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lawlibrary Pro Bono

Celebrate Pro Bono with a Pro Bono Law Practice

To celebrate Pro Bono during the National Pro Bono Week the Anne Arundel County Local Pro Bono Committee invited Michelle Moodispaw to our monthly meeting.  The Committee wanted to learn more about her unique pro bono law firm, the Law Office of  Michelle Moodspaw.  Not only did the Committee have a good discussion of the types of pro bono services as a result, it added Michelle as a new member.

Michelle established her law firm with a goal to provide legal services to those who otherwise would not.  Some do not qualify for legal service programs but still cannot afford an attorney.  Others who may meet the financial criteria may not fall within the guidelines for the types of cases that the service provider takes.  The law firm provides both free and reduced fee legal services.

Service provided by the firm ranges from brief limited advice consultations to full representation.  Clients are referred via a number of different organizations that include the ABA Military Pro Bono Project, Mid-Shore Pro Bono, KIND, We Care and Friends and MVLS. An article in the Sun in 2010, ” New law firm seeks clients who can’t afford a lawyer: Attorneys say they want to help fill gap for services to people of limited means,”  helped get the word out as well.

Of the 180 cases taken so far, 61 of those are civil with about half of those involving family matters.  Other civil case types include immigration, housing and denial of benefits.  Michelle is on the Public Defender’s Panel in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties and handles district court and post-conviction matters, too.  At this point, Michelle is reassessing her firm’s mission based on a desire to reach more people.

With her pro bono experience Michelle was able to offer insight as to best practices for encouraging pro bono service.  She mentioned that she finds it easier to handle a case through an established pro bono legal service provider.  The provider will have performed the intake and can have basic case information ready.  She also suggested that a local pro bono referral service might make local attorneys feel that the service was their own and would then be more inclined to volunteer.  Of course, this lead to  discussion of how such a service could be established.  This discussion will be ongoing.

While it is true that this model of a pro bono practice will not work for most, it can act as an inspiration for attorneys to provide at least the minimum of 50 hours of pro bono service each year.

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lawlibrary Pro Bono

Celebrate Pro Bono 2012: Anne Arundel County Attorneys and PBRC

Oftentimes attorneys are reluctant to take a pro bono case because the case involves issues that they do not deal with on a regular basis.  This problem can be easily remedied through the many free training opportunities offered by pro bono providers. The Pro Bono Resource Center (PBRC) as the statewide coordinator of pro bono for Maryland can not only match an attorney with the right pro bono activity but also the training and support needed to provide the pro bono service. PBRC offers training on a variety of topics in number of locations around the state.  On the PBRC website now there is an announcement about a family law training in Easton and a special education training held in Baltimore City.  PBRC  offers training via webcasts as well.  Free and discounted slots for a selection of MSBA Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Courses are offered through the PBRC and Maryland State Bar Association. These training opportunities are free but attorneys are required to provide pro bono service in return.  More details on all of these training options can be found on the  “general information page:” http://www.probonomd.org/general-info.

The PBRC highlights four pro bono projects that involve special training and opportunities on their website.  They are the Veterans’ Benefits Pro Bono Project, the Pro Bono Family Mediation Project, the Consumer Protection Project, and the Foreclosure Prevention Pro Bono Project.

As part of their National Pro Bono Week campaign to increase pro bono participation by Anne Arundel attorneys, the Anne Arundel County Local Pro Bono Committee encouraged involvement in the Foreclosure Prevention Project.  It is hoped that with more Anne Arundel attorneys participating in the project that a Foreclosure Workshop could be scheduled in the county.  We know the need is there. Anne Arundel County had the 5th largest number of foreclosures in the state as reported in the Department of Housing and Community Development report, Property Foreclosures in Maryland Third Quarter 2012.  PBRC extended a special invitation to attend a live training on November 2: A Practical Guide for Representing Homeowners at Foreclosure Mediation.  Special arrangements can be made for viewing the prerequisite webinar for the class: The New Foreclosure Prevention 101 – A Beginner’s Guide.  Details on the training and the program can be found here: http://www.probonomd.org/foreclosure-prevention-training.

It is hoped that the more attorneys are aware of the pro bono opportunities, training and support provided by such organizations as the PBRC that the numbers of Anne Arundel County attorneys providing 50 or more hours of pro bono service will increase.

