Investing in Systems Change
The Maryland Access to Justice Commission (A2JC) executes a strategic vision to architect an accessible, fair and equitable civil justice system across the state. Our framework—C.A.R.E. (Coalitions, Advocacy, Reform, and Equity)—is designed for high-leverage, systemic change, ensuring our interventions yield lasting societal benefit and deliver maximum impact.
OUR IMPACT IN FY2025
Advocating To Stabilize Families While Cutting Costs
Our focused Advocacy delivered a critical victory during the 2025 legislative session. We played a key role in securing $14 million in Access to Counsel in Evictions (ACE) funding in a very tough budget environment. This achievement allows for the continuation of the ACE Program, which provides legal representation to income-qualified tenants, directly stabilizing thousands of Maryland families and mitigating the immense social and economic costs of unjust displacement.
Driving Reform Through Coalition Building, Thought Leadership and Innovation
The A2JC serves as an incubator for sophisticated innovative reform. We lead two dedicated Task Forces:
- The Access to Counsel in Evictions Task Force continuously monitors and optimizes the eviction defense program, which serves over 25K families and prevents evictions and disruptive displacement, which in turn halts a downward spiral of instability that includes job disruption, school displacement, worsening health outcomes, and lasting financial insecurity.
- The Innovations in Tiered Legal Services Task Force explores scalable and sustainable solutions—including the utilization of allied legal professionals and technology—to efficiently close the widening justice gap for the hundreds of thousands of Marylanders who are presently not served by counsel.
Centering Data & Telling Compelling Stories
We continue in our efforts to collect and analyze civil justice data and use it as a driver for systemic change. Last year, we delivered an Access to Justice Asset & Resource Map, an innovative GIS-based platform that instantly connects vulnerable Marylanders with essential civil legal and social services, helps visualize the civil justice system, identifies underserved areas and saves time.
To address the deep disconnect in understanding between how the civil justice system affects everyday Marylanders, we partnered with MLSC to produce a professional storytelling video that was featured on a nationally syndicated show and distributed on public television stations across the country, to illustrate how civil legal problems connect to basic human needs and affect real lives.
Community Building & Attorney Well-Being
Understanding that strong professional networks and supportive communities are essential to sustaining a healthy and effective justice system, we delivered programming, events and well being opportunities for the access to justice community to strengthen bonds among attorneys, encourage collective care, and sustain long-term engagement in the pursuit of justice.
Join Us!
A2JC delivers sustainable, systemic change by aligning research, strategy, and implementation across legal, governmental, and community sectors. Your generosity ensures that every Marylander has the opportunity to achieve stability, safety and economic security, despite becoming entangled in the civil justice system. By investing in the A2JC, you are helping build an accessible, fair and equitable civil justice system for all Marylanders.