Author: Joan Bellistri

Law Library Director for the Anne Arundel County Public Law Library

Categories
lawlibrary Maryland Law

New Maryland Laws Effective October 1, 2025

New Maryland laws took effect on October 1, 2025!  To find out about the laws resulting from the 2025 session, check out this list of new laws on the General Assembly of Maryland website. In addition, by using the link for specific legislation, you can view documents at the “Witness List” link for each bill that argue for and against that legislation. To view the recorded testimony, look for the video icon. Another source for a full listing of new laws effective October 1, 2025, is the List of Laws effective on October 1, 2025, published by the Department of Legislative Services (DLS).

The 90 Day Report – A Review of the 2025 Session published by the Department of Legislative Services of the General Assembly of Maryland provides a great overview and discussion of laws passed during the 2025 legislative session as does this Maryland State Bar Association summary of new laws of interest to its members.

Categories
lawlibrary Pro Bono

AABA President’s Pro Bono Award

Jack Paltell, a Lawyer in the Library volunteer, received the Anne Arundel Bar Association President’s Pro Bono Award from AABA president, Laura Burnett, at the AABA Annual Meeting on June 9, 2025. Jack has been a dedicated volunteer for the Lawyer in the Library program since its inception. He participated in the pilot program during Law Week in 2009 and has faithfully served as the Lawyer in the Library on the first Wednesday of every month since January 2010. 

Jack Paltell receiving Pro Bono Award from AABA President, Laura Burnell

Jack’s unwavering dedication over more than a decade has been instrumental in sustaining the Lawyer in the Library program. Clients who have sought help through the program consistently express their appreciation for Jack’s compassion, patience, and good humor. His ability to connect with individuals in need and provide clear, thoughtful guidance has made a meaningful difference in the lives of many Anne Arundel County residents. 

The Ask a Lawyer in the Library program is a civil, non-family law, brief legal advice program held every Wednesday, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The program is sponsored by the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service.  hosted by the Anne Arundel County Public Library and coordinated by the Anne Arundel County Public Law Library.  There is online registration for 20-minute sessions with a volunteer attorney. All sessions are held remotely via Zoom videoconferencing or phone. More information can be found here.  

Ten attorneys assisted 128 clients in FY2025 providing a total of 70 pro bono hours.  Steve Migdal and Jack Paltell provided the most hours last year – 26 hours for Steve and 16 hours for Jack. 

Attorneys assisted with a wide range of legal issues including wills, probate, power of attorney, employment, housing, foreclosure, debt neighbor disputes and administrative appeals. 

The following attorneys volunteered as Lawyers in the Library last year: 

Cliff O’Connor Jack Paltell 
Jennifer Jones Jennifer Henriquez 
Jerry (Jay) Williams John Lynch 
Michael Von Sas Patrice Clarke 
Saul McCormick Steve Migdal 

The law library is very appreciative of the time they have given to this program. 

Anne Arundel County attorneys are encouraged to volunteer for the Lawyer in the Library program by contacting the law library at 410-222-1387 or AALawLibrarian@mdcourts.gov. 

Other pro bono opportunities include the following: 

  • Anne Arundel Community College Legal Self-Help Clinic Held weekly on Monday from 5-7 p.m. and on Tuesday 2-4 p.m. (Closes when AACC is not in session – reopens 8/15/2025.) Careers Center, Room 173, Anne Arundel Community College, 101 College Parkway, Arnold, MD 21012 . Contact Lonni Kyhos Summers @ 410-777-2936 or LKSummers@aacc.edu 
  • Family Law Skills and Study Group – Take a pro bono family law case and meet with the group to learn more and exchange ideas with experienced family law attorney mentors.  Contact: Tasnima Apol at tapol@apollaw.com  
  • YWCA Legal Services:  Intimate partner protective order petition cases in Anne Arundel County, serving in both the District and Circuit Courts - volunteer in the legal department or as an advocate. Contact:  410-626-7800.  
Categories
Maryland Law

New Maryland Laws Take Effect on October 1, 2024

New Maryland laws take effect on October 1, 2024!  To find out about the laws resulting from the 2024 session, check out this list of new laws on the General Assembly of Maryland website. In addition, by visiting the link for specific legislation, you can view documents at the “Witness List” link for each bill that argue for and against that legislation. To view the recorded testimony, look for the video icon. Another source for a full listing of new laws effective October 1, 2024, is the List of Laws effective on October 1, 2024, published by the Department of Legislative Services (DLS).

