Game Changer John Petit

John Petit won a case. He successfully defended a client accused of domestic violence but felt sorry the plaintiff didn’t have better representation.

“It was sad people that don’t have means don’t have the same access to justice,” he says. “If I ever had the opportunity to represent folks like that, I would do that and help train lawyers to be better.”

Petit had it all at that point in the early 2000s: a nice house, two Mustangs, a nearly six-figure income. But being a lawyer felt like it was more about generating billable hours than helping people. In search of fulfillment, he radically quit his job, sold everything and joined the Jesuits. Over his two-year introduction on a Detroit province campus, he made $30 a month doing a law-on-wheels program and advising homeless in Cleveland.

While Petit didn’t take the vow into priesthood, he discovered how to make law meaningful: community outreach. He took a job at Community Legal Aid, and after more than 13 years, he is a managing attorney overseeing the consumer and housing teams and training young lawyers. The 51-year-old takes on cases and does legal outreach for those dealing with opioid addiction at CommQuest in Stark County and prison reentry at the Front Porch Cafe in Akron.

He represents the working poor who are one crisis away from losing their house, car or everything else.

“People forget that a lot of us have built-in safety nets,” says Petit. “The people we serve often don’t have those safety nets and need help; otherwise they could lose stability.”

At his Canton home, Petit extends that compassion to his rescue dogs, two greyhounds and a rottweiler he calls a “big baby.” He doesn’t miss his affluent lifestyle but admits he still loves Mustangs. The first thing he did after leaving simplified Jesuit living was buy a Mustang on credit.

Finally, he’s found his calling. Petit has helped people through almost 9,000 Legal Aid cases, including several victims of domestic violence. Currently, he’s advocating for racial justice to increase equity in housing — a big issue in Canton.

“If we don’t help them, nobody will,” Petit says. “You feel a sense of responsibility and appreciation that you can have a major impact.”