Judicare Family Law Pilot Project

The Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC) began funding four pilot projects in January 2008 to expand representation in family law matters at reduced fees. Grants for January 1 through June 30, 2008 were 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. Attorneys who are interested in participating in the Judicare Pilot project should contact one of the MLSC-funded organizations listed above in your jurisdiction, using contact information on the Directory page of this web site.

Contested Child Custody Representation Project

Child custody representation through a reduced-fee model was expanded in 2005 to cover most Maryland jurisdictions. Based on a successful pilot project in Anne Arundel, Montgomery and Prince George's counties intitiated by MLSC and the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) in 1999, private attorneys represent low-income persons in complex child custody cases at significantly reduced rates. The current reduced fee projects are administered by Allegany Law Foundation, Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County (formerly the Law Foundation), Harford County Bar Foundation, Maryland Volunteer Lawyer Services, Mid-Shore Council on Family Violence, Inc., Montgomery County Bar Foundation, Southern Maryland Center for Family Advocacy, Women's Law Center and YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. A complementary component of the Child Custody Project is operated by the Legal Aid Bureau through staff attorneys in various county offices.

An Evaluation Report of the pilot project was published in 2003 by the University of Baltimore Law School’s Center for Families, Children, and the Courts. The Center found a high level of satisfaction by attorneys, clients, judges, court personnel, and others served by or involved with the project and made various recommendations for its continued operation and expansion.

In March 2005, the Daily Record published a feature article, "A Parent (Not a Fool) for a Client," about the project. Attorneys who are interested in participating in the reduced-fee project should contact one of the MLSC-funded organizations listed above in your jurisdiction, using contact information on the Directory page of this web site.

Maryland Legal Assistance Network (MLAN)

The Maryland Legal Assistance Network (MLAN) was a project initiated in 1999 by MLSC in partnership with Maryland’s major legal services programs with funding from Open Society Institute - Baltimore to engage in the continued development, implementation, and expansion of legal information websites, a centralized intake system, and other initiatives to increase access to justice for low and moderate income persons. In November 2007, the Maryland State Law Library, a court-related agency of the Maryland Judiciary, assumed responsibility for the management and continued updating of the Maryland Peoples Law Library website. It also maintains the www.mdjustice.org website for legal services providers.