Tag: access_to_justice

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Attorney Training lawlibrary Pro Bono

Looking for Attorney Volunteers for Homeless Resource Day!

The 8th Annual Anne Arundel County Homeless Resource Day will be held on 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 (the most asked about issue), 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!

HPRP (Homeless Persons Representation Project) will provide attorney volunteers with a lunchtime training on expungement prior to Homeless Resource Day on March 19, 2015 at the Law Library.

For more information about Homeless Resource Day, check out this sites.

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EJC2014 lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

SRLN Pre-Conference at EJC 2014: Report of the SCCLL Incoming Chair

Maryruth Storer, the incoming chair of the  State Court and County Law Library Special Interest Section of the American Association of  Law Libraries, wrote an excellent account of the Self Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) pre-conference at the Equal Justice Conference.

Her article, A Newbie at the Equal Justice Conference, was published in the SCCLL News (Vol. 40, #2, Summer 2014) on page 10.

 

 

 

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EJC2014 lawlibrary Legal Technology Pro Bono Self Represented

EJC 2014: A Law Librarian’s Report

The ABA/NLADA Equal Justice Conference has ended and I am back at work.  The EJC is a joint effort of the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA). The EJC provided a great forum in which to learn from  interesting programming and from getting to know others whose work involves providing legal services to those who cannot afford legal help. I hoped to be able to report on a daily basis but found little time to fit that in.  Here are some of the highlights.

Continue reading “EJC 2014: A Law Librarian’s Report”
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EJC2014 lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

Survey of Law Library Services to Self-Represented Litigants: Reporting from the Equal Justice Conference in Portland

I am the AALL Representative to the Self Represented Litigation Network or the SRLN.  Over the last year I have been working with other members of the SRLN Law Librarians’ Working Group,  analyzing the results of the “Survey of Law Library Programs for Self Represented Litigants, including Self-Help Centers.”  The survey task force, also members of AALL State, Court and County Law Library Special Interest Section,  included Marnie Warner, Sara Galligan, and Charley Dyer.

Today I  reported on the survey at the SRLN pre-conference workshop at the Equal Justice Conference in Portland.

Jessican Van Buren, chair of the SRLN  Law Librarians’ Working Group, has posted the report, survey results and other supporting documents at SelfHelpSupport:  http://www.selfhelpsupport.org/surveys/ .

The survey shows how law libraries of all types serve the needs of the self-represented litigants.  Law Libraries serve the SRL by providing the more traditional law library services of research assistance, use of online databases and referrals.  They also provide services designed especially for the SRL such as websites, publications and forms.  Law libraries also work with self-help centers but the results show that law libraries can also provide the self-help center in the library or house a self-help center managed by another organization.

The report can act as guide for those seeking to develop programs for service to the SRL.  We hope that the information will be of value to not only the law library community but to the courts, the bar, legal services providers, public libraries and access to justice organizations involved in service to the self-represented litigant.

 

 

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lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

Anne Arundel County Attorneys Volunteer at Annual Homeless Resource Day

The 7th Annual Anne Arundel County Homeless Resource Day was held on March 29 at Annapolis High School.

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There were 19 attorneys who provided legal advice to 88 participants who had questions about 95 legal issues.  (For more detail see the Statistics page.)  As expected the number one issue was how to expunge a criminal record.  Three of the 35 who asked fit the criteria for filing and were able to complete expungement petitions that were mailed or filed with the courts on Monday. HPRP (Homeless Persons Representation Project) completed an expungement intake to follow-up on a more complicated case.  Having Antonia Fasanelli, Executive Director of HPRP,  and HPRP volunteer Mike Stone on hand for the day is really helpful to the volunteer attorneys assisting those with questions about their criminal records.  This year HPRP was also able to provide intakes for two who had benefits questions.

The Maryland Lawyers Volunteer Service (MVLS) not only sponsored the Anne Arundel pro bono participation in the event but was also there in person to screen for those eligible for MVLS services.  It was a great help to have Jessica Rich, Intake Paralegal, come with attorneys Joseph Franco, William Cooke and Cheri Wendt-Taczak.

Having attorneys from the Office of the Public Defender, William Cooke and Denis O’Connell, is helpful to those that need representation for current criminal cases.  This year they performed 4 OPD intakes.

Every year there is a large contingent from the Anne Arundel County office of  Maryland Legal Aid.  This year Anita Bailey, Margaret Leonard, Lisa Sarro, Jessica Quincosa, Amy Siegel, and Kathy Hughes were able to assist with many of the issues faced by the homeless.

Of course, legal services could not be provided without the the pro bono attorneys who practice solo or in small firms: Tasnima Apol, Kari Fawcett, Kurt Roper, Andrew DiBlasio, Scott MacMullan, Gene Brennan, Ginina Stevenson, and Angela Tonello.

Legal services are coordinated by me, Joan Bellistri, Director of the Anne Arundel County Public Law Library and Chair of the Local Pro Bono Committee.  As a law librarian I can provide backup reference and research services.  Bringing a printer is also helpful when working with criminal record research for the expungement cases.

