Legal Services

A major funder of legal services for the poor will shave its grants by at least 5 percent across Maryland — even after dipping into its reserves. The 34 agencies that receive money from the Maryland Legal Services Corp. have been told to submit requests for grants next month that are 5 percent below current amounts because it is facing a "significant" funding shortfall, said executive director Susan M. Ehrlichman. And the cuts may be deeper the following year. The nonprofit organization's two main funding sources — the surcharge on court filing fees for civil cases and the interest paid on short-term bank accounts for lawyers' clients — have been hit by the economy.

A major funder of legal services for the poor will shave its grants by at least 5 percent across Maryland — even after dipping into its reserves. The 34 agencies that receive money from the Maryland Legal Services Corp. have been told to submit requests for grants next month that are 5 percent below current amounts because it is facing a "significant" funding shortfall, said executive director Susan M. Ehrlichman. And the cuts may be deeper the following year. The nonprofit organization's two main funding sources — the surcharge on court filing fees for civil cases and the interest paid on short-term bank accounts for lawyers' clients — have been hit by the economy.

Michael Bell's body is dying of ALS, a fatal disease that has steadily robbed him of speech and muscle control. But his spirit still has fight. So when his daughter's mother threatened to keep the infant from him after he broke off the relationship, he waged war, filing a custody suit in Baltimore Circuit Court this year with the help of a volunteer lawyer. After months of legal wrangling — and more than $16,000 worth of work donated by his attorney — Bell, 34, won regular visitation rights with his little girl.

  On Saturday - Oct. 29 th - Marylanders with legal problems can meet one-on-one with lawyers volunteering at a free legal clinic. The lawyers will deal with civil, not criminal issues. Topics that can be addressed: Divorce and child support, foreclosure, landlord and tenant disputes, bankruptcy, government benefits and wills and advance directives. The program runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Legal Aid, 500 E. Lexington St. in Baltimore. Consumers should bring relevant documents to the event.

The constitutional truth that all citizens have the same rights before the law is often obscured by the economic truth of the marketplace: not everyone can afford to stand up for his rights. That is the plank on which the Maryland Legal Services Corp. stands as it seeks to represent those for whom "enforcement of rights" can be a matter of survival -- the poor.Yet there was state Sen. Walter M. Baker, D-Cecil, accusing the Legal Services Corp., which is funded by the state, of biting the "hand that feeds" it by taking the state to court from time to time.

THE REPUBLICAN-led House recently took one more step against humankind -- by voting to sharply reduce funding for legal services for the poor -- and the Senate is poised to take a second step that could destroy this vital link between the poor and American justice.The full House voted for a bill that included a 33-percent cut in the legal services budget, bringing the already inadequate level of spending down from about $400 million to $278 million.Despite rallies and letters to leaders and members of Congress, the House's majority still decided to ax the budget; and the upcoming Senate vote appears ready to permanently damage the service that most often is the only access poor people have to the nation's judicial system.

ANNAPOLIS -- An appearance of plenty in the coffers of poverty law programs is being used as a compelling argument for legislative opponents of Maryland Legal Services Corp. to raid those assets.Three bills in the Senate would remove more than 20 percent from balances built up in the programs, which are designed to bring legal services to those who could not otherwise afford them.The bills are backed by Sen. Walter M. Baker, D-Cecil, chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, who admits that his pursuit of budget balancing is driven also by his distaste for the Legal Services program.

ANNAPOLIS -- State lawmakers will propose today that control over a growing pool of money that funds legal services for the poor should be shifted from a private-sector corporation to the state, with some of the money ending up in state coffers.The money -- $4.9 million last year -- is the interest law firms accrue on trust accounts set up for their clients. Since 1989, lawyers have been required to give the money, known as Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts, or IOLTA, to the private, non-profit Maryland Legal Services Corp.

THOSE WHO worry about the fairness of American justice can take some comfort that the Supreme Court this week stopped short of declaring outright that state programs to fund legal services for the poor are unconstitutional.What the court did decide, however, is threat enough to a system known as IOLTA (Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts) that provides about $100 million a year for legal aid services.IOLTA programs became possible as banks began paying interest on checking accounts in the early 1980s.

