Check out this Guest Column in honor of National Library Week, written by Anne Arundel County Public Library CEO Hampton “Skip” Auld, which was published in The Capital yesterday.
This week is National Library Week! Let’s celebrate the contributions made by libraries and librarians, both past and present, across the United States. National Library Week, sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA), has a long history in the United States, with the first celebration occurring in 1958. Running from April 12, 2015 through April 18, 2015 this year, National Library Week celebrates the contributions made by libraries of all types, including public libraries, school libraries, academic libraries and special libraries, all of which will participate in this weeklong celebration in order to promote library use and support. If you are interested in participating in a National Library Week event, check out the National Events posted on the ALA’s website.
In conjunction with this week’s National Library Week celebration, the American Association of Law Libraries is sponsoring the 23rd National Legal Research Teach-In. The National Legal Research Teach-In was born in 1993 to address the need to improve the research skills of students and new attorneys and to celebrate legal research instruction and acknowledge and demonstrate the value of law librarians in teaching legal research skills. Law Librarians are uniquely positioned to address the research instruction needs of the legal community.The Law Library will be celebrating the National Legal Research Teach-In by launching a series of instructional presentations later this year. Stay tuned, but in the meantime, come visit the Law Library for one-on-one training and a tour!
Categories
Homeless Resource Day Recap
On Saturday, March 28, 2015, Anne Arundel County held its 8th annual Homeless Resource Day at Annapolis High School. This was the seventh year that volunteer attorneys from Anne Arundel County provided individuals and families experiencing homelessness with legal assistance. The Anne Arundel County Local Pro Bono Committee worked hard to recruit volunteer attorneys to participate in the Resource Day and to create a program to train the volunteer attorneys in assisting individuals seeking to file a petition for expungement. Prior to Homeless Resource Day, the Law Library hosted an expungement training program provided by the Homeless Persons Representation Project.
This year, 18 attorneys provided 74 clients with legal advice on 83 different issues ranging from criminal records to wills and , the most commonly asked about legal issues were expungement of criminal records and family law. Ten expungement petitions were filed for three participants. The Anne Arundel County Local Pro Bono Committee maintains detailed statistics, which can be found here.
Thank you to our volunteer attorneys and Local Pro Bono Committee members for providing this pro bono service to Anne Arundel County’s citizens in need. Local Pro Bono Committee members in attendance were Joan Bellistri, Michelle Moodispaw, Anita Bailey of Legal Aid and Bill Davis of the Public Defender’s Office. Other attorney volunteers from the Office of the Public Defender were Bill Cooke and Jessica Wisner. Additional Legal Aid volunteers were Margaret Leonard and Kathleen Hughes. Volunteers Tasnima Apol, Kari Fawcett, Dallas Houston, Jessica Daigle, Kurt Roper, Gene Brennan, Ginina Stevenson and Bob Waldman provided a wide range of experience and backgrounds. In addition, Jeff Gold from the Homeless Persons Representation Project was on hand to assist with expungement questions, and Lonni Summers, Ellyn Riedl and Cansa Hatfield from MVLS provided assistance with tax and consumer issues. MVLS reported 5 intakes. We look forward to providing even greater service next year!
Are you a homeowner who is behind on your property taxes or water bills? If so, you might be interested in attending the free, brief legal advice Tax Sale Clinic organized by the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland.
There are two upcoming clinic dates.
- Thursday, April 9, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Urban Business Center, 1200 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21223
- Wednesday, April 15, 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: Enoch Pratt Library, Southeast Anchor Branch, 3601 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224
Homeowners should bring all recent property tax or water bills and notices, any proof of payment of the property tax or water bills and all notices from the Baltimore City Circuit Court with them to the clinic. For more information, please visit www.probonomd.org/legal-help or contact the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland at (443) 703-3052. You can also check out this Resource Guide for Tax Sales and Tax Foreclosures.
