Family Law Mentoring and Pro Bono Study Group - proposal (3/23/2018)

Tasnima proposed the creation of a “Family Law Mentoring and Pro Bono Study Group” that would consist of monthly meetings of new attorneys with Family Law Cases with established family law attorneys.  Meetings would include case discussion and guidance and special speakers. Group could meet in the law library in order to take advantage of research resources. Requirement for membership would be taking an MVLS family law case.  There is a similar program in Prince George’s County’s Community Legal Services.

Next Steps:

Tasnima will contact Kevin Schaeffer, AABA Family Law Section Chair and Hon. Donna Schaeffer, newest Family Law Judge as well as Erin McCarthy, head of the Family Law Division.

Joanie will discuss with MVLS.

contact PG CLS: 

INfo re: Nakia Gray, who ran the pro bono mentoring program for CLS and Joseph Greenwald and Lake for a number of years:

nakiagray@gmail.com

https://www.nakiagray.com/about/

MVLS article:

MVLS launching initiative for new attorneys and law students

By: Anamika Roy Daily Record Legal Affairs Writer April 18, 2018

The Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service is launching its Community Advocacy Network CAN to get new attorneys and law students interested in pro bono service.

The program is designed to give new attorneys and law students skills, networking opportunities and professional development to help them serve low-income Marylanders and succeed in their legal careers.

“The stability of Maryland’s families and communities depends on the generosity of attorneys who can use their expertise and training to help the less fortunate,” said Bonnie Sullivan, executive director of MVLS. “We are thrilled to launch our Community Advocacy Network to engage with new attorneys and ambitious law students who want to make a positive impact on Marylanders. Together, we can help more Marylanders fight for their families, homes, jobs and self-sufficiency.”

The 2016 Pro Bono Report from the Maryland Judiciary shows attorneys licensed in the state don’t participate in pro bono work when they are starting out. Some 58 percent of attorneys did not do any pro bono work in the first five years of getting their law license.

The CAN program is designed to help recent law school graduates work on their professional skills while giving back to the community, according to MVLS.

The organization is launching the CAN initiative on Thursday at MEX at Power Plant Live in Baltimore from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Attendees will get to meet members of the legal community who are trying to increase pro bono participating among new attorneys. Admission is free.

To RSVP for the CAN launch event, contact Kaitlyn Wernsing, MVLS development coordinator, at 443-451-4090 or kwernsing@mvlslaw.org.

Learn more about MVLS CAN here.