A2JC Dispatch – May 2025 Issue
The May Issue
In this month’s Dispatch, we highlight A2JC’s events such as the Spring Social and the upcoming “Pizza Party” fundraiser, and A2JC’s insights on key issues like the commemoration of Law Day and Maryland’s Expungement Reform Act. Locally, we look at initiatives like House of Ruth Maryland’s Gateway to Change and the Circuit Court for Baltimore City’s Adult Drug Treatment Court graduation, as well as the Maryland Judiciary’s new data dashboard and MLSC’s 2025 awards. On a national level, we explore resources such as the free Generative AI Law Textbook and discussions on AI audiovisual analysis for public defenders, pro bono partnerships, and the importance of access to justice. You can find all this and more in this month’s dispatch.
A2J Commission News
- A2JC Celebrates Bill Signing with Sponsor and Justice Partners! SB154, a bill that added one year of additional funding for the Access to Counsel in Evictions Program, becomes law! Joined by bill sponsor, Sen. Shelly Hettleman and justice partners with the Maryland Legal Services Corporation, Public Justice Center, Community Legal Services and Renters United Maryland, A2JC celebrated the hard-won victory of one more year of funding for the transformational ACE law during this very challenging budget year. MD’s ACE law is a model in that it provides legal representation to all Marylanders who income qualify in an eviction proceeding. Research has shown that having an attorney during an eviction proceeding drastically improves case outcomes and levels the playing field. 88% of the people who received services through ACE over the last year, avoided disruptive displacement and the state saw millions in cost savings as a result.
- A2JC Shows Support for Maryland Legal Aid at its Equal Justice Breakfast As the only recipient of Legal Services Corporation funding in Maryland, Maryland Legal Aid ED and Commissioner, highlighted the challenges ahead, as the organization is bracing to face over $6M reduction if LSC funding is cut during federal budget negotiations. A2JC and MSBA attended MLA’s Annual Equal Justice Breakfast to show support and advocated together with MLA on Capitol Hill last month with MD’s U.S. Congressional Delegation during ABA Days.
- A2JC is the Keynote for Law Day with the St. Mary’s County Bar Association A2JC ED, Reena Shah, was honored to serve as the keynote speaker for the St. Mary’s County Bar Association’s Law Day celebration. Law Day, observed annually on May 1st, is a national day dedicated to celebrating the rule of law and understanding its role in protecting liberty and justice. The St. Mary’s County Bar Association’s Law Day program also included giving a scholarship to a student who answered a question about the law and recognizing the student and coaches of the Mock Trial Teams from St. Mary’s County that compete in the MyLaw competitions.
- Join A2JC at Upcoming Events! Wednesday, May 21 from 3:45pm to 5:30pm – (Not) Just Ice Cream Spring Social and Networking Event A2JC’s Public Interest Law Committee will be hosting its second annual Spring Social, (Not) Just Ice Cream, right after the Partners for Justice Conference on May 21 from 3:45pm to 5:30pm. The event will take place at the Babe Ruth Museum, a short walk from the Baltimore Convention Center. The event is free, but registration is required. Register here. Wednesday, June 4 from 6:30 to 8:30pm – A2JC’s Welcome Dinner & Fundraiser a.k.a. Pizza Party at the MSBA Legal Summit When buying tickets to the MSBA Legal Summit, please be sure to add on a ticket to our annual Pizza Party. With great specialty pizzas and a casual atmosphere, A2JC builds community and creates space for all public interest-minded MSBA members to connect by the ocean. Register here. Monday, June 9 from 4pm to 5pm – A2JC’s Public Interest Law Committee will host its second annual Legislative Wrap-up bringing together advocates from many civil legal aid organizations to report back on successes and challenges of the 2025 legislative session. All members of PILC are welcome to attend!
A2JC Insights
- The Maryland Access to Justice Commission Commemorates Law Day Reena Shah, the Executive Director of the Maryland Access to Justice Commission, recently addressed the St. Mary’s County Bar Association, during Law Day. Her remarks help us understand the importance of commemorating Law Day and its intrinsic relationship to access to justice.
