News Alert! IOLTA Account Holders: No Action Needed on Bank Notice about FDIC Coverage - November 15, 2010 – Attorneys that hold IOLTA (Interest on Lawyer Trust Account) funds may be notified soon by financial institutions about pending changes in FDIC coverage of the accounts. This notice will not necessitate any immediate action by IOLTA account holders.

Maryland Legal Services Corporation Announces 2010 Legal Services Awards - October 15, 2010 – The Board of Directors of the Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC) has selected persons and organizations to receive its 2010 legal services awards. F. Vernon Boozer, Chairman of the MLSC Board, Maryland Chief Judge Robert M. Bell and members of the MLSC Board will present the awards at the organization’s annual awards reception on Monday, December 6, 2010, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore Hotel.

Ward B. Coe III of Gallagher Evelius & Jones LLP, will receive the Arthur W. Machen, Jr. Award. This award is presented annually to an attorney (usually in private practice) who has rendered extraordinary service by providing civil legal services to the poor or by improving the civil legal services delivery system for such persons. Throughout his long and established career as a practicing attorney in the public and private sector in Maryland, Mr. Coe has had a strong record of support of legal services to the poor, especially his extensive involvement in the lengthy class action suit to reform the Baltimore City foster care system and service as chair of the statewide Standing Committee on Pro Bono.

Wilhelm H. Joseph, Jr., executive director of the Legal Aid Bureau, will be honored as this year’s recipient of the MLSC Benjamin L. Cardin Distinguished Service Award. This award is presented annually to an outstanding public interest attorney regularly involved in providing, promoting or managing civil legal services to the poor. Mr. Joseph, who has led the Legal Aid Bureau for 14 years, has advocated for the poor through his long civil rights career, his efforts with the filing fee initiatives in the Maryland General Assembly and many other accomplishments.

This year’s William L. Marbury Outstanding Advocate Award, for a non-attorney who has demonstrated outstanding service representing the rights and legal needs of low-income persons or by expanding access to justice for such persons, will be presented to Carole J. Alexander, former executive director of the House of Ruth. Ms. Alexander was the longest serving director, transforming the domestic violence landscape with meaningful protections and services for victims in Maryland and creating the legal services clinic, which has been a national model.

MLSC is presenting the Herbert S. Garten Public Citizen Award, which honors an entity or organization not regularly engaged in the delivery of legal services to low-income persons, to two law firms, Dickstein Shapiro LLP and Hunton & Williams LLP, because of their dedicated pro bono services on behalf of immigrants’ rights in cooperation with the Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services in Silver Spring and the Montgomery County Family Justice Center. Both firms provide legal counseling five afternoons a week to immigrant domestic violence victims and recruit, train and mentor other pro bono attorneys who take cases related to visas and citizenship as well as domestic violence.

The MLSC Board is also presenting Awards of Special Recognition to Senator Brian E. Frosh and Delegate Kathleen M. Dumais, of the Maryland General Assembly, who were leaders in the legislature working tirelessly to assure the passage of the filing fee surcharge legislation in 2010 to benefit funding for legal services to low-income Marylanders.  Additionally, MLSC will recognize Marguerite Gardner, who retired after serving as administrative assistant for the Legal Services to the Elderly Program of the Bar Association of Baltimore City since its inception and providing compassion and patience as a “first responder” to every senior that contacted the office. MLSC will also recognize the outstanding service of outgoing Board member Douglas S. Snyder, Ph.D. of Bowie.

MLSC annually solicits nominations for legal services awards from bar associations, legal services programs and other interested persons and organizations. MLSC was established by the Maryland General Assembly in 1982 to receive and distribute funds to nonprofit organizations that provide civil legal assistance to low-income persons. From its inception, MLSC has made grants totaling over $138 million to help provide services in more than 1.7 million legal matters for Maryland’s families in areas of family, housing, consumer, employment, health care and other civil legal matters.
Media Partner: The Daily Record

FDIC Board Adopts Final Rule Extending TAG Program and Maintains Current Deposit Insurance Assessment Rates - June 22, 2010 - The Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today adopted a final rule extending the Transaction Account Guarantee (TAG) program for six months, from July 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010. Under the TAG program, customers of participating insured depository institutions are provided full coverage on qualifying transaction accounts.As in the original rule, IOLTA accounts continue to be covered by the full FDIC insurance available at financial institutions participating in the TAG Program.

FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said: "While I believe that the TAG program has proven to be critical to ensuring our financial system's stability, it was established as a temporary program. Ultimately, it should be up to Congress to determine our insurance limits. Adoption of this final rule allows the opportunity for Congress to conclude its current deliberations relative to this program."
The rule also provides for an additional extension of the program, without further rulemaking, for a period of time not to exceed December 31, 2011.

MLSC Extends Date for Legal Services Awards Nominations - June 9, 2010 - The Maryland Legal Services Corporation has extended the date until June 30, 2010 for nominations for four awards it presents annually to persons making outstanding contributions to the provision of legal assistance to Maryland’s poor. See details and links to forms below.

MLSC Seeks Nominations for Legal Services Awards - April 29 , 2010 - The Maryland Legal Services Corporation is soliciting nominations for four awards it presents annually to persons making outstanding contributions to the provision of legal assistance to Maryland’s poor. Formal awards will be presented at an Annual Awards Ceremony in the fall. The four awards are as follows:

• The Arthur W. Machen, Jr. Award to an attorney (usually in private practice) who has rendered extraordinary services in Maryland by providing civil legal services to the poor or by improving the civil legal services delivery system for such persons;
• The Benjamin L. Cardin Distinguished Service Award to an outstanding public interest attorney who is regularly involved in providing, promoting or managing civil legal services to the poor;
• The William L. Marbury Outstanding Advocate Award to a non-attorney who has demonstrated outstanding service in Maryland representing the rights and legal needs of the poor; and
• The Herbert S. Garten Public Citizen Award to an entity or organization (not regularly engaged in the delivery of legal sevices to low-income persons) that has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to increase access to justice for the poor in Maryland.

MLSC encourages organizations and individuals to make nominations for any or all four of these awards to the Board of Directors of the Maryland Legal Services Corporation for their consideration and selection. Nominations for the 2010 awards must be submitted not later than June 15, 2010 to MLSC.

For additional information regarding the MLSC Legal Services Awards or to obtain nomination forms, contact MLSC at (410) 576-9494 or toll free at (800) 492-1340 or download from this site:

Machen Award | Cardin Award | Marbury Award | Garten Award | Past Recipients

Court of Appeals Issues Annual IOLTA Compliance Reporting – Jan. 8, 2010 – The Maryland Court of Appeals has issued a compliance mailing to every attorney on active status admitted to the practice of law in Maryland. This mailing contains the annual IOLTA Compliance Report form along with the Pro Bono Reporting form. Both forms can be completed online and must be submitted by February 15, 2010. For more information about mandatory IOLTA reporting and forms, click here.

Informational Meeting for FY 2011 MLSC Funding - Dec. 21 , 2009 - Nonprofit organizations interested in continuing or seeking funding from MLSC for civil legal services to low-income persons for fiscal year 2011 must submit an application no later than March 15, 2010. MLSC will hold a meeting to discuss the grant application process, general funding policies and the forecast for MLSC’s FY 2011 funding level with grantees and other interested persons on Thursday, January 14, 10:30 a.m. in the Poe Room at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Branch, 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore. MLSC grant application packets will be distributed at the meeting. Please contact MLSC in advance of the meeting if you need grant application materials in alternate format (such as Braille or large print). Directions. For more information about the Grant Process, click here.

