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Anne Arundel County 2004 Pro Bono Action Plan - discussion

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Saved by Joan Bellistri
on February 14, 2011 at 6:56:29 pm
 

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MARYLAND

PRO BONO ACTION PLAN

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The purpose of this Pro Bono Action Plan for Anne Arundel County, Maryland, is to promote pro bono legal services to meet the needs of persons of limited means in the county.  This plan assesses the county’s needs, describes the legal resources that currently exist to meet those needs, and sets forth an action plan for engaging lawyers throughout the county to address those unmet needs.  The Committee hopes that its plan will be enthusiastically accepted and supported by lawyers in the county and that, with their support, we will substantially increase access to the justice system for persons of limited means..

 

I.    COMMITTEE COMPOSITION

 

The Pro Bono Committee for Anne Arundel County, Maryland, hereinafter referred to as The Committee, was formed pursuant to Md. Rule 16-902.  Anne Arundel County Bar Association’s President, Kevin M. Schaeffer, nominated five (5) lawyers to serve on the Committee.  The Circuit Court Administrative Judge, Joseph P. Manck, and the District Court Administrative Judge, James W. Dryden, nominated eight (8) members.  Attached to this plan is a roster of Committee members.  The Committee’s first meeting was held on Thursday, May 15, 2003.

 

II. NEEDS ASSESSMENT

 

The results of two (2) surveys were used to assess the need for pro bono legal services in Anne Arundel County.  The first survey of legal services organizations was conducted by the Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Service.  Surveys were distributed in early June of 2003 to 37 organizations statewide.  The Committee received the results of this survey in October of 2003.  18 organizations responded, submitting 145 surveys representing Baltimore City and the Counties throughout Maryland.  Surveys submitted for Anne Arundel County were represented by 11 organizations (see attached listing) with four (4) of these organizations’ responses including counties in addition to Anne Arundel. According to the  responses to this survey, the most important unmet legal needs in the county during 2002 were 1) contested family law/custody, divorce; 2) representation at IEP meetings, due process hearings, and mediation to ensure adequate services for students with disabilities; 3) non-English speakers small wage claims, workers comp, and health and safety enforcement for construction workers; 4) public benefits; 5) landlord/tenant/eviction defense and rent escrow actions;  6)employment-related issues, and 7) consumer finance/bankruptcy and other consumer issues.

 

The second survey was distributed by the Committee to twenty (20) non-legal Social/Human Services Agencies and tabulated by the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland.  Eleven (11) responses were received and analyzed (see attached listing of responding organizations). The results identified the following as top legal issues mentioned most often by clients: (1) Child Support; (2) Consumer Finance/Bankruptcy

Collection/Loans; (3) Public and Subsidized Housing; and (4) Child Custody/Visitation.  The top three legal problems or areas identified by these Social/Human Services Agencies as not currently being met were 1) Child Support, 2) Child Custody/Visitation, and 3) Public and Subsidized Housing.  

 

III.   NATURE AND EXTENT OF EXISTING LEGAL RESOURCES

 

The following organizations reported that they provide legal services in Anne Arundel County:

 

  • American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland: represents persons in matters of violation of civil rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, press and assembly, due process; discrimination
  • CASA of Maryland Baltimore Worker’s Rights Center: handles employment problems for immigrants
  • Catholic Charities Immigration/Legal Services: provides counseling and legal representation for low-income persons for immigration-related problems such as deportation, naturalization and employment problems and visas
  • Civil Justice, Inc.: addresses predatory lending in real estate transactions, homeownership counseling and consumer litigation.
  •  Hero: represents HIV+ individuals for advanced directives, durable power of attorney, standby guardianship, denial of public benefits, ADA violations.
  •  Legal Aid Bureau, Inc.: represents clients in CINA, family law, elder law, housing and consumer cases, special education and disciplinary proceedings, and public benefits matters.
  • Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations:  represents non-profit organizations.
  •  Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education, Inc.:  assists with special education issues
  • Maryland Crime Victims Resource, Inc.:  assists Maryland crime victims with protection, compensation, victims and general advice and support through the criminal justice process.
  •  Maryland Disability Law Center:  represents children with disabilities; abuse and neglect of disabled adults; discrimination issues under ADA
  • Maryland Volunteer Lawyer Service: places family law, bankruptcy, tax matters, wills, deed changes, power of attorney, living wills, landlord/tenant cases, Medicaid denials, school suspensions, defense of tort cases, name changes, adult guardianship, consumer rights, criminal record expungement with pro bono attorneys
  •  Public Justice Center: represents individuals in cases involving systemic change in the areas of racial discrimination, eviction, rights of children, employment discrimination and prisoner’s rights.
  • Women’s Law Center of Maryland: Pro bono attorneys provide summary information and advice through the Family Law Hotline
  • YWCA Domestic Violence Legal Services, YWCA of Annapolis and AA Co.: represents victims of domestic violence in protective order proceedings and Circuit Court family law matters; administers Custody Pilot Project matching low-income clients with private attorneys.

 

YWCA Domestic Violence Legal Services administers the Custody Pilot Project funded by the Maryland Legal Services Corporation and places custody cases of low-income clients with private attorneys who agree to represent clients for a reduced fee of $50 per hour with a cap of $1000 until completion of the cases.   A YWCA DV Legal Services paralegal places the cases and monitors the cases until completion. This program placed 31 custody cases in 2001 and 28 cases in 2002.  It also utilizes pro bono attorneys to supplement their representation of domestic violence victims.