The main funding source for Maryland's legal services to the poor has fallen on hard times, and advocates are preparing to seek unprecedented state financial help - even as they keep an eye on a legal challenge that threatens to cut off a main source of funding for such services nationwide. The Maryland Legal Services Corp. - which supports 28 organizations providing legal help to those with cases involving domestic abuse, landlord-tenant disputes and other issues - faces a $1 million budget shortfall because of slack interest on the accounts that help fund it. The state's chief judge is seeking a $1.2 million subsidy to close the gap in the organization's $7 million annual budget, and advocates are planning a strong push in the General Assembly.

A legal self-help center at the District Court in Glen Burnie is now offering free legal advice beyond Anne Arundel County, extending its reach statewide via the Internet and a call-in service launched last week. "This is a way to expand the service throughout the state," said Ben C. Clyburn, chief judge of the District Court. Two-thirds of people forgo an attorney for civil matters in District Courts, Clyburn said, many because they can't afford a lawyer. Therefore, people need access to basic legal information, the judge said.

Like other law firms, a fledgling legal practice in Annapolis is looking for clients. But this one is targeting clients who need but can't afford a lawyer, has a retired judge on the payroll and is being financially supported so it doesn't need to turn a profit. The law firm of Michelle J. Moodispaw teams the former public defender with Joseph P. Manck, who retired from the Anne Arundel County bench three years ago. The goal is to attract people who earn too much money to qualify for free legal services — that's a poverty-level income — but can't pay full freight.

Michael Bell's body is dying of ALS, a fatal disease that has steadily robbed him of speech and muscle control. But his spirit still has fight. So when his daughter's mother threatened to keep the infant from him after he broke off the relationship, he waged war, filing a custody suit in Baltimore Circuit Court this year with the help of a volunteer lawyer. After months of legal wrangling — and more than $16,000 worth of work donated by his attorney — Bell, 34, won regular visitation rights with his little girl.

A t a time when record numbers of Marylanders are struggling with foreclosure, eviction or loss of health and unemployment benefits, nonprofit legal aid groups that help people pursue their rights in court are increasingly unable to do their job. Funding for legal services to the poor has plummeted as a result of the recession. Unless something is done, thousands of families and individuals will lose their ability to challenge the decisions of mortgage companies, landlords, employers and health care providers in court.

At a time when record numbers of Marylanders are struggling with foreclosure, eviction or loss of health and unemployment benefits, nonprofit legal aid groups that help people pursue their rights in court are increasingly unable to do their job. Funding for legal services to the poor has plummeted as a result of the recession. Unless something is done, thousands of families and individuals will lose their ability to challenge the decisions of mortgage companies, landlords, employers and health care providers in court.

I t's not every day you see the top judge in the state playing the role of party photographer. Robert Bell, chief judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, snapped shots at the annual awards reception for the Maryland Legal Services Corp., which provides civil legal assistance to low-income Marylanders. This was an evening all about the giving of one's services. "This gives us a chance to get together with grantees, judges, legislators and people who do so many good things for people who need legal aid," said F. Vernon Boozer, Maryland Legal Services Corp.

The cash-strapped Maryland Legal Services Corp., the quasi-public state agency that finances legal help for the poor, received a $425,000 check yesterday through the efforts of a Washington law firm, the second-largest private gift in the agency's 21-year history. The agency, which scaled back its grants to legal aid groups last year, said the donation will help maintain and possibly boost funding this year. "This really is a godsend for us," Robert J. Rhudy, the agency's executive director, said yesterday at a ceremony at the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building in Annapolis.

Advocates of legal aid for Maryland's poor are looking to the General Assembly for help in keeping their programs afloat in the wake of federal budget cuts that have reduced funding by millions of dollars.A bill filed yesterday in Annapolis would raise money for such programs, including Legal Aid and the House of Ruth, by collecting a surcharge when civil cases are filed in district and circuit courts across the state.The bill, sponsored by Del. Samuel I. "Sandy" Rosenberg, D-Baltimore, does not specify the amount of the extra charge, which would set by court officials.

It's not every day you see the top judge in the state playing the role of party photographer. Robert Bell, chief judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, snapped shots at the annual awards reception for the Maryland Legal Services Corp., which provides civil legal assistance to low-income Marylanders. This was an evening all about the giving of one's services. "This gives us a chance to get together with grantees, judges, legislators and people who do so many good things for people who need legal aid," said F. Vernon Boozer, Maryland Legal Services Corp.