In addition, the Foreclosure Mediation Brief Advice Project is a free, walk-in clinic open to homeowners facing foreclosure without legal representation. Located at 11101 Gilroy Road, Hunt Valley, Maryland 21031 at the Office of Administrative Hearings (Administrative Law Building), the clinic’s hours of operation are Mondays and Wednesdays, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (new intakes are not accepted after 4:00 p.m.). The clinic is first-come, first-serve. For more information, check out our past blog post here!
*http://www.flickr.com/photos/respres/2539334956/. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sign_of_the_Times-Foreclosure.jpg#/media/File:Sign_of_the_Times-Foreclosure.jpg
The Prince George’s County District Court Self-Help Resource Center is now open and ready to assist litigants! Staffed by three attorneys from Maryland Legal Aid, the walk-in self-help center is open to the public and offers self-represented litigants with assistance with civil matters, including assistance completing court forms, answering legal questions, and assisting with trial preparation. Civil matters include landlord/tenant issues, small claims (up to $5,000), certain large claims (up to $30,000), debt collection, the return of property (replevin/detinue), peace orders and protective orders. The self-help center cannot help with criminal or traffic matters.
Here are the details.
| Address: | District Court Bourne Wing, Room 069B, 14735 Main Street, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772 |
| Hours of Operation: | Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
| Phone Services: | Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Call 410-260-1392 |
| Online Chat Services: | Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m See the Live Help button on this page. |
For more information, check out http://mdcourts.gov/legalhelp/districtctselfhelpctr.html! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Law 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. 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, March 11, 2015, the Law Library hosted another successful Ask A Lawyer In The Library program. Thank you Chris Boucher for volunteering and providing this service to the public. Seven people took part in the program and were able to speak with the attorney to request assistance with issues such as bankruptcy, foreclosure, homeowner’s association issues, installment contracts and contract disputes. The next program date is Wednesday, April 15, 2015.
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 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.
Categories
Courthouse News!
Judge Laura S. Kiessling has been named as a the new administrative judge for Anne Arundel County and the Fifth Judicial Circuit! Our current administrative judge, Judge Paul A. Hackner retired earlier this month after serving eighteen years on the bench. Judge Kiessling’s appointment will be effective later this week, on April 10, 2015. As some of our readers may know, the Law Library is located on the main floor of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, and the Law Library’s mission includes serving the information needs of the Maryland judiciary and the Circuit Court. We look forward to continuing that mission under Judge Kiessling’s leadership. For more information, the press release is available here!
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, April 1, 2015, the Law Library hosted another successful Ask A Lawyer In The Library program. Thank you Mike Ragland and Jack Paltell, from Bell, Ragland, Gauges & Paltell, for volunteering and providing this service to the public. Six people took part in the program and were able to speak with the attorney to request assistance with issues such as tenant’s rights in a foreclosure, vehicle titling, wills, contract litigation and discrimination. The next program date is Wednesday, April 8, 2015.
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 read up on 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.
Attorney volunteers are still needed for the 8th Annual Anne Arundel County Homeless Resource Day, which will be held this Saturday, March 28, 2015 at Annapolis High School from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Volunteer attorneys are among the many service providers available on this day to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness. During this “one-day, one-stop” program, volunteer attorneys provide limited legal advice on a wide range of topics, including expungement, family law, benefits, debt, housing and foreclosure. Homeless Resource Day provides individuals and families experiencing homelessness with invaluable services and benefits that can assist them on the path to housing and self-sufficiency.
Volunteers are needed throughout the day, which is divided into two shifts. The morning shift is from 8:30am to 12:30pm, and the afternoon shift is from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. Volunteers can sign up for one or both shifts or specify a different time-range that works best for the attorney. Based on past experience, the morning hours are the busiest hours. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up here or contact us!
For more information about Homeless Resource Day, check out this sites.
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, March 25, 2015, the Law Library hosted another successful Ask A Lawyer In The Library program. Thank you, Kemp Hammond from Gormley Jarashow Bowman LLC, for volunteering and providing this service to the public. Seven people took part in the program and were able to speak with the attorney to request assistance with issues such as foreclosure, property, judgments, replevin and civil rights. The next program date is Wednesday, April 1, 2015.
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 read up on 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.
AACPLL Blog: Law Library News 
