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Best Practices and Technology to Better Serve Self-Represented Litigants with Low Literacy or Visual Impairments

When self-represented litigants (SRLs) seek help from Maryland Court Self-Help Centers, Maryland Law Libraries, and other access to justice programs, they may need special assistance to use the resources available at these centers.

Imagine this everyday scenario: a staff member identifies the SRL’s legal issue and proceeds to help the SRL by looking up the relevant section in a law publication, by pulling-up a Plain English article on a legal topic, by downloading a template for a court form, or by handing them a pamphlet with referral information.

In this scenario, the services provider has exchanged words with the SRL without being aware of their difficulties with reading and writing. Almost 21 million Americans report vision problems, and 3.4 million over 40 are legally blind. Many Americans face barriers accessing basic corrective vision care. According to the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute of Literacy, 1 in 7 adults lack basic literacy skills, severely hindering their ability to participate in the judicial process.

Many adults will hide their difficulties rather than ask for help. They may become embarrassed or antagonistic if their literacy difficulties start to show. This can lead to unresolved legal issues.

WHAT CAN LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS DO TO HELP?

IDENTIFY LITERACY ISSUES

If you come across the following situations, you may have come across someone who has trouble reading and writing:

Continue reading “Best Practices and Technology to Better Serve Self-Represented Litigants with Low Literacy or Visual Impairments”
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lawlibrary

Family Law Self Help Center Expansion in the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court

The Ribbon Cutting for the Anne Arundel County Family Law Self Help Center (FLSHC) was held on Friday, June 24, 2016.  The area dedicated to the Family Law Self Help Center which is located in the Anne Arundel County Public Law Library has just about doubled.  The result is increased privacy and access for those using the services of the center. The expansion was made  possible by a grant from the Access to Justice Department of the Maryland Judiciary. Family Law Division funds were used as well to supplement the grant.

Family Law Self Help Center moved to the law library 5 years ago on April 25, 2011.  Since that time the law library and FLSHC have worked together to serve the needs representing themselves in family law issues such as divorce, child custody, visitation and name changes.  The law library provides a self-help computer room and collection of materials written for the non-attorney. Librarians are able to guide Center users to appropriate resources when referred by FLSHC staff.

Law Library Intern, Chi Song, was responsible for the grant application and management; research and ordering of the workstations and computer equipment;  and the planning and reorganization of the law library, including the moving of thousands of books.

View the slideshow to see the before and after.  

The event was covered by the Capital. Please see the 6/27 online article, “Self-help family law center expands, thanks to grants” written by Lauren Loricchio for more information, pictures and a video. (It was also published  in the  print Capital  on June 28, 2016 but titled “Fulfilling a growing need.”)

 

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lawlibrary Libraries Pro Bono

Upcoming Expungement Clinic

The Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) is hosting a FREE Expungement Clinic next week at Maryland City at Russett Community Library. Volunteer attorneys will provide FREE legal assistance and information concerning the expungement of criminal records. No registration or appointments necessary; legal services are provided on a first come, first serve basis.

When? Tuesday, July 12, 2016 | 5:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Where? Maryland City at Russett Community Library, Anne Arundel County Public Library, 3501 Russett Common, Laurel, MD 20724

For more information about the FREE clinic, please contact the Law Library at (410) 222-1387. You can also reach us via email at lawlibrary@aacounty.org or via fax at (410) 268-9762.

To learn more about expungement, check out these articles on the Maryland People’s Law Library, our wiki page and our past blog posts! The MDexpungement app is a great tool to help expunge your records. In addition, the Maryland Courts website includes information on how to expunge your records.

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lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

Ask a Lawyer in the Library: Wednesday Wrap-Up

Richard Ronay
Thank you Richard!

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. For more information, please see http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library.

On Wednesday, June 29, 2016, the Law Library hosted another successful Ask A Lawyer In The Library program. Thank you Richard Ronay of the Law Office of J. Richard Ronay for volunteering and providing this service to the public. Five people were able to meet with the attorney to discuss issues related to worker’s compensation, property, civil procedure, landlord/tenant, and business litigation matters. The next program date is Wednesday, July 6, 2016.

It is helpful to prepare for your session with the attorney.  Here are some helpful tips:

  • Write a list of specific questions for the attorney.
  • Bring any paperwork and information related to the case.
  • Organize any paperwork from most recent on the top to oldest at the bottom.
  • Identify all deadlines.
  • Prepare a timeline of the legal issue.

If you would like to research your issue prior to your session with the attorney, please come find us at the Law Library’s information desk.  We are happy to assist you.

More information about the program is available at http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library. 

The Ask A Lawyer In The Law Library program is a limited legal advice service. The program is not a substitute for representation. If you need an attorney to represent you, you can contact the Anne Arundel Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service.

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lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

Ask A Lawyer In the Library – Wednesday Wrap-Up

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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. For more information, please see http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library.

On Wednesday, June 15, 2016, the Law Library hosted another successful Ask A Lawyer In The Library program. Thank you Evelyn Spurgin of Hillman, Brown & Darrow, P.A., 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 discovery, insurance, and trust issues.

