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Recent Articles from Joe Surkiewicz
Without filing fees, a grim future for those who need civil legal help
Over the last three decades, Maryland has built one of the most robust, innovative and effective civil legal services systems in the U.S., in large part because of the support and leadership of the Maryland Legal Services Corp. Right now, however, MLSC needs the support of the General Assembly if it’s going to continue helping […]
UB Law’s Pretrial Justice Clinic tackles mass incarceration
Back in the news is Maryland’s cash bail system, long criticized for unfairness to low-income people stuck in jail waiting for trial while the affluent post bail and go home. Last fall, Maryland’s Attorney General Brian E. Frosh opined that the state’s bail system is probably unconstitutional. The Court of Appeals followed up Tuesday with […]
Heartly House provides legal help to domestic violence victims at critical time
Heartly House is Frederick County’s only program that provides comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault. Services include emergency shelter, individual counseling, group counseling, an abuser intervention program, and a 24-hour hotline, which includes crisis and emergency counseling. And, last but not least, Heartly House offers legal services, like [...]
MLSC to honor the best in civil legal aid
Every December, the Maryland Legal Services Corp. honors the best of the best: the folks who dedicate their professional lives to helping low-income citizens with free civil legal aid. They come from a group of professionals who are underpaid, work in under-funded programs that only reach a small fraction of the people who desperately need […]
Foundation connects low-income residents to pro bono help
What flashes through your mind when someone mentions Montgomery County? No doubt its wealth, natural beauty and proximity to Washington top the list (along with, maybe, those epic traffic jams on Interstate 270). But what about poverty? In spite of its upscale image, Montgomery is not exempt. According to the Montgomery County Community Action Board, […]
‘Evicted’ author will connect poverty, eviction and homelessness at Baltimore event
In “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City,” Harvard sociologist Matthew Desmond describes the path from eviction to homelessness in Milwaukee, where he chronicled the lives of low-income families living on the edge. It’s same path for the low-income residents of Baltimore, where Desmond is the keynote at the 2016 Jane Harrison Speaker Series […]
Community Conferencing Center provides alternative paths to justice
Now that the charges have been dropped against the police officers in the Freddie Gray case, how can you not conclude that the justice system utterly failed? Which, naturally, raises another question: Is there a better way? Actually, there is: restorative justice, also called conflict resolution, conflict management and community justice. And one of the […]
MVLS expands its tax clinic
Imagine getting a $3,000 bill from the IRS, which insists your income was higher than reported on your tax return. And then think how much worse it would be if you were low-income and not a native English speaker. “A Latino client was told by the IRS that she had unreported income,” said Janice Shih, […]
Joe Surkiewicz: Center focuses on a vulnerable population
How can pro bono attorneys make a difference in the lives of young patients with neurodevelopmental and other disorders of the brain? For Jennifer Brennan, it was by helping an 11-year-old girl with a major brain injury hospitalized at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Her stepmother, who only spoke Spanish, was at her bedside daily but […]
Joe Surkiewicz: Veterans’ legal assistance conference features chair of top VA appeals board
At next month’s 8th Annual Veterans’ Legal Assistance Conference & Training, private lawyers can catch up on the latest in helping veterans secure disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. That extends from the basics all the way up to advanced training for experienced practitioners (i.e., helping vets exposed to hazardous chemicals, such […]
Joe Surkiewicz: Public Justice Center celebrates 30 years of working for a just society
For decades, the Public Justice Center has worked to build a just society by fighting injustice, poverty and discrimination. As the PJC approaches its 30th anniversary, however, the struggle has evolved. “Virtually all of our work has focused on disparate impact on people of color,” said Debra Gardner, the PJC’s legal director. “More recently, we’ve […]
Joe Surkiewicz: LEAP launches solos and bridges the justice gap
Wanted: A way to help newly minted lawyers launch solo practices, while finding more lawyers to assist low- and moderate-income clients with urgent civil legal needs. The solution: The Law Entrepreneurs for Access Program, a new legal incubator program launched by the University of Baltimore School of Law, the University of Maryland Carey School of […]