 

Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service provides pro bono services in Anne Arundel County and has a recruitment program for pro bono attorneys.  Paralegals place the cases and monitor their progress.  MVLS accepts referrals from all legal service groups, social and human service organization, government agencies and other lawyers. They placed 99 cases in 2002 2001 and 81 cases in 2002.

 

Women’s Law Center of Maryland maintains the Family Law Hotline that serves Anne Arundel County residents.  Pro bono attorneys provide brief information and advice to residents requesting advice.  They responded to 417 calls in 2002 and 507 calls in 2001.

 

The Survey of Legal Services Providers provided by the Pro Bono Resource Center does not provide a comprehensive assessment of pro bono attorney activity in Anne Arundel County. Almost all of the organizations responding reported that they have pro bono attorney involvement in Anne Arundel County.  However, most of the legal services providers only gave statewide information.

 

Legal services organizations reported the following obstacles to addressing the needs of people of limited means in Anne Arundel County:

  • Limited resources of time and staff to train and support pro bono attorneys
  • Clients often need immediate help
  • Attorneys not willing to take time-consuming cases with long term commitments
  • Attorneys do not have knowledge of special areas of law effecting low-income clients
  • Staff model of attorneys is more effective and efficient for clients

 

IV.   GOALS AND PRIORITIES

 

The Committee’s three-year Goals include the following: 1) to substantially increase the number of lawyers in the county participating in pro bono services that meet the most critical needs as identified through the needs assessment process of the Committee; 2) to establish an on-going program that publicly acknowledges and promotes the efforts of Pro Bono legal service providers; 3) to establish an on-going working relationship between the Committee, the Anne Arundel Bar Association, and the institutional providers of legal services to county residents with limited means; and 4) to increase the availability of written information on pro-bono services available to those needing these services.

 

Based on the needs identified by both Legal Providers and the Social/Human Services Agencies, the Committee selected the following priorities for pro bono legal services to be addressed over the next three years: 1) family law cases including divorce, custody and protective orders; 2) consumer finance/bankruptcy and other consumer issues; 3) representation of students with disabilities; 4) public and subsidized housing; 

5) the representation of non-English speakers; and 6) child support modifications.

 

 

V.   MONITORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

 

The Committee, in collaboration with the Anne Arundel Bar Association and the various providers of staffed and pro bono legal services will establish an Evaluation sub-committee to develop a monitoring and evaluation plan.  The Committee will seek funds to engage a Pro Bono Program Coordinator to facilitate the implementation of the Plan and to collect monitoring and evaluation data..  The Committee will establish a plan for structuring and administering the position of Pro Bono Program Coordinator through one of the various providers of staffed and pro bono legal services.  After the first year of implementation is completed, the Committee will endeavor to conduct several focus groups, to receive feed-back from the low-income community.

 

VI. THE PLAN

 

Because of the lack of a unifiedpro bono program in Anne Arundel County, the Committee will need to develop a program from scratch.  Therefore, the following strategies will be implemented by the Committee during the first year following submission of this Plan. 

 

A.  Seek and obtain necessary authority and funding to engage a Coordinator of Pro Bono Services through an existing provider such as the Legal Aid Bureau.  The Committee proposes that it serve the purpose of monitoring and providing direction to the Coordinator.

 

B.  Meet with the leadership of the Anne Arundel Bar Association to gather ideas and design a method of soliciting the Association’s members to provide Pro Bono services to County residents with limited means.

 

C.  Establish an open, continuous and effective working relationship through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Committee and the institutional providers of legal services to the county’s residents with limited means, which include The Legal Aid Bureau, Office of the Public Defender, The Maryland Legal Services Corporation, the YWCA Domestic Violence Legal Services, and Maryland Volunteer Lawyer Services.

 

D.  Develop and begin to implement a recruitment program to attract members of the local bar to accept cases on a continuing basis in an area of law that suits the particular attorney’s training and experience.  Connect these lawyers with institutional providers identified above.

 

  1. In collaboration with the Anne Arundel Bar Association, develop and begin to

implement a training regimen for newer attorneys accepting Pro Bono cases that will provide these attorneys with the opportunity to gain experience from association and guidance from more experienced attorneys in specific areas of the practice of law.

 

  1. Conduct annual recognition events to publicly acknowledge and promote the

efforts of Pro Bono legal service providers.

 

G.  Develop a plan to contact each lawyer not involved in pro bono work to solicit contributions to legal services organizations.   

 

H.  Utilize existing materials and develop and distribute to the public written information on how to obtain Pro Bono or reduced cost legal services to supplement existing resources such as the Peoples Law Library and use public institutions, libraries, and social/human services organizations as distribution points.

 

 

VII. TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTING AND EVALUATING PLAN ACTIVITIES

 

The Committee will meet at least every two months to monitor and evaluate the plan activities and make any changes or additions necessary to attain the goals of this plan.  This assessment will allow the Committee to identify any new projects, partnerships or initiatives needing to be undertaken to address unmet legal needs.

 

 

 

 

                                                                  RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED

 

                                                                  Anne Arundel County

    Local Pro Bono Committee

 

By                                                                                Kevin M. Schaeffer, Co-Chair

 

                                                                           

                                                                                    Mina Naddaf, Co-Chair

 

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