Tax filings are due in less than a month, and like many, you have probably been putting them off. Fortunately, there are online tools and helpful information available through our library for those who just need the tools and forms to get them done, learn more specific aspects about tax filing, or become more proficient in tax law.
Steve Migdal, Jessica Corace and Jack Paltell were the Lawyers in the Library this month. These volunteer attorneys helped 8 people with their legal questions. Issues included personal injury, breach of contract, return of stolen goods and estate administration.
“Ask a Lawyer in the Library” is held every Wednesday of the month from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and on the third Wednesday from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. You can talk with a volunteer lawyer for at least 20 minutes about your civil, non-family legal problem for free. All sessions are now conducted over Zoom or by phone.
This program is sponsored by Anne Arundel County Local Pro Bono Committee, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, and the Anne Arundel Bar Association. It is hosted by the Anne Arundel County Public Library.
Register online here or call the law library for help. Once you have registered, you will be sent a link to an intake sheet. Instructions for meeting with the attorney will be sent once the intake is competed.
This training begins on March 1, 2022. Sessions will cover the basics and then concentrate on subject specific issues. You can register for all sessions or pick the ones you want. Register here.
A Guide to the History of Slavery in Maryland has been added as an e-resource to the library’s collection. Per the introduction, this publication “provides a brief, but comprehensive, overview of the history of slavery in the state. Built upon the most recent scholarship, this guide offers teachers and students a starting point from which to begin their own exploration of an institution, that, in so many ways, has shaped the modern world.”
The 2020 version of the book is available online, free of charge, via the Maryland State Archives. The book is available for checkout at the Anne Arundel Public Library. It can be purchased from the Maryland State Archives, Amazon, or other local booksellers.
Also of interest is the Maryland State Archives Presents: Legacy of Slavery in Maryland. This website provides access to “case studies” such as Stories of Flight or Blacks in Annapolis, interactive maps allows research by name or place and resources include the Guide to African American Families and Census Data.
The Law Library and Family Court Help Center in the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court is closed today, February 21, 2022 for the Presidents’ Day holiday. The Law Library will reopen tomorrow, Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Except on Court Holidays, the Library is open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Find out more about this holiday at the website of the National Archives. I was surprised to find out that “contrary to popular belief, neither Congress nor the President has ever stipulated that the name of the holiday observed as Washington’s Birthday be changed to “President’s Day.”
Most non-lawyers would probably agree that legal writing is difficult and hard to understand. Latin, French, Old English and Anglo-Norman terms abound, as do double negatives and coupled synonyms (like “null and void”). This jargon is strewn across lengthy, complex sentences that may need to be read several times – with a legal dictionary – to understand, if at all.
While frustrating, there are reasons for the strangeness of legalese. It should not allow any ambiguity, which means the language needs to be as precise and accurate as possible, to the point where specialized terms and lengthy, comprehensive text are sometimes necessary. Everyday speech evolves all the time and can cause disagreements, while the constancy – hence antiqueness – of legal language is intended to prevent these disagreements.
A great number of people and organizations say yes, hence the passage of the Plain Writing Act of 2010. This act requires all federal agencies publish their documents in plain language. While legal language is intended to minimize ambiguity, it is probably safe to say that most people skip reading lengthy and incomprehensible legal documents. When is the last time you checked “accept” for an online agreement without taking the time to scroll through the small print? These poorly understood contracts can enable unpleasant surprises down the road and cause the very disputes they are meant to prevent.
That said, writing clearly, plainly, and accurately in a way most people can understand is hard. In writing this blog post, I could not make its readability go below an 11th grade level, according to Microsoft Word’s readability statistics (here’s how to find that function). There are information hubs, guidelines, tools, and samples to help with this, however.
Steve Migdal, Jack Paltell and Leonard Englander were the Lawyers in the Library for January. They assisted twelve people with issues such as wills and estates, landlord tenant problems, neighbor issues, expungement of a protective order and an automobile accident.
“Ask a Lawyer in the Library” is held every Wednesday of the month from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and on the third Wednesday from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. You can talk with a volunteer lawyer for at least 20 minutes about your civil, non-family legal problem for free. All sessions are now conducted over Zoom or by phone.
This program is sponsored by Anne Arundel County Local Pro Bono Committee, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, and the Anne Arundel Bar Association. It is hosted by the Anne Arundel County Public Library.
Register online here or call the law library for help. Once you have registered, you will be sent a link to an intake sheet. Instructions for meeting with the attorney will be sent once the intake is competed.
The Anne Arundel County Health Department announced on Wednesday that they would be partnering with the Anne Arundel County Public Library to distribute KN95/N95 masks to the public. Masks will also be distributed at Department of Health Clinics. You can find locations of public libraries here.
While this law library is a public library, it is not a part of the public library system that will be distributing the masks.
I found the Maryland Voices for Justice – The A2J Dispatch – in my inbox this morning. This newsletter comes from the Maryland Access to Justice Commission. This issue highlighted the Annual Report of the Access to Counsel in Evictions Task Force by reporting:
Access to Counsel in Evictions Task Force Report. Earlier this month the Maryland Access to Counsel in Evictions Task Force released its first annual report to the Governor and Maryland General Assembly regarding the statewide Access to Counsel in Evictions Program. In addition to creating the Program, House Bill 18, which was passed during the 2021 legislative session and became law, effective October 1, 2021, also created the Access to Counsel in Evictions Task Force. The Task Force was staffed by the Attorney General’s office and composed of a group of key stakeholders tasked with figuring out how best to implement the Program. It issued its final report outlining key principles and recommendations that included policy and statutory changes necessary for effective implementation.
To get the latest A2JC updates and receive A2JC’s curated monthly, the A2JC Dispatch, sign up at the A2J Commission website (at the bottom of the page).
The Conference of Maryland Court Law Library directors has issued its Annual Report for FY2021. The report describes how the Conference provides access to legal information, offers expert assistance with using legal materials, operates educational programs and advocates and innovates new solutions for connecting the public to legal information and self-help resources.
AACPLL Blog: Law Library News 