Categories
lawlibrary Pro Bono

Celebrate Pro Bono 2012: Anne Arundel County Attorneys and MVLS

Celebrate Pro Bono by volunteering to provide pro bono service.  Pro bono programs are in need of more Anne Arundel County attorneys to handle cases in the county.    The number of attorneys providing pro bono service is increasing.  Based on statistics collected for the report Current Status of Pro Bono Service Among Maryland Lawyers, Year 2010 issued November 9, 2011, Anne Arundel County has moved from last to 20th place in the number of attorneys who have provided 50 hours or more of pro bono service. It is clear that Anne Arundel County attorneys can do more and can continue this trend.

Anne Arundel does not have its  own pro bono referral service but by partnering with the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) there is a way for Anne Arundel attorneys to be matched with clients in need of pro bono representation.  The Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service reports that many cases needing representation in Anne Arundel county are taken by attorneys from other counties.  It is easy to add your name to the MVLS roster. Just visit the volunteer page on the MVLS website and simply fill out the online form.   The MVLS supports its volunteers with malpractice insurance, mentors, free training, use of their offices to meet with clients and reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses.

The types of cases placed by MVLS include administration of small estates,  adult guardianship, bankruptcy (Chapter 7 only), child custody, collections, consumer disputes, criminal record expungement, deed changes, denial of public benefits, divorce, foreclosure, landlord/tenant, living wills, name changes, power of attorney, school suspensions, tax disputes, and wills.

MVLS also administers a  family law reduced-fee program called Judicare.  According to the MVLS website “Judicare has funding to pay attorneys up to $1,600 per client representation.  Attorneys are paid at the rate of $80 per hour for the first 20 hours of representation in a contested domestic matter.  The attorney must then provide the next five hours pro bono.  For matters that require additional time for resolution, attorneys are eligible for an additional ten hours of paid representation at $80 per hour. In return, “Judicare attorneys are asked to accept one pro bono domestic case for every Judicare case referred.  The pro bono domestic matters are generally uncontested or less complicated than Judicare cases.  Attorneys must have at least three years of family law experience to participate in this project.”

Volunteering is easy with the help of MVLS.  Anne Arundel County attorneys are encouraged to take advantage of the service provided.

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lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

National Pro Bono Week: Anne Arundel County

This year for the National Pro Bono Week Celebration, October 21- 27, 2012 the Anne Arundel County Local Pro Bono Committee seeks to encourage pro bono representation by Anne Arundel County attorneys.  The campaign to increase the numbers of pro bono volunteers began with a blast email sent to all members of the AABA. The text of that email follows:

Pro Bono Week News from the Local Pro Bono Committee

The National Pro Bono Celebration focuses the nation’s attention on the increased need for pro bono services during these challenging economic times and celebrates the outstanding work of lawyers who volunteer their services throughout the year. The Anne Arundel County Local Pro Bono Committee is calling on all Anne Arundel attorneys to provide pro bono service. We know the need is great and that more attorneys from our county are needed.

A Word from the Bench:

I represent the Circuit Court on the Anne Arundel County Local Pro Bono Committee.  I am a strong advocate for local attorneys volunteering their time to represent litigants who cannot afford counsel.  In my experience, there is now an even greater need for volunteer lawyers than there has been in the past. I have seen Plaintiffs come into court without any witnesses and state they do not want to call themselves as a witness either.  In that event, there is no evidence.  In some cases, if the Plaintiff, himself, is encouraged to take the stand, the litigant will often just sit there, in the witness box, not saying a word without any knowledge of what his or her burden of production is.  This results in unjust and inequitable results. 

Through my participation in the Pro Bono Committee, I learned that in 2009 Anne Arundel County ranked last in the state in the number of lawyers who provided 50 or more hours of pro bono service.  Anne Arundel has since moved to the twentieth position.  But why not make Anne Arundel County come in first in the number of lawyers who volunteer?  Please consider donating your time and expertise to such a worthy cause.

                                                                        Judge Pamela L. North

 Opportunities:

● The Anne Arundel County Local Pro Bono Committee has partnered with the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) for the placement of  Anne Arundel County residents in need of pro bono representation. The Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service reports that many cases needing representation in Anne Arundel county are taken by attorneys from other counties.  It is easy to add your name to the MVLS roster. Just visit the volunteer page on the MVLS website and simply fill out the online form. MVLS supports its volunteers with malpractice insurance, mentors, free training, use of their offices to meet with clients and reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses.

● The Foreclosure crisis continues to affect our state with Anne Arundel County ranking fifth in the state in the number of foreclosures. The Foreclosure Prevention Pro Bono Project needs volunteer attorneys to help. Volunteers receive free training and are asked to provide two homeowners pro bono representation in their foreclosure cases and/or provide pro bono representation to one homeowner and volunteer at one foreclosure solutions workshop where homeowners receive free legal advice.  The Project provides access to malpractice insurance and mentoring support.