Maryland Legal Services Corporation Announces 2009 Legal Services Awards – October 6, 2009 – The Board of Directors of the Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC) has selected persons and organizations to receive its 2009 legal services awards. F. Vernon Boozer, Chairman of the MLSC Board, and Maryland Chief Judge Robert M. Bell will present the awards at the organization’s annual awards reception on Monday, December 7, 2009, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore Hotel.

Carl R. Gold of the Law Offices of Carl R. Gold and professor at Towson University will receive the Arthur W. Machen, Jr. Award. This award is presented annually to an attorney (usually in private practice) who has rendered extraordinary service by providing civil legal services to the poor or by improving the civil legal services delivery system for such persons. Throughout his long and established career as a Maryland attorney, Mr. Gold has had a strong record of support of legal services to the poor, especially by providing pro bono services in competency and commitment hearings as well as difficult, long-running special education cases.

L. Tracy Brown and Deborah Jean Weimer will be honored as this year’s co-recipients of the MLSC Benjamin L. Cardin Distinguished Service Award. This award is presented annually to an outstanding public interest attorney regularly involved in providing or advancing civil legal services to the poor. Ms. Brown has been a strong advocate of family law and domestic violence issues in a public service career of more than 30 years, including expanding the work of the Women’s Law Center since becoming director in 2001. Ms. Weimer also has devoted over 30 years to public service, including inspiring law students to pursue public interest careers or pro bono service and achieving law reforms benefiting people with HIV/AIDS and their children.

This year’s William L. Marbury Outstanding Advocate Award will be presented to Carol Ahlum, a paralegal with the Legal Aid Bureau of Mid-Western Maryland. Presented annually to a non-attorney who demonstrates outstanding service representing the rights and legal needs of low-income persons or by expanding access to justice for such persons, this year’s recipient has worked in the Legal Aid office in Frederick for 18 years as an effective advocate for clients in public benefits proceedings, as an active member in community organizations benefiting low-income people and as a trainer and mentor of other legal services advocates.

MLSC is presenting the Herbert S. Garten Public Citizen Award, which honors an entity or organization not regularly engaged in the delivery of legal services to low-income persons, to Sandy Spring Bank, which has the distinction of being a founding and continuous member of the MLSC and Maryland State Bar Association Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Honor Roll. Sandy Spring Bank continues to demonstrate its support for legal aid and the mission of MLSC by maintaining a higher rate of interest on over 200 IOLTA accounts to help sustain legal services to low-income people in these difficult economic times.

The MLSC Board is also presenting an Award of Special Recognition to Senator Robert A. (Bobby) Zirkin, who helped MLSC avoid a significant cut in funds and conditions affecting awarding of grants during the 2009 Maryland General Assembly. MLSC annually solicits nominations for legal services awards from bar associations, legal services programs and other interested persons and organizations. MLSC was established by the Maryland General Assembly in 1982 to receive and distribute funds to nonprofit organizations that provide civil legal assistance to low-income persons. From its inception, MLSC has made grants totaling over $138 million to help provide services in more than 1.7 million legal matters for Maryland’s families in areas of family, housing, consumer, employment, health care and other civil legal matters. - Media Partner: The Daily Record

FDIC Final Rule Guarantees IOLTA Accounts through June 2010 – On September 1st, the FDIC published its final rule, amending the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program (TLGP) and extending the Transaction Account Guarantee Program (TAG) for six months, until June 30, 2010. Under the final Rule, funds in IOLTA accounts will continue to be fully guaranteed by the FDIC, without limit, for participating financial institutions. Institutions will have the option to opt-out of the extended TAG coverage, and as in the initial Rule, are required to prominently display their status as either participating or not participating. IOLTA funds held in institutions that opt out of the extended TAG program (or that opted out of the initial TAG) will be insured up to $250,000 per owner (i.e. client) until December 31, 2013. The FDIC maintains a list of institutions that opted out of the current TAG coverage at: http://www.fdic.gov/regulations/resources/TLGP/optout.html and it is expected that institutions that opt out of the extended coverage would similarly be posted, subsequent to the November 2 deadline.