with the accolade.
“Wayne did an incredible amount of good work for his clients and he did it the old-fashioned way––through sheer hard work,” said Dowling, a mediator in northeast Ohio. “It was not unusual for Wayne to be sending emails on cases at 5 a.m. or 10 at night. He did whatever his cases required and he often worked without recognition.
“It is easy for all of us to spout platitudes about the need for lawyers for poor people, but it is legal aid lawyers who are the true heroes,” said Dowling. “They do the hard work in the trenches, representing clients who cannot pay a fee and often changing their lives. We owe them a debt of gratitude.”
In a press release Community Legal Aid Executive Director Steven McGarrity stated, “Wayne doesn’t care to be in the spotlight, but I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this honor. His dedication, determination and compassionate spirit are an inspiration and set a high standard for us all.”
Born in Youngstown, Sarna grew up in New Middletown, Ohio. He received his bachelor’s degree in applied science from Youngstown State University and earned his juris doctorate from the institution now known as Cleveland State University College of Law in 1982.
Sarna began his career at Northeast Ohio Legal Services in 1983 (now Community Legal Aid) in Youngstown.
In 1985, he became a staff attorney at UAW-GM Legal Services Plan. Sarna represented General Motors employees in a variety of consumer law matters involving debt, foreclosure and bankruptcy.
Sarna returned to legal aid in 2000 where he continues to be a staff attorney.
A member of the Mahoning County Bar Association, Sarna continues to serve on the bankruptcy committee, which he has done for many years.
Sarna is also a member of the Ohio State and American bar associations and is an Ellsworth Township zoning inspector.
A resident of North Jackson, Sarna and his wife have one son and two grandchildren.
“For over four decades, I have remained an essential part of the northeast Ohio community, assisting both low- and middle-income clients in overcoming their economic struggles and the challenges of everyday life,” said Sarna.
“I plan to continue those efforts, which I started back in the early 1980s.”