Anne Arundel County Attorneys are invited to attend the newly developed program on Foreclosure Mediation on November 2.  Since the basic training is a prerequisite you will be asked to view the webcast of the basic program for background. Your invitation follows:

Pro Bono Resource Center and Civil Justice are pleased to offer the below pro bono training program, A Practical Guide for Representing Homeowners at Foreclosure Mediation, as part of Maryland’s Foreclosure Prevention Pro Bono Project.  Since the Maryland foreclosure mediation program took effect in July 2010, we have learned a lot about how to achieve positive outcomes through mediation and we want to share our tips and strategies with you.  This training program is designed for existing Project volunteers who have already taken the Project’s basic training course.  If you have not yet taken the basic training course, please contact Annie Brinkmann of Pro Bono Resource Center to gain access to the webcast of the basic course (443-703-3050 or abrinkmann@probonomd.org).

Friday, November 2, 2012, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM 

University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law – ROOM 205

500 W. Baltimore Street

Baltimore, MD 21201-1786 

  To register, please visit www.probonomd.org/foreclosure-prevention-training. 

 Questions?  Please contact Annie Brinkmann at 443-703-3050 or abrinkmann@probonomd.org.   

 If you are interested in participating but cannot attend on November 2, please complete the registration process indicating that you would like to receive the webcast of this training once it becomes available.

● For those who prefer to donate to a worthy organization, the local committee suggests that donations be made to the Anne Arundel Legal Aid Bureau through AAcares.org.

Celebrate Pro Bono Week:

You can find out more about pro bono opportunities for Anne Arundel attorneys at the AACPLL Self Help and Pro Bono WIKI.  Posters of Anne Arundel Pro Bono Volunteers will be on display in the Anne Arundel County Public Law Library during Pro Bono Week.  Visit the library to see what other Anne Arundel attorneys have done to volunteer and to add your name to the roster of those “doing good.” (There will be chocolate.)

Please make the Local Pro Bono Committee’s campaign to increase pro bono service a success as we celebrate Pro Bono week this year Volunteer now!

Categories
Maryland Law

Maryland: New Laws in Effect Today (10/01/2012)

The news this weekend was full of reports on the new laws effective today, October 1, 2012.  The new “scooter law” seemed to be mentioned the most.

The MVA has information on the scooter law,  House Bill 149/Senate Bill 309 (CH. 210), including how to apply for a title and title decal on their website: http://www.mva.maryland.gov/About-MVA/Laws/new-scooter-laws.htm The MVA has also posted more information about other vehicle laws here:  http://www.mva.maryland.gov/About-VA/PRESS/120927.htm The laws include House Bill 313/Senate Bill 185 (CH. 47 ) which requires children, under the age of 8, to sit in a child safety seat unless they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, regardless of their weight and House Bill 67 / Senate Bill 177 (CH. 44 ) establishes how drivers must respond to non-functioning traffic lights.

An article in the MSBA September Bar Bulletin, New Maryland Laws Taking Effect Oct. 1 Background on bills affecting legal community, by Richard A. Montgomery, III  lists laws that deal with subjects such as criminal procedure, family law, real property and witnesses. 

Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services, The 90 Day Report: A Review of the 2012 Legislative Session , is a great resource for an in-depth review of the legislation passed in the last Maryland legislative session.

Links to all of the 2012 Session bills can be found at the Maryland General Assembly website on the  Prior Session Page.

Categories
lawlibrary

First Monday in October – Supreme Court Review

For links to articles discussing the new term of the Supreme Court, Marissa Miller of  SCOTUS blog provides a good write-up in her Monday round-up (Marissa Miller, Monday round-up, SCOTUSblog (Oct. 1, 2012, 9:10 AM), http://www.scotusblog.com/2012/10/monday-round-up-140/)

In the law library we have online access to the Bloomberg BNA United States  Law Week.  Preview highlights of the upcoming term and previews of last term are available.  This publication is a current awareness tool for following the Supreme Court and national case-law trends. There is an icon for access to this publication on all library computers.

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lawlibrary

New Titles – August 2012

New Titles Cataloged and on the Shelf in the Anne Arundel County Public Law Library – August 2012

General U.S.

