Category: lawlibrary

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lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

Ask A Lawyer In the Library – Wednesday Wrap-Up

ValadezOn Wednesday, January 11, the Law Library hosted another successful Ask A Lawyer In The Library program.  Thank you, Mike Valadez, for volunteering and providing this service to the public.  Five people took part in the program and were able to speak with the attorney to request assistance with issues such as district court appeals to the circuit court, foreclosure sales, and  protective orders.

The next program date is Wednesday, January 18, 2017.

The Ask A Lawyer In The Library program is a civil, non-family law, self-help program sponsored by The Anne Arundel Bar Association and the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service. Every Wednesday, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., you can talk with a volunteer attorney for up to 20 minutes. No appointment is necessary, but sign-up is required at the law library’s information desk. Sign-up begins at 10:45 a.m., and time slots are determined by a lottery.  On the 3rd Wednesday of the month the MVLS Brief Limited Advice Foreclosure Clinic is hosted by the library.  participants are encouraged to register for the clinic by calling 410-547-6537, but pre-registration is not required. The Ask a Lawyer program is also held monthly in the evening at two Anne Arundel County Public Library locations – at the Glen Burnie Regional Library on the 3rd Wednesday of the month and at the  Eastport-Annapolis Neck Community Library on the last Tuesday of the month. For more information, please see http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library.  

Categories
lawlibrary Legal Technology Libraries

Worth a read: Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight! – the Value of Libraries

This RIPS blogpost is a good response to why a library when “everything is online.” No matter the format of the material, it is the librarian in the library that makes the difference and the case for the library.

The struggle between librarian and technology is real, but the situation is a lot more nuanced than saying that librarians and technology are at odds. We go together. (Like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong.) Yes, there can be entire libraries available on smart phones, but guess what makes them available. Libraries. And guess who makes them navigable. Yup, librarians. Even the free stuff is there because of the efforts of libraries and librarians—both academic and local. In a time where more and more students are having difficulty navigating truth from lies or bogus stories, librarians and libraries—even the ones sans books and chock full of the latest technology—are needed more than ever.Earlier this month, fellow RIPS blogger Paul Gatz wrote about the service aspect of librarianship and how librarians are “at the nexus between the system and the user, benefiting one no less than the other.” A huge part of our service is to connect patrons to information, and not just any information, but relevant and accurate information. We are the navigators, we are the beacons, we are the silent, mostly unacknowledged, partners in research. Take away the librarians, strip down the libraries, and there will be consequences. Maybe not 80 stanzas worth of them, but consequences none the less. We are in the day and age where finding information isn’t a problem—it’s the next step that matters. No matter what you type into a search box, you’re bound to find an answer. Is it the correct answer? Is it the best possible answer?

Source: Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight!

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lawlibrary

Court Holiday: Thanksgiving

The Law Library is closed today November 24, 2016 and tomorrow, November 25, 2016 for Thanksgiving.  The Law Library will reopen on Monday, November 28, 2016.  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. until 4:30 p.m.

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lawlibrary

Worth a read: “Google Think” and the New Associate

A recent blogpost by Erik Adams, a firm law librarian, on the RIPS Law Librarian Blog provides good insight on the legal research background needed as a new firm associate. I especially liked his observation that “with legal research often 5 minutes of background research can save hours of blind poking about. That certainly was the case with my new associate: had they spent a little time reading secondary sources or just thinking about what they were researching, rather than Google-thinking their way through search after search of case law, they unquestionably would have saved time.” This discussion of the legal research process will benefit anyone’s legal research whether a new associate or not.

Read the whole post here: “Google Think” and the New Associate

Categories
lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

Ask a Lawyer in the Library and MVLS Foreclosure Clinic Wrap-up

On Wednesday, November 16, 2016,  the Ask a Lawyer in the Library program was offered at two different locations and two different times: the circuit court law library from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and the Glen Burnie Regional Library in the evening from 430 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Marietta Warren was on call  in the circuit court and was able to answer questions about malpractice.  At the same time the law  library hosted the MVLS Foreclosure Clinic.  Volunteer attorney Tom McCarthy assisted a couple with their foreclosure questions.

In Glen Burnie, there were five attorneys on hand to provide legal assistance to 11 people:

Cliff O’Connor and Katelyn Maloney
Josh Tabor
Alan Forman and Nickola Sybblis

Cliff O’Connor of Holmes and O’Connor assisted by his daughter and associate, Katelyn Maloney; Josh Tabor of the Law Office of Marla Zide; Nickola Sybblis who has a solo practice; and  Alan Forman of Forman Clothier Law Group.  The attorneys provided assistance with  such issues as wills, power of attorney, living wills, procedure, bankruptcy, contracts and family law.

The Ask A Lawyer In The Library program is a civil, non-family law, self-help program sponsored by The Anne Arundel Bar Association and the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service. Every Wednesday, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., you can talk with a volunteer attorney for up to 20 minutes. No appointment is necessary, but sign-up is required at the law library’s information desk. Sign-up begins at 10:45 a.m., and time slots are determined by a lottery.  On the 3rd Wednesday of the month the MVLS Brief Limited Advice Foreclosure Clinic is hosted by the library.  Particpants are encourage to register for the clinic by calling 410-547-6537, but pre-registration is not required. The Ask a Lawyer program is also held in the evening once a month in the Anne Arundel County Public Library – at the Glen Burnie Regional Library on the 3rd Wednesday of the month and at the  Eastport-Annapolis Neck Community Library on the last Tuesday of the month. For more information, please see http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library.