In addition, on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, the Law Library coordinated the Ask A Lawyer In The Library program with Paul Farmer of Gormley Jarashow Bowman LLC as our volunteer attorney. Five people took part in the program and were able to speak with the attorney to request assistance with guardianship, property, appeals, and estate issues. The next program date is Wednesday, June 29, 2016.

Do you have a criminal law matter?  Criminal Law matters are best addressed by the Office of the Public Defender.  Information about the Office of the Public Defender is available at http://www.opd.state.md.us/.

More information about Ask a Lawyer in the Library program is available at http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library. The Ask A Lawyer In The Law Library program is a limited legal advice service. The program is not a substitute for representation. If you need an attorney to represent you, you can contact the Anne Arundel Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service.

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lawlibrary

Second-Chance Reform in Maryland: Expansion of State Expungement Laws Take Effect This October

An arrest or a court case is a public record, even if an individual was never convicted. The public’s ability to view these records may negatively affect an individual’s ability to apply for work, housing, child custody, loans, or college. Recently, Maryland has taken progressive steps in expanding shielding and expungement of charges that resulted in non-convictions or convictions for certain types of misdemeanors.

Last year, under the 2015 Maryland Second Chance Act, the state allowed certain nonviolent misdemeanor convictions to be shielded from the public record after a 3 to 7 year waiting period. Shielding, however, only removes the record entry from Maryland’s Judiciary Case Search. Law enforcement and employers requiring criminal background checks can still access these records.

In Maryland, people with non-convictions and some misdemeanors can get go a step further by getting their records expunged after a waiting period. Expungement is a request for a court to remove these records from public view by destroying or sealing an individual’s records. Expungement also means that the event can be treated as if it never occurred. An individual may be able to answer no to whether or not they have been convicted of a crime on applications for things like employment, licensing, and housing.

This year Maryland passed the Justice Reinvestment Act, which expands expungement to misdemeanor theft and assault convictions. The Act also provides drug treatment as an alternative to jail for addicts. By removing these records from public view individuals reentering society can get a fair second chance. Employers will not be deterred from hiring these individuals and securing employment will reduce the likelihood of repeat offenses.

For more information:

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lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

A Look at the 2016 Justice Index

The long-awaited results of the 2016 Justice Index were released at the end of May. The National Center for Access to Justice (NCAJ) at Cardozo Law School paints a picture of overall accessibility to the U.S. population in its Justice Index by analyzing data on four major barriers to American justice systems: attorneys available to the poor, assistance available to self-represented litigants, language assistance, and disability assistance. NCAJ collected and analyzed data from every U.S. state and, starting this year, from Puerto Rico. NCAJ hopes that clear, comprehensive and transparent data on the state of access to justice in America will serve as a tool for awareness and accountability and will be used to strengthen best practices for ensuing access to justice systems. Visitors to the Justice Index website can see resource availability and gaps of the most vulnerable populations by viewing interactive maps and graphs.

How is the country performing when it comes to access to justice and where does Maryland stand in comparison to other states? On a 100-point scale, Maryland rose from 20th place in 2014, with a composite score of 56.4, to 4th place this year, with a composite score of 60.38.

With regard to the four individual categories that average into the composite score, Maryland ranks 3rd in providing attorneys available to the poor. Yet, a closer look at the numbers illustrates that there are not enough lawyers for the poor. Nationally there are approximately 40 attorneys for every 10,000 people compared to only 14 attorneys for every 10,000 people living in poverty. In Maryland, there are approximately 40 attorneys for every 10,000 people compared to a mere 1.49 attorneys for every 10,000 people living in poverty. The Anne Arundel County Public Law Library (AACPLL) helps self-represented individuals by hosting a daily Family Law Self-Help Center staffed by Maryland Legal Aid attorneys and a Wednesday Lawyer in the Library program for other civil law concerns.

Maryland ranks 8th in best practices for self-represented litigants with a score of 67.50. It appears that Maryland misses the mark on providing plain English resources, foreclosure assistance, and electronic filing. However, e-filing has recently been introduced to Maryland courts. AACPLL provides many self-help resources and forms for self-represented litigants.

There are over 25 million people with limited proficiency in English in the U.S.. Maryland ranks 7th in helping this population, scoring 73.03 for providing free and certified translators for various family law and housing law hearings. A disparity continues to exist in providing interpreters at Maryland self-help centers and translations on Maryland judiciary websites. At AACPLL, self-help centers access telephone interpreters through Language Line.

Maryland, tied with Minnesota and Missouri, places 2nd, with a score of 86.11, in providing reasonable accommodation and counsel to assure people with disabilities a fair opportunity to be heard. Still, there are no dedicated court employees with mental health training and no certification requirements for sign language interpreters.

All-in-all, there appear to be both accomplishments and deficiencies nationally and statewide. To find out more see the Justice Index 2016 at: http://justiceindex.org/

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lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

Ask a Lawyer in the Library: Wednesday Wrap-Up

ValadezThe 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, June 8, 2016, 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. Seven people were able to meet with the attorney to discuss issues related to small claims, traffic violations, wills, collections, foreclosure, bankrtupcy, and civil procedure. The next program date is Wednesday, June 15, 2016.

