“One of his biggest strengths has been his ability to develop trust,” said Hall. “Ellis’s clients trust him and respect him, and that goes such a long way when you’re working with someone on issues that may take years to resolve.”
In 2003, Ellis represented a Jefferson Twp. neighborhood group, and helped local residents mount a campaign to stop embattled chemical plant Perma-Fix, now owned by Valicor, for accepting up to 900,000 gallons of neutralized VX nerve agent for treatment and disposal. The Dayton Daily News reported at the time that the nerve agent was to then be discharged into the Montgomery County sewer system.
“What could go wrong?” Ellis recalled of the situation.
The citizen campaign subsequently resulted in the U.S. Army canceling its contract with PermaFix, and a court ordered a consent decree with the company in 2007. PermaFix was later sued again for violations of the Clean Air Act, which affected the same community.
“It was my honor to represent them,” Jacobs said. “We filed a federal lawsuit, we did some other things, but basically, it was the community getting organized to stop this terrible idea.”
Another major environmental case was representing the people of North Dayton regarding the Valleycrest Landfill site, which ultimately resulted in a $35 million cleanup of oil, solvents, scrap paint, lampblack, asbestos and sewage, spearheaded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
It wasn’t just legal work that accomplished those victories for Daytonians, Jacobs said, but also local residents banding together to stop environmental abuses.
“The thing I always tried to do is couple what you can accomplish in the civil justice system with what communities of people can do when they organize themselves,” he said. “It’s leveraging those two things against each other that gets stuff done.”
Jacobs’ work representing residents on the West side of Dayton led to a federal investigation of the closure of Good Samaritan Hospital, a move critics said disproportionately jeopardized the health and safety of West side communities of color. Though the federal investigation ultimately did not find discrimination, the case led to other health care options opening up in the neighborhood.
“I don’t think that would have happened, but for this complaint, and the advocacy that Ellis led to address this for our client communities,” Hall said. “(Jacobs) has been involved in many major cases that really shone a light on some of the ways that our policies, laws and systems have marginalized and disenfranchised low income people, people of color, people with disabilities, and really highlighted their needs and the importance of protecting their rights.”
Jacobs also spent part of his career fighting bills that would restrict Ohioans’ right to vote.
Jacobs’ advice for young and rising lawyers? Find your reason why.
“There are a bunch of lawyers that take a grab bag of things, and in fact, do spend part of their career helping the powerless, and that’s to be admired and encouraged,” Jacobs said. “You shouldn’t do it because one of your relatives is a lawyer, or somebody you admire as a lawyer. You should do it because you want to do the work, and there’s something you want to accomplish on behalf of clients.”
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