Skip to Content

Powered By

The Maryland Access to Justice Commission (A2JC) is an independent entity powered by the MSBA. Your membership in the MSBA makes A2JC’s work possible. MSBA fulfills its own mission and strategic vision to advance access to justice in Maryland by supporting A2JC.

Key Civil Justice Issues

Civil Legal Aid Funding

Organizations that provide vital civil legal services are chronically underfunded, resulting in many Marylanders being turned away from legal services.

Right/Access to Counsel

You can lose your home, child or country – not because you did anything wrong – but because you did not have the legal help you needed. Fairness in the justice system requires access to an attorney.

Affordable Law

30% of Marylanders make too much money to qualify for free legal services, but still cannot afford to pay for basic needs, let alone hire a lawyer at market rate.

Pro Bono

Maryland has an aspirational goal of 50 hours of pro bono service per year, but only about 16% of attorneys in Maryland meet that goal.

Self-Represented Litigants

Most litigants in Maryland courts are navigating their civil legal cases and the courts on their own, without legal help. But law is complex and courts are not equally accessible.

Legal Awareness, Information & Resources

The main reason people do not get civil legal help is because people do not see their life problems as civil legal problems. And even after they do, it is not easy to access quality legal information and helpful resources.

Our Solutions

Advocacy

Serving as the Collective Voice for Civil Justice Reform

A2JC unites leaders and stakeholders to advocate for reforms that advance access, equity and fairness in the civil justice system, before all three branches of government. Our focus is on increasing civil legal aid funding and the right to counsel in civil cases involving human needs.

Learn More
Stories

Amplifying A2J Stories to Drive Impactful Change

A2JC works to shine a bright light on A2J Stories to increase the understanding of the barriers and solutions in the civil justice system. Through our Stories Hub, we promote awareness among decision-makers and the public about how access to justice is integral to ensuring that Marylanders are housed, safe and economically secure.

Learn More
Data

Creating a Data-Informed Civil Justice System

“If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.” The civil justice system is data poor and policy reform in the system is not data-informed. The Data Hub promotes civil justice data collection and analysis; houses first-of-their-kind tools and dashboards; and discusses our efforts to access more civil justice data.

Learn More

Our Work

Access to Counsel in Evictions Task Force 2024 Report

Maryland is only the second state in the country to provide tenants the right to access counsel in eviction proceedings through the Access to Counsel in Evictions (ACE) law, which is an equitable and cost effective solution to keep Marylanders housed. The ACE Task Force (TF), established under the law, is tasked with holistically reviewing and evaluating the new ACE program; identifying sustainable funding sources; and making recommendations for reform to ensure successful implementation. A2JC delivered the 2024 ACE TF Report on January 1.

Read the Report

Affordable Law Task Force Report

The Affordable Law Task Force is the first coordinated, statewide effort to confront the access to justice crisis of “modest means Marylanders.” While most access to justice efforts focus on the 10% of Marylanders who fall below the Federal Poverty Line (FPL), an additional 28% comprise the United Way’s ALICE Threshold and face this unique predicament: they earn too much to qualify for free legal services, but not enough to hire an attorney at market rate. Without legal representation, their lives can spiral. The ALTF Report lays out the roadmap and recommendations to address the A2J crisis for modest means Marylanders.

Read the Report

Law on the Frontlines Report

Access to quality legal information also equals access to justice. The Law on the Frontlines Project created the first state-wide legal reference curriculum and continuous training program for public library staff in Maryland. Frontlines tackles the blurry line between legal information and advice that can be a barrier to allied legal professionals becoming part of the access to justice solution. The Frontlines Report captures the Project’s 5-year impact.

Read the Report

Maryland Attorney General’s COVID-19 Access to Justice Task Force Report

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the State’s civil justice system—where problems like eviction, debt, abuse, and unemployment must often be resolved—was thrown into disarray. The Attorney General’s COVID-19 Access to Justice Task Force was a partnership between the AG and A2JC and developed a roadmap for the reform of the whole civil justice system to ensure the State’s most vulnerable remain housed, fed, safe, secure, employed, healthy, and connected to civil justice.

Read the Report

Get Involved

Donate

Be the change.

Your donation advances the most effective solutions to ensure all Marylanders get the civil legal help they need. Give today!

Learn More
Volunteer

Be the impact.

We are always looking for exceptional talent, volunteer your time with A2JC or take a pro bono case!

Learn More
Advocate

Be the voice.

Your voice is important in achieving civil justice for all Marylanders, join us!

Learn More

Stay Up To Date

Join our list to receive important Access to Justice Commission updates via our curated monthly newsletter, The A2JC Dispatch.