It is helpful to prepare for your session with the attorney.  Here are some helpful tips:

  • Write a list of specific questions for the attorney.
  • Bring any paperwork and information related to the case.
  • Organize any paperwork from most recent on the top to oldest at the bottom.
  • Identify all deadlines.
  • Prepare a timeline of the legal issue.

If you would like to research your issue prior to your session with the attorney, please come find us at the Law Library’s information desk.  We are happy to assist you.

More information about the program is available at http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library. 

The Ask A Lawyer In The Law Library program is a limited legal advice service. The program is not a substitute for representation. If you need an attorney to represent you, you can contact the Anne Arundel Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service.

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lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

Ask a Lawyer in the Library: Wednesday Wrap-Up

Mike Ragland
Thank you Mike!

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. For more information, please see http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library.

On Wednesday, June 1, 2016, the Law Library hosted another successful Ask A Lawyer In The Library program. Thank you Mike Ragland and Jack Paltell for volunteering and providing this service to the public. Seven people were able to meet with the attorneys to discuss issues related to business litigation, foreclosure, lemon laws, worker’s compensation, and mechanic’s liens. The next program date is Wednesday, June 8, 2016.

It is helpful to prepare for your session with the attorney.  Here are some helpful tips:

  • Write a list of specific questions for the attorney.
  • Bring any paperwork and information related to the case.
  • Organize any paperwork from most recent on the top to oldest at the bottom.
  • Identify all deadlines.
  • Prepare a timeline of the legal issue.
poster-paltell (1)
Thank you Jack!

If you would like to research your issue prior to your session with the attorney, please come find us at the Law Library’s information desk.  We are happy to assist you.

More information about the program is available at http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library. 

The Ask A Lawyer In The Law Library program is a limited legal advice service. The program is not a substitute for representation. If you need an attorney to represent you, you can contact the Anne Arundel Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service.

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lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

Upcoming Clinics

The Law Library serves a wide range of communities, including self-represented litigants. In addition to providing self-represented litigants with reference, instruction, and referral services, the Law Library coordinates and hosts programs that provide limited legal advice and assistance for civil matters with various partners, including the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, the Anne Arundel County Local Pro Bono Committee, and the Anne Arundel Bar Association. Check out these upcoming clinics and programs!

Ask a Lawyer in the Library

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. 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.

Anne Arundel County Public Law Library

WHEN:  Every Wednesday
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: 8 Church Circle, Suite 303
Annapolis, MD 21401
Sign-Up Via Lottery at 10:45 a.m.

Eastport-Annapolis Neck Community Library

WHEN: Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: 269 Hillsmere Drive
Annapolis, MD 21403
Sign-Up Via Lottery at 4:15 p.m.

Glen Burnie Regional Library – The Ask a Lawyer in the Library program at the Glen Burnie Regional Library is on hiatus for the summer. The next program date is Wednesday, August 17, 2016, 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., with sign-up at 4:15 p.m.

SIGN-UP IS VIA LOTTERY for all three program locations. Sign-up begins fifteen minutes before the program’s start time on the day of the program. Names are pulled from the lottery to determine time slots. If there are more attendees than available time slots, the lottery will determine who is able to meet with the volunteer attorney.

Bankruptcy Clinic

Talk to an experienced bankruptcy attorney about your personal bankruptcy matter.

WHEN:  Tuesday, June 7, 2016
9:00am-12:00p.m.
WHERE: 8 Church Circle, Suite 303
Annapolis, MD 21401

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED for this program. Call the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers service at (410) 547-6537 or (800) 510-0050 or register online at http://mvlslaw.org/get-legal-help/apply-for-services. To learn more about bankruptcy and bankruptcy-related resources, check out this page.

Foreclosure Clinic

WHEN: Wednesday, June 15, 2016
1:00-3:00 p.m.
WHERE: 8 Church Circle, Suite 303
Annapolis, MD 21401

This program is FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED. Consultations typically last for 20 minutes. Please sign-up on the day of the program at the Law Library’s service desk. To learn more about foreclosure and foreclosure resources, check out this page.

Expungement Clinic

Volunteer attorneys provide program participants with free legal assistance and information concerning criminal records, including expungement and shielding.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 27, 2016
WHERE: 8 Church Circle, Suite 303
Annapolis, MD 21401

To learn more about expungement and expungement related resources, check out this page.

Are you looking for additional clinics and assistance? Then check out these resources for additional programs and service providers.

Please note that FAMILY LAW issues (e.g., divorce, custody, child support, name change) are best addressed by the Family Law Self-Help Center, which provides walk-in and telephone services, Monday through Friday. Follow the link for the center’s telephone and walk-in hours. If you are looking for family law assistance outside Anne Arundel County, the Maryland Courts website provides links to similar programs in other Circuit Courts here, with walk-in assistance programs available in most Circuit Courts.