We can only hope that someday the need for this program will be eliminated.  Until then the dedication of these volunteers is truly appreciated.

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lawlibrary Pro Bono

Legal incubators: for grads and needy clients in the ABA Journal

From the ABA Journal online today an article on the use incubators that provide an office for new attorneys to work with experienced attorneys and provide service to those in need:

Legal Rebels Profile : Law firm incubators help both grads and needy clients, Posted Sep 18, 2013 8:30 AM CDT By G.M. Filisko

Other articles on the topic includes links to different law school incubator programs:

Solos & Small Firms : Growing Justice: Law Schools Hop on the Incubator Trend posted Oct 1, 2012 1:30 AM CDT By Deborah L. Cohen

Law School Disrupt Blog Creative new ideas for training community lawyers: Solo incubators and training firms posted on October 1, 2012 mentions the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

 In Maryland:

Maryland Civil Justice is an example of such a program in Maryland.  Its missoin is stated on the website: “Civil Justice, Inc is a Maryland non-profit corporation formed for the purpose of increasing the delivery of legal services to clients of low and moderate income while promoting a statewide network of solo, small firm and community based lawyers who share a common commitment to increasing access to justice through traditional and non-traditional means.”

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lawlibrary Legal Technology

E-filing and the Self Represented Litigant

As the Maryland judiciary moves to institute e-filing, the question of how it might affect the self-represented litigant (SRL) is being considered.  The following references could help in that discussion:

Eight Rules of E-Filing: Rule #6 – E-Filing Must Support the Self Represented
http://courttechbulletin.blogspot.com/2011/09/eight-rules-of-e-filing-rule-6.htm

E-Filing Assistance for the Self-Represented: Seattle Law Library Shows the Way
Posted on July 21, 2011 by richardzorza
http://accesstojustice.net/2011/07/21/e-filing-assistance-for-the-self-represented-seattle-law-library-shows-the-way/

National Center for State Courts – Self Representation Resource Guide has a “Technology” section
http://www.ncsc.org/topics/access-and-fairness/self-representation/resource-guide.aspx

Older but could still provide appropriate analysis:

The Future of Self-Represented Litigation: Report From the March 2005 Summit (The Role of Technology in the Access Solution, p.81)
http://www.selfhelpsupport.org/search/download.68690

Self-Represented Litigants and Electronic Filing by Ronald W. Staudt (from the 2003 CTC conference)
http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/ctc/showarticle.asp?id=68

Washington State Access to Justice Technology Principles
http://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/?fa=court_rules.display&group=am&set=ATJ&ruleid=amatj02principles

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lawlibrary

2011 Maryland Access to Justice Commission Awards

The 2011 meeting of the Maryland Judicial Conference held on May 13 began with the awarding of the first Access to Justice Awards.    “The awards recognize individuals, programs and entities in the State that improve the ability of all Marylanders to access the courts or to get legal help in civil legal matters so they can benefit from the rights, protections, services and opportunities that the law provides.”

I am honored to report that I was the recipient of one of those awards, the Judicial Branch Excellence Award.  It was exciting to be on the program with Governor Martin O’Malley who received the Executive Branch Award, Judge Ben Clyburn who received the Judge of the Year Award,  and Sen. Brian Frosh who with Del. Kathleen Dumais was a joint honoree for the Legislator of the Year Award and with Matt Hill of the Tenants in Foreclosure Project which received the Outstanding Program of the Year Award.

Governor O’Malley was recognized for his quick response to the mortgage foreclosure crisis with the creation of the Foreclosure Mediation Program in 2010.

Hon. Ben Clyburn is the Chief Judge of the Maryland District Court and the Vice-Chair of the Maryland Access to Justice Commission.  As a member of the commission, I have witnessed first hand his dedication to improving access to justice.  Whenever a problem for access to justice is identified he immediately addresses the issue.  He was cited for creating the  Glen Burnie District Court Self Help Center and how he has addressed the problems of debtors in District Court.  Judge Clyburn is even able to address access to justice concerns as he works to create the new statewide case management system.

The Public Justice Center received the Program of the Year Award for its Tenants in Foreclosure Project.  In addition to advocating for their clients, the Center was instrumental in the changes to Maryland law and rules that protect tenants in foreclosure.

The Legislator of the Year award went to Sen. Brian Frosh and Del. Kathleen Dumais for their work in the 2010 legislative session that lead to the passage of HB106/SB248.  This legislation increased surcharges on court filing fees for the funding of legal services in Maryland.

I received the Judicial Branch Excellence Award for the library’s self-help and training programs and for the use of Web 2.0 technologies in these efforts.  Having been nominated for the award by my colleagues in the law library and public library community means more to me than I can properly say.

In his brief remarks the Governor stated “that often the difference between justice and injustice is access.” I am pleased that the programs instituted here in the law library have been recognized as contributing to this access.