The 90 Day Report – A Review of the 2024 Session published by the Department of Legislative Services of the General Assembly of Maryland provides a great overview and discussion of laws passed during the 2024 legislative session.

Categories
Access to Justice lawlibrary

National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) Offers Free Practice Aids

A recent email from NCLC cites to their article entitled, Hundreds of Free Practice Aids on the NCLC Digital Library, stating that [the] “NCLC Digital Library contains a massive amount of free consumer law practice aids, in addition to the 21 NCLC treatises requiring a subscription. This article describes twelve available types of free resources, including free access to Surviving Debt, the Federal Practice Manual for Legal Aid Attorneys, a student loan toolkit, eleven consumer law practice checklists, and 21 chapters and over 70 appendices from NCLC treatises.”

See more about these resources here. The law library’s subscription includes the print and online access to the full NCLC library.

Categories
lawlibrary

What’s new …

New editions are on the shelf in the Anne Arundel County Public law Library.

From the MSBA (Maryland State Bar Association) The following titles are also available on Lexis here in the law library:

KFM1783.M3 2024

This new edition of the Maryland Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions includes new instructions and revisions to the current instructions.

KFM1344.1 .W68 2024

“The book contains dozens of forms, from sample clauses that provide the practitioner with options to consider when drafting discrete provisions (such as those necessary to define and limit classes of beneficiaries or name guardians and trustees), to full renditions of different types of wills. “

Published by NBI (National Business Institute):

KFM1738.M3 2024

“Hearing what acting judges prefer to see in their courtrooms to make the gears of justice move more smoothly is invaluable to every attorney: veteran and novice alike.”

KFM1344.1.G69 2024

This publication includes forms for wills and trusts.

From NCLC (National Consumer Law Center). All of the NCCL titles are also available online in the law library in the NCLC Digital Library.

SELF HELP NCLC KF695.P59 2024

SELF HELP NCLC KF8896.R67 2024

SELF HELP NCLC KF2094.A33 2024

Published by the Office of the Maryland Attorney General:

KFM1662.6.A25 C8 2023

This publication is also available on the website of the Maryland Attorney General here.

Categories
lawlibrary Legal Technology

Maryland Judiciary’s Case Search Has a New Look

Maryland Judiciary ‘s Case Search is an online service that allows users to view what has been filed in Maryland courts. Case Search does not provide access to the actual documents which can only be accessed in a courthouse using a public MDEC kiosk. A new interface for Case Search was introduced on February 5, 2024. Please see the Press Release of January 17, 2024

The interface is now more straight forward and easier to read. The “new” Case Search still requires that users read and agree with the disclaimer.

After agreeing, the first option is to search by case number:

There is also an option to search by party name:

To search using other criteria such a county, court, party type or case type there is an Advanced Search option.

Access Case Search here. If you need assistance with searching, please contact the law library.

Categories
lawlibrary

New Year – New Law Library – Same Great Service

Did you know that the law library has moved not once but twice in the last three years? The law library is now in a great new space right inside the front door of the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court – right after security.  (Room 301 – the old jury office.)

  • From the old
  • to the new …

The law library moved to the AABA Lawyers’ Lounge in September 2020. (The law library space was needed for the social distancing of jurors.) This was a much smaller space with only four workspaces and computers. It was also difficult to find. Still, with COVID limiting access to the courthouse and then having such a small space, the law library could offer access to the same services as before:

  • Research assistance
  • Online legal research databases including Lexis and Westlaw
  • Legal research training and instruction
  • Online query formulation
  • Research co-browsing
  • Document delivery
  • Technology and MDEC assistance
  • Pro bono coordination
  • Circulation of legal texts and treatises

The law library had converted much of the United States resources to a digital format with a plan to gradually acclimate library users to more reliance on online.  With COVID, the plan was accelerated. Luckily, Lexis and Westlaw already provided access to just about all the material once held in print. Use of online resources does make it easy to email information and even provide co-browsing research sessions with results sent via email.