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Holiday lawlibrary

Veterans Day Holiday

The Law Library is closed today, Friday, November 11, 2016, for the Veterans Day holiday.  The Law Library will reopen after the weekend on Monday, November 14, 2016.  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. until 4:30 p.m.

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lawlibrary

Ask A Lawyer In the Library – Wednesday Wrap-Up

On Wednesday, November 9, the Law Library hosted another successful Ask A Lawyer In The Library program. Mike Valadez Valadezassisted five people with their questions concerning guardianship, foreclosure, real property, and the return of an engagement ring. The next program date is Wednesday, November 16, 2016.

The Ask A Lawyer In The Library program is a civil, non-family law, self-help program sponsored by The Anne Arundel Bar Association and the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service. Every Wednesday, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., you can talk with a volunteer attorney for up to 20 minutes. No appointment is necessary, but sign-up is required at the law library’s information desk. Sign-up begins at 10:45 a.m., and time slots are determined by a lottery. In addition to the weekly program, the Ask A Lawyer In The Library program is held monthly at two Anne Arundel County Public Library branches: Glen Burnie Regional Library on the 3rd Wednesday and Eastport-Annapolis Neck Community Library on the last Tuesday. For more information, please see http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library.

The MVLS Brief Legal Advice Foreclosure Clinic is now held on the 3rd Wednesday in the law library from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the same time as the Lawyer in the Library Program.  More information can be found here: http://aacpll.pbworks.com/w/page/99877141/Foreclosure%20Clinic

 

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Holiday lawlibrary

Election Day

The Law Library is closed today, Tuesday, November 8, 2016, because it is Election Day.  The Law Library will reopen tomorrow, Wednesday, November 9, 2016.  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. until 4:30 p.m.

Remember polls will be open today from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.  More information can be found at the Maryland State Board of Elections

Categories
lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

Ask A Lawyer In the Library – Wednesday Wrap-Up

Tjack-and-mikehe Ask A Lawyer In The Library program is a civil, non-family law, self-help program sponsored by The Anne Arundel Bar Association and the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service. Every Wednesday, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., you can talk with a volunteer attorney for up to 20 minutes. No appointment is necessary, but sign-up is required at the law library’s information desk. Sign-up begins at 10:45 a.m., and time slots are determined by a lottery. For more information, please see http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library.

On Wednesday, November 2, the Law Library hosted another successful Ask A Lawyer In The Library program. Thank you, Jack Paltell and Mike Ragland for volunteering and providing this service to the public. Four people took part in the program and were able to speak with the attorney to request assistance with issues such as discovery, HOA problems, and appeals. The next program date is Wednesday, November 9, 2015.

Do you have a family law matter? Family Law matters are best addressed by Family Law Self-Help Center which is located in the back of the law library.  For more information: http://www.circuitcourt.org/legal-help/family-law

Categories
lawlibrary Legal Technology

Tech Solutions for Marylanders’ Legal Needs

The trend of creating tech solutions for everyday problems has finally come to the legal world. These recent innovations signal a new model for providing legal services. One where saying, “There’s an app for that,” can truly change a person’s life.

One example is an expungement program developed by an attorney at Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, Matt Stubenberg., as reported in the New York Times. Even though, “as many as one in three Americans have some type of criminal record,”  many are unaware that they may qualify for expungement, the deletion of their criminal records. Some may not be able to afford a lawyer to help them expunge their records.

On MDExpungement.com, users type in a case number and the program determines if a case may qualify for expungement. The program even automates and fills out a form for filing.

Beyond making expungement available and affordable, Stubenberg also developed CLUE – Client Legal Utility Engine. Used by attorneys during client intake, this program will search for expungeable records, public utility records, and documents filed by banks to help the attorney determine whether a client is also at risk of losing their home for failure to pay water bill or foreclosure. The program is unique in that it works toward solving one of the greater problems with access to justice: a person who comes to an attorney with one legal problem is likely to have another legal problem that does not get addressed.

Technology for legal assistance is new territory, but now the Maryland Judiciary has launched the Maryland Law Help app. This app helps users find a court, access forms, locate statutes, and get connected to legal assistance in the Judiciary’s law libraries and self-help centers through their mobile devices.

Civil Justice, Inc., a Maryland non-profit legal services organization, will soon release an online referral program called JusticeReferrals. Meant for attorney’s working for Maryland pro bono, reduced-fee, and legal services organizations, it helps those seeking help get effective legal representation in one place. First, a client’s answers to intake questions gets input into the system. Next, statewide attorneys and member organizations who handle the client’s type of case will be notified and determine if and how they may be able to help the potential client. This data driven, inter-agency referral process should help find the client the best fit for their legal concerns. It is also meant to solve the frustrations many people have when interacting with legal service providers: the feeling of being bounced from one referral to the next without knowing why and without getting effective assistance.