- Maryland’s Expungement Reform Act: A Crucial Step Towards Justice and Second Chances Maryland recently took a significant step forward in its commitment to justice and fairness. Senate Bill 432, also known as the Expungement Reform Act of 2025, passed both the House and Senate and, on April 22, 2025, was signed by Governor Moore. This bill, requested by the Governor, addresses critical flaws in the state’s current expungement laws that have led to significant injustices.
- Real ID: What It Is and Why it Matters You might have heard the term “REAL ID” thrown around, but do you really know what it means? It’s more than just a driver’s license; it’s a federally compliant form of identification that is now required for many things. While this might seem straightforward, the implementation of REAL ID has serious implications for access to justice, particularly for marginalized communities.
Tips from Maryland Judiciary’s Access to Justice Department We are pleased to offer recurring content from the Maryland Judiciary’s Access to Justice Department as part of the A2J Dispatch.
- Brochures on Access to Court Records, Expungement, and Shielding in Multiple Languages A six-part brochure series on access to court records is available for the public from the Maryland Judiciary. The brochures cover: what case records are available on Maryland Case Search; to how keep certain case records private; shielding peace and protective orders; expungement of adult and juvenile criminal records; and shielding criminal records. Brochures are available in six languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Korean, and Russian. All brochures are available online. English and Spanish brochures are available in print for free. To view the brochure series or to request printed copies, visit mdcourts.gov/accesstojustice/brochures.
Local A2J News
- House of Ruth Maryland provides a Gateway to Change House of Ruth Maryland leads the fight to end intimate partner violence against women, men, and their children by confronting the attitudes, behaviors and systems that perpetuate it, and by providing victims with the services necessary to rebuild their lives safely and free of fear.
- Circuit Court for Baltimore City’s Adult Drug Treatment Court Celebrates Graduation On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, the Circuit Court for Baltimore City’s Adult Drug Treatment Court celebrated five graduates’ successful completion of the program. Since its inception in March 1994, hundreds of participants have improved their lives by completing the adult drug treatment court program.
- Maryland Judiciary Launches New Data Dashboard Interface The Maryland Judiciary launched a redesigned public-facing data dashboard on May 7, 2025, enhancing user experience with improved functionality and a streamlined interface.
- Nominations Open for the 2025 MLSC Awards Have a legal services hero you’d like to honor? Nominations are open for the 2025 MLSC Awards, to be held on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at 6:00 pm, at historic Westminster Hall in Baltimore.
- Pillars of Justice Honored at Charles County Event The Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office hosted its first Pillars of Justice Awards Dinner on April 11, 2025, recognizing individuals, agencies, and organizations for their contributions to justice in the community.
National A2J News
- Free Generative AI Law Textbook Adjunct Professor Tom Martin of Suffolk University Law School has authored a free textbook, Generative AI and the Delivery of Legal Services, designed for his course. The textbook and accompanying resources aim to educate law students on utilizing AI tools in legal practice. Professor Martin hopes to widely distribute these materials to prepare future lawyers to effectively use AI in the pursuit of justice.
- When Private Businesses Partner for Pro Bono Good: Koch and Kansas In 2017, Koch was interested in making pro bono work an official part of the company, but learned that Kansas rules did not allow in-house attorneys who are licensed by outside states to provide local pro bono services. Koch worked with KLS to get the rule changed, demonstrating that the demand for free legal help greatly exceeded the supply of legal aid lawyers.
- JusticeText: Bringing AI Audiovisual Analysis to the Public Defender’s Office Public defenders are among the most overworked and under-resourced players in the courtroom; however, as video and digital evidence play an increasing role in criminal cases, one startup is using AI to level the playing field.
- Justice Sotomayor: ‘This is Our time to stand up and be heard’ The legal profession and the judiciary are at a crossroads, and lawyers and judges must fight to preserve the system, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Judge J. Michelle Childs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said in a wide-ranging talk at the ABA TIPS 10th Annual Section Conference.
- Sanford School Director’s Research on Access to Justice Featured in The New York Times Magazine What happens when someone needs legal help but can’t afford an attorney, or doesn’t even know where to begin? That’s the question at the center of a recent New York Times Magazine article exploring why a growing number of Americans are navigating civil court without legal representation.
- U.S. Court System Eyeing AI Use Cases for Access to Justice Paul Drutz-Hannahs, the federal court system’s AI pilot lead, said the federated nature of the judiciary is a strength for testing innovations.