The Maryland collection is still available in print and superseded codes have also been retained for historic research.  Use the catalog to see what is in the collection whether print or digital: https://a94031.eos-intl.net/A94031/OPAC/

The law library now provides a variety of workspaces, 13 computers with access to legal research databases and Microsoft office, a Maryland print collection and a small conference room equipped with videoconferencing capability. It is a great space to visit for legal research, client consults, document preparation and copies. But if you are not in the courthouse, just call (410-222-1387) or email (AALawLibrarian@mdcourts.gov) and take advantage of library services wherever you are.

Categories
Holiday lawlibrary

Law Library will be closed for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

The Law Library and the Family Court Help Center in the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court will be closed on January 15, 2024, in observance of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. An article describing how this holiday came to be from the National Museum of African American History & Culture and be found here.

The Law Library will reopen on January 16, 2024.  A list of Court Holidays is available on the Circuit Court’s website at http://www.circuitcourt.org/court-holidays. Except on Court Holidays, the Library is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Categories
lawlibrary

What’s new …

Library titles have been updated with a new edition or supplement.

From Thomson Reuters (West):

Maryland Workers’ Compensation: KFM1542 .S63

Civil Procedure Forms: KFM1730 .A65 L5

Maryland Litigation Forms and Analysis: KFM1730 .A65 M372

Trial Handbook for Maryland Lawyers: KFM1738 .S74

All of the above can also be found on Westlaw using library computers.

From LexisNexis:

Maryland Environmental Law: KFM1554 .A15

Guide to Maryland Zoning Decisions: KFM1658 .A59 A25

Maryland Criminal Jury Instructions and Commentary: KFM1783 .A92

See Lexis for online access to these titles on any library computer.

From the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC):

Student Loan Law SELF HELP NCLC KF4235 .L66 2023

Mortgage Servicing and Loan Modification SELF HELP NCLC KF697.F6 2023

Truth in Lending SELF HELP NCLC KF1040.T46 2023

All NCLC titles are included in the NCLC Digital Library available on all library computers.

Categories
lawlibrary

New Rules – January 1, 2024

The 219th Report of the Supreme Court Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure was filed November 28, 2023. The report adopts new rule 9-204.3 and amends rules 1-202, 2-202, 2-433, 2-501, 2-504, 2-507, 2-541, 3-202, 3-731, 4-329, 4-504, 7-112, 9-202, 9-208, 9-211, 10-105, 10-106, 14-503, 16-302, 16-307, 16-914, 18-407, 18-412, 18-421, 18-422, 18-423, 18-424, 18-426, 18-431, 18-433, 18-437, 18-441, 18-442, 19-103, 19-218, 19-301.7, 19-304.2, 19-304.4, 19-305.5, 19-505, 19-605, 19-751, and 19-752. The new rules are in effect January 1, 2024.

Here are some highlights of the Maryland Rule changes:

New rule 9-204.3. PREVENTION OF CHILD ABDUCTION provides for a petition for an abduction prevention order.

Rule 2-433 (b) SANCTIONS – Failure to Preserve Electronically Stored Information – was amended to replace current section (b) with new section (b), by adding a Committee note following section (b), and by making stylistic changes.

Rule 3-202 CAPACITY- was amended to create new subsection (b)(1) with the language of current section (b), with stylistic changes, and by adding new subsection (b)(2) concerning a peace order filed on behalf of a minor.

Rule 9-211. RESTORATION OF FORMER NAME AFTER JUDGMENT OF ABSOLUTE DIVORCE – was amended by deleting and adding language to section (d) establishing that service is not required and by making a
stylistic change to section (e).

Rules included in the 217th Report of the Supreme Court Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure filed on September 22, 2023 will also go into effect on January 1, 2024. The 217th Report adopts new Rule 16-504.1 and amendments to current Rules 16-502, 16-
503, 16-504, and 16-901. These rules concern the “recording of proceedings.”