Future trends in state courts 2012 / edited by Carol R. Flango … [et al.]. Williamsburg, Va. : National Center for State Courts, c2012.
KF 8732 .F87 2012

Maryland

Bosken, Katherine M. R. Find it free and fast on the net : Strategies for legal research on the web / [authors, Katherine M. R. Bosken . . . et al.]. Eau Claire, WI : National Business Institute , 2012. 
KFM 1275.5 .F56 2012

Tax exempt organizations from start to finish / [authors, Jonathan D. Ackerman, Steven M. Gevarter, Charles B. Jones]. Eau Claire, Wis. : National Business Institute, c2012.
KFM 1411 .T39 2012

Advanced personal injury : mastering your practice / [Authors, Frank F. Daily, Rodney M. Gaston]. Eau Claire, WI : National Business Institute, c2012.
KFM 1739 .P4 A73 2012

Self-Help

United States Federal Trade Commission. Taking charge : What to do if your identity is stolen. January 2012. Washington, DC : GPO , 2012.
SELFHELP KF 1610 .F35 2012

 

Categories
lawlibrary Maryland Law Self Represented

Self Help Guide for the Maryland Court of Appeals

The Maryland Court of Special Appeals has published “A Guide for Self-Representation: Maryland Court of Special Appeals.”  The library has added copies as part of the library collection (KFM1755.G85 2012) and has copies available for distribution.  The manual is also available online: http://mdcourts.gov/cosappeals/pdfs/cosaguideselfrepresentation.pdf

Categories
lawlibrary

2012 Herbert S. Garten Special Project Award

The Anne Arundel County Homeless Resource Day received the 2012 Herbert S. Garten Special Project Award on June 16, 2012 during the business meeting of the Maryland State Bar Association.  The award was presented to Chris Poulsen, Program Manager Community Initiatives Unit, Coordinator Homeless Resource Day of the Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services by Chief Judge Robert M. Bell, Herb Garten and Sharon Goldsmith, Executive Director of the Pro Bono Resource Center.  Joan Bellistri, Local Pro Bono Chair and Law Library Director, attended.

Categories
lawlibrary

Anne Arundel Homeless Resource Day to Receive Award

The Anne Arundel County’s Homeless Resource Day will receive the Pro Bono Resource Center Herbert S. Garten Special Project Pro Bono Service Award this year.  The award will be presented to Christine Poulsen, Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services Program Manager Community Initiatives Unit, Coordinator Homeless Resource Day at the Annual Meeting of the Maryland State Bar Association on June 16, 2012.

The Anne Arundel County Homeless Resource Day was initiated in 2008 at the request of County Executive John Leopold.  Christine Poulsen of DSS is responsible for the creation and ongoing development of the program.

Homeless Resource Day provides one location where those who are homeless or those who are in danger of becoming homeless can take advantage of a wide array of services.  The issues that affect homelessness are many and the agencies that can help are varied.  Having many of these service providers in one place makes it easier for the homeless to address those issues. Examples of the services include medical care, mental health counseling, social security benefits, birth certificates, and even hair cuts.  Food and clothing are available for distribution and lunch is provided each year. Volunteers act as guides for the clients and assist the participants in finding the service providers needed.  Over the last 5 years the event has grown to provide service to more and more individuals.  The first year there were 411 homeless served, 300 volunteers and 56 service providers.  In 2012, there were 654 individuals served, 474 volunteers and 83 providers.

After the first year, the Anne Arundel County volunteer coordinator reached out to the Anne Arundel Bar Association to see if legal services could be added.  The Anne Arundel Bar Association Pro Bono Committee was able to recruit four volunteer attorneys to provide legal services.  Legal services in the form of brief legal advice and referrals have been provided by Anne Arundel County volunteer attorneys since that second Homeless Day in 2009. The number of participants seeking legal assistance has increased each year.  In 2009 the four volunteers provided services to 50 and in 2012 there were 13 volunteer attorneys who saw 80 clients.  Those seeking legal assistance were referred to appropriate legal service providers or given advice on how to deal with their legal issue.

The Anne Arundel County Homeless Resource Day Planning Team  lead by Chris Poulsen has made it easy for the attorneys and the other providers to participate in the Homeless Resource Day.  Each year the services provided have been reviewed and needs assessed.  There were 56 service providers on the first Homeless Resource Day.  This year there were 83 as the gaps in services needed have been identified.  It is through this process that the legal services became a part of the Anne Arundel County Homeless Resource Day.

In 2011, Governor Martin O’Malley asked that all Departments of Social Services replicate the event so the Homeless Resource Days be held throughout the state.  Organizers of those events have sought to follow the model of Anne Arundel County by working with their local bars to provide legal services.