A2JC Dispatch – November 2025 Issue
The November Issue
In this month’s Dispatch, we share the significant news of Ward Coe’s resignation as the long-time Chair of the A2JC at the end of the fiscal year, and highlight the A2JC Public Interest Law Committee’s three program submissions for the MSBA Legal Summit. Locally, we cover a community group’s successful challenge to Baltimore’s Tax Sale System, welcome Kevonne Small as Maryland Legal Aid’s new Chief Legal Director, and recognize the volunteer attorneys honored by Shore Legal Access during Pro Bono Week. At a national level, we explore why Legal Aid is embracing AI, and report on the new ability for immigrants to seek attorneys’ fees for successful habeas cases. You can find all these stories and more in this month’s Dispatch.
A2J Commission News
- Long-time Chair of A2JC to resign in June, ’26 The incomparable, Ward Coe, long-standing Chair of the Access to Justice Commission, will be resigning his post at the end of this fiscal year. Ward started as chair of the Commission 10 years ago in 2015 and has helmed the growth and influence of the Commission, including creating a partnership with UB Law to start the Commission and a transition to MSBA as an institutional partner in 2018. He has also overseen the Commission’s involvement in major reform initiatives, including the AG’s COVID-19 Task Force, the Affordable Law Task Force, the Access to Counsel in Evictions Task Force and the Innovations in Tiered Legal Services Task Force. A2JC’s Governance Committee will be leading the charge to find a new chair.
- Public Interest Law Committee Gears up for MSBA Legal Summit A2JC’s Public Interest Law Committee is excited about the MSBA Legal Summit. It submitted three programs for consideration for the conference and is hoping to have a chance to present programming that would appeal to the public interest and private bar communities who attend the Legal Summit.
A2JC Insights
- A Victory for Tenants: Maryland’s Mold Protection Act and Access to Justice In Maryland, a new law, Chapter 539 (Senate Bill 856), also known as the Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act, has taken a significant step toward improving this access for tenants by addressing the serious issue of mold in rental housing.
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.
- Administrative Office of the Courts recently published two new Guide & File interviews for litigants seeking peace orders or a change in child support. Peace orders can be confusing for self-represented litigants. They may have difficulty fitting their situation to complicated relationship criteria and eligibility requirements. The Guide & File interview Peace Orders takes the guesswork out of eligibility, directing the litigant to the right place and simplifying forms completion. The Modification of Child Support interview demystifies asking a court to increase or decrease the amount of child support a litigant receives. Coupled with the pre-existing interview to establish child support, the Administrative Office of the Courts guides self-represented litigants to the right information at the right time. The public may complete these interviews and many others on the Guide & File page on mdcourts.gov.
Local A2J News
- Community Group’s Challenge to Baltimore’s Tax Sale System Survives Motions to Dismiss A neighborhood group’s lawsuit challenging Baltimore’s tax sale system may move forward, a federal judge ruled Friday.
- Kevonne Small Joins Maryland Legal Aid as Chief Legal Director Kevonne Small has joined Maryland Legal Aid as the Chief Legal Director. Kevonne brings more than 17 years of experience at the Department of Justice, where she litigated human trafficking, hate crimes, and police misconduct, and other multi-layered civil rights violations.
- Shore Legal Access Honors Volunteer Attorneys for National Celebration of Pro Bono Week Shore Legal Access recently held its annual Volunteer Attorney Appreciation event at Legal Assets in Easton as part of the annual National Celebration of Pro Bono week. Two attorneys were honored for their dedication to providing free legal services to clients who can’t afford an attorney, while four staff members were recognized for their continued years of service to Shore Legal Access and the community.
- Baltimore Scene: Rooted in Justice Gala, 35 Years of PBRC Rooted in Justice: 35 Years of PBRC gala brought together Maryland’s legal and philanthropic communities for an evening of celebration and commitment to justice.
- Maryland Changes Eviction Process, Adds Property Loss Warnings for Tenants A new Maryland law requires landlords statewide to warn tenants they could lose all personal belongings during evictions, while also establishing new advance notice requirements.
National A2J News
- Why is Legal Aid Embracing AI Faster than Other Legal Professionals? Legal technologists discuss a recent survey that found that legal aid attorneys are adopting AI at a faster rate than other legal professionals on Talk Justice.
- Immigrants With Successful Habeas Cases Can Seek Attorneys’ Fees The Equal Access to Justice Act authorizes the award of attorneys’ fees against the government to petitioners who prevail in habeas actions challenging detention by immigration authorities, the Tenth Circuit ruled.
- San Francisco Nonprofit Just Began Offering Legal Aid to Trans Immigrants. Requests Are Pouring In. At a time when attacks on the rights of transgender people across the U.S. have become commonplace, and during the very same week that Trump planned and called off a “surge” of federal immigration troops into San Francisco, Parivar, a local nonprofit, launched its first legal-aid program for transgender immigrants.
- North Carolina Lawmakers Hamstring Access to Civil Legal Aid A state program funding free legal services was frozen in June. The legislature isn’t rushing to fix it.
- AI Won’t Replace Lawyers, But it Could Make Legal Services More Affordable Millions of Americans face civil legal issues every day. As per the Legal Services Corporation’s 2022 report “The Justice Gap,” many make these uncertain journeys alone, unable to afford representation.
- In South Carolina, Evictions Are the ‘Scarlet E’ That Never Go Away: In 2016, Charleston County saw over 15,600 eviction filings, according to data from county. According to data from Legal Services Corporation’s Civil Court Data Initiative, in 2024 Charleston County saw over 10,800 filings, behind Richland and Greenville County, which saw around 18,800 and 14,900 respectively.
- Legal Aid’s Colleen Cotter Is Making Justice Work for Everyone in Cleveland As executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Cotter leads with compassion and courage — ensuring families, workers and communities have access to the legal support they need to build a fairer future.