MLSC Seeks Nominations for Legal Services Awards - May 2 , 2008 - 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 a person (usually an attorney 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 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 2008 awards must be submitted not later than June 30, 2008 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

Maryland Financial Institutions Support Legal Aid for the Poor: Honor Roll Banks Go Above and Beyond New IOLTA Program Requirements - March 10, 2008 - Virtually every bank in Maryland has signed on to a revamped program that funds civil legal programs that serve the state’s poor—and many joined the Honor Roll Program by paying even higher interest rates on lawyer trust accounts.

“We thank all Maryland banks for their cooperation and continued participation in the Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts program,” said F. Vernon Boozer, board chair of the Maryland Legal Services Corporation, which administers the program.  “In particular, we thank IOLTA Honor Roll members for going above and beyond the rule’s requirements in their treatment of these accounts.”

The new rule, adopted by the Maryland Court of Appeals in December 2007 with an effective date of April 1, 2008, requires that participating financial institutions pay interest rates comparable to other similarly situated accounts. The new rule was designed to ensure that fair rates of return are generated on these deposits, which is used to help fund legal aid for the poor.   

The following banks have signed on as members of the new Honor Roll:

Adams National Bank, American Bank, Baltimore County Savings Bank, Bay National Bank, Bradford Bank, Business Bank, Capital Bank, Chevy Chase Bank , Citibank, ColomboBank, Harbor Bank of Maryland, Howard Bank, K Bank, NBRS Financial Bank, Provident State Bank, Sandy Spring Bank, Susquehanna Bank and Vigilant Federal Savings Bank. 

“The recent federal interest rate cuts will have a negative impact on IOLTA revenue, making Honor Roll participation increasingly important to legal aid funding,” explained Susan Erlichman, MLSC’s executive director.  “These Honor Roll banks demonstrate in a very concrete way their support for the IOLTA Program and commitment to access to legal aid for all Marylanders.” Maryland’s Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts Program was created 25 years ago to support the goal of ensuring that all Marylanders, regardless of income, have access to our civil justice system. 

IOLTA funds are distributed in the form of grants to nonprofit organizations throughout the state to help Marylanders in critical matters such as child custody, domestic violence, housing, employment, public benefits, education, health and other important civil legal issues.

Providers include Maryland Legal Aid, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, the House of Ruth, Maryland Disability Law Center, and many countywide and regional providers.

Court of Appeals Issues Annual IOLTA Compliance Reporting – Jan. 7, 2008 – 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 2007 Pro Bono Reporting form. Both forms can be completed online and must be submitted by February 15, 2008. For more information about mandatory IOLTA reporting and forms, click here.

MLSC Announces Grant Awards for Judicare Pilot in Maryland - Jan. 14, 2008 - The Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC) announces funding of four pilot projects to expand representation in family law matters at reduced fees. Grants for January 1 through June 30, 2008 have been awarded to Allegany Law Foundation, Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County, Harford County Bar Foundation and Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service.

In early 2007 a study was commissioned by the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) Section on Delivery of Legal Services with support from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to review the potential of reinstating a program from the 1970s known as “Judicare,” which uses private lawyers paid reduced fees to serve low-income persons who could not otherwise obtain civil legal services. University of Maryland School of Law Professor Michael Millemann conducted the study, which was released last May ("Final Report and Recommendations On the Potential Use of Private Lawyers") and presented at the annual meeting of the Judiciary in conjunction with the MSBA annual meeting in June.

As recommended in the study, private attorneys accepting Judicare cases in family law matters will be paid $80 per hour with a cap of $1,600 for 20 hours of work. Compensation also includes a waiver provision for up to $800 in additional payments if the attorney works five additional pro bono hours. MLSC plans to continue the pilot project through Fiscal Year 2009, and AOC will conduct an evaluation with the anticipation of expanding the project to other jurisdictions.

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 $108 million to help provide services in more than 1.5 million legal matters for Maryland’s families in areas of family, housing, consumer, employment, health care and other civil legal matters.

Informational Meeting for FY 2009 MLSC Funding - Jan. 7, 2008 - Nonprofit organizations interested in continuing or seeking funding from MLSC for civil legal services to low-income persons for fiscal year 2009 must submit an application no later than March 14, 2008. MLSC will hold a meeting to discuss the grant application process, general funding policies and the forecast for MLSC’s FY 2009 funding level with grantees and other interested persons on Thursday, January 31, 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.

Top Court Adopts IOLTA Comparability Rule - Dec. 14, 2007 - The Maryland Court of Appeals adopted an IOLTA Comparability Rule on December 3, 2007, requiring IOLTA deposits to be held in Maryland financial institutions that agree to pay comparable rates of interest on IOLTA as is paid to similarly-situated non-IOLTA customers. MLSC will be working closely with the Maryland Banker’s Association and Maryland financial institutions to ensure successful implementation of this new Rule, which has an effective date of April 1, 2008. See the recent article from The Daily Record and a copy of the Rule.