A2JC Dispatch – November 2024 Issue
The November Issue
In this month’s Dispatch, we highlight the work of the Access to Justice Commission, Maryland Judiciary’s bilingual staff pilot program, the launch of the Central Maryland Regional Veterans Treatment Court to expand services for veterans, and efforts to address a 77% rise in homelessness among Marylanders aged 65 and older. We also explore innovations like generative AI’s potential to transform legal accessibility, the impact of collaborative hurricane response efforts by legal aid organizations, and the launch of an award-winning knowledge management portal to enhance justice services. You can find all these stories and more in this month’s Dispatch.
A2J Commission News
- Give to Ensure Access, Fairness and Justice for All! Our civil justice system is built by lawyers for lawyers and may not yield justice or even fair outcomes if a Marylander is left to navigate the laws and court processes on their own, without quality legal information or legal representation. The Maryland Access to Justice Commission identifies access to justice problems, compiles data as the basis for solutions, and provides leadership, strategy, education and advocacy to make those solutions reality. In these times of unprecedented uncertainty, we need your help to ensure that we can maintain fairness and justice in the civil legal system. Your donation, no matter the size, will help us ensure that justice is not a privilege for the few but a right for all in Maryland.
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.
- Bilingual Staff Program Piloted by Maryland Courts The Maryland Judiciary has been piloting a program to enable bilingual court staff to use their language skills in serving the public. The pilot was launched in July 2023 in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County and in both District Court locations in Montgomery County. In each court, Spanish-speaking staff were provided an opportunity to apply to have their position reclassified as a “qualified bilingual” staff member. The Judiciary is in the process of expanding the pilot to other jurisdictions.
Local A2J News
- More People Over 65 Face Homelessness State Housing Officials Report From 2018 to 2024, there was a 77% increase in adults aged 65 and older facing homelessness, according to new data reported by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.
- New Central Maryland Regional Veterans Treatment Court Launches to Expand Services to Veterans On November 12, 2024, the District Court in Baltimore City launched the Central Maryland Regional Veterans Treatment Court, which will expand the program to serve Baltimore City and Baltimore County, plus Carroll, Harford, and Howard counties.
- Shore Legal Access Honors Volunteer Attorneys for National Celebration of Pro Bono Week On Thursday, October 24, Shore Legal Access held its annual Volunteer Attorney Appreciation event at Legal Assets in Easton as part of the annual National Celebration of Pro Bono week. Three attorneys and a law firm were honored for their dedication to providing free legal services to clients who can’t afford an attorney.
- Immigration Groups Brace For a Second Trump Administration Immigration advocates and civil rights groups are preparing to take on President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promises to crack down on immigration, from reviving controversial policies of his first term to enacting mass deportations.
- The Appellate Court of Maryland Rejects Argument on Litigation Privilege and Immunity from MCPA Claims The Court held that an attorney’s conduct that falls outside their duties as a lawyer—namely, submitting allegedly false affidavits describing the nature and amount of his legal services in support of the attorneys’ fee component of lawsuits filed by Collectors—falls within commercial aspects of law practice that are not exempt under the MCPA and MCDCA.
National A2J News
- How A Legal Services Agency Developed An Award-Winning KM Portal to Enhance Access to Justice It won for its development of the Legal Services NYC KM Portal, a custom-built knowledge management portal designed to enable its legal professionals to more easily access important resources and more effectively collaborate with each other.
- Panel Speaks on Reproductive Justice in wake of Trump Win If/When/How and the American Constitution Society (“ACS”) hosted a panel on “Reproductive Justice and the 2024 Election.” The panel featured Professor Anne Coughlin, Professor Naomi Cahn, and Federal Policy Counsel Sanchi Khare from the Center for Reproductive Rights.
- How Collaboration Powers Legal Aid’s Hurricane Response Legal aid staff in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina discussed their wide-ranging hurricane response efforts on Talk Justice. In the wake of devastating hurricanes in the southeast, legal aid organizations are mobilizing to provide emergency assistance and recovery services.
- As a New Supreme Court Term Begins, CAC Fights for Access to Justice and Gun Safety Recently, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in three important cases affecting access to justice and gun safety. The Constitutional Accountability Center filed briefs in all of them.
- Transforming Access to Justice: Students Tackle Language Barriers at Fairfax Courthouse Members of a team of 15 volunteer students from the Jurisprudence Learning Community (JPLC), one of five learning communities in the Schar School of Policy and Government, are spending time in the hallways and offices of the busy court complex conducting a survey project aimed at helping the court understand the accessibility needs of court users.
- Will Generative AI Actually Expand Access To Justice? Generative AI has the potential to transform the legal landscape — not by replacing lawyers but by enabling them to work more efficiently.
- Director Rachel Rossi Delivers Keynote Address at the Community Legal Services 57th Annual Pro Bono Awards Dinner Rossi recognized the distinguished attendees tonight for attending this event that recognizes the amazing work of volunteer attorneys throughout the 12-county service area of Community Legal Services.