Baltimore Pro Bono Day at Legal Aid

Discuss your civil legal problems one-on-one with volunteer attorneys at a free legal clinic. Types of issues include:
•    Divorce, custody & child support
•    Landlord-tenant
•    Wills & advance directives
•    Bankruptcy
•    Record expungements
•    Government benefits
•    Consumer issues
•    Foreclosure
•    Community & Nonprofit Organizations

Saturday, October 29, 2011
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Location:

Legal Aid
500 East Lexington Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

Sponsored by:
Bar Association of Baltimore City

In partnership with:
Maryland Legal Aid, Legal Services for the Elderly, Maryland State Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, Inc., and Young Lawyers’ Division of the Bar Association of Baltimore City

Bring any relevant documents with you.  This event is free and no registration is required.  For more information, call 410-539-5936 ext. 102 or email info@baltimorebar.org.

If you are interested in a free foreclosure legal consultation at the event, contact the Pro Bono Resource Center at 1-800-396-1274 to pre-register and learn how to prepare for the legal consult.

Towson Pro Bono Day helps nearly 100 people

Saturday’s Pro Bono Day in Towson, sponsored by the Baltimore Co. Bar Association, helped nearly 100 people with their civil legal problems. It was the first such event sponsored by the bar association.

“It went unbelievably well,” said Stanford Gann Jr., of Levin & Gann P.A., a vice-chair of the committee that put the event together. “People were lining up at 9 a.m. to get in. We saw everyone who came and got incredible feedback from them.”

Thirteen private attorneys volunteered (out of 17 total, including lawyers from Maryland Legal Aid). “Without fail, everyone said it was extremely rewarding and worth giving up a Saturday,” Gann said. “We got a real sense that we were helping people. Everyone got a detailed appraisal of their situation, advice on what to do or what to file. There were no glazed eyes.”

Some comments from participants:

• “Given options. I started with crying and ended with a laugh. Thank you.”

• “Eased my worries made things a lot clearer, so I know what I’m entitled to. Load off my mind. Thanks.”

• “The lawyer explained legal terms that were complicated to me. This positively helps people living paycheck to paycheck.”

• “Very informative, pleasant to talk with the person. Didn’t feel rushed. Nice one‐on-one conversation.”

Gann said that while it was the first Pro Bono Day for Baltimore County, it won’t be the last. “We’ll be doing this annually, at least to start,” he said.

The pro bono lawyers: Mark Scurti, Hassan Barnes, Stephen Nolan, Lee Baylin, Sean Elavia, Jasmine Elavia, Jim Nolan, Laurie Ruth, Ann Lembo, Don Zarumba, Kim Magee, Jerry Payton,  Stanford Gann, Jr., and Josie Yuzuik.

In addition, Doris Barnes of the BCBA, Yoanna Moisides of Legal Aid, Lawrence Burton of the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service,  Yvette Foreman of the Baltimore Co. Office of Community Conservation, and Scott Stevens of the Baltimore Co. Law Library were on hand to make the event run smoothly.

Bar Association of Baltimore City hosts 5th annual Pro Bono Day

The Bar Association of Baltimore City (BABC) will host its fifth Pro Bono Day on Saturday, Oct.  29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Maryland Legal Aid’s downtown Baltimore office, 500 East Lexington St.  About 170 Maryland residents with civil legal problems attended the clinic last spring for one-on-one consultations with volunteer lawyers.

Organizers of this event, which also include Legal Aid, Legal Services for the Elderly, Maryland State Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, Inc., and Young Lawyers’ Division of the Bar Association of Baltimore City expect more people to take advantage of the free legal help.

Participants with specific legal problems can discuss their options one-on-one with volunteer lawyers on a wide range of subjects including divorce, child support, and custody; housing and landlord/tenant issues; wills and advance directives; and consumer debt and bankruptcy.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. For more information, call the BABC at 410-539-5936 ext. 102.

Nearly 200 get free legal advice on Pro Bono Day

On Saturday, October 30,  the Pro Bono and Access to Legal Services Committee of the Bar Association of Baltimore City, in conjunction with Maryland Legal Aid, the Pro Bono Resource Center, the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, and Legal Services for the Elderly hosted “Pro Bono Day–Fall 2010” at Legal Aid’s Baltimore City office. Consultations were offered in a wide range of civil practice areas, including housing, consumer, benefits, military benefits, expungement, employment, family law, wills and advance directives, and general practice.

“The event highlighted the tremendous need for access to justice–people began lining up at 8 a.m. and by the end of the day over 166 people received legal consultations on approximately 187 different legal issues,” said Legal Aid’s Yoanna Moisides. “To help in the effort, approximately 60 volunteer attorneys, paralegals, law graduates, law and graduate students, and community members showed up to share their time and expertise. Feedback from the event is still being compiled, but initial response from those individuals served is overwhelmingly positive.”

Pro Bono Day slated for Oct. 30 in Baltimore

The Bar Association of Baltimore City (BABC) will host its third Pro Bono Day on Saturday, October 30, from 10 am to 2 pm at Maryland Legal Aid’s downtown Baltimore office, 500 East Lexington Street.

The last two Pro Bono Days, held in October 2009 and May, 2010, each served more than 200 people with more than 140 legal issues.  Organizers of this event, which also include Maryland Legal Aid, Legal Services for the Elderly, the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, and the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, expect more people to take advantage of the free legal help. The event is free and open to the public.

“The economic downturn has had and will continue to have a significant impact on the residents of Baltimore City and beyond, particularly those in low-income communities,” said BABC Executive Director Kathy Sanzone. “As a result, legal providers statewide have experienced a dramatic increase in the demand for legal assistance in a variety of areas.  The Baltimore City Bar Association is proud to partner with local legal services organizations to help meet this growing demand.”

Participants with specific legal problems can discuss their options one-on-one with volunteer lawyers on a wide range of subjects including divorce, child support, and custody; housing and landlord/tenant issues; government benefits, wills and advance directives; consumer debt and bankruptcy, foreclosure prevention, and veterans issues.  While registration is not required, it is strongly encouraged.

For more information, call the BABC at 410-539-5936, ext. 102.