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SELF HELP - WHEN YOU CAN'T AFFORD A LAWYER
Moderators: Sarah Frush and Katherine J. Jones
Look for help with your District Court case at http://mdcourts.gov/district/selfhelpcenter/home.html.
The Maryland Legal Aid Bureau posted an online tool for filing for custody, visitation and child support in Circuit Court. The tool will walk you through a series of questions about your case. At the end of the process, you will be provided with a PDF of a Maryland Domestic Relations form filled out and ready for your review. Find the tool, which is a website, at: https://lawhelpinteractive.org/login_form?template_id=template.2010-06-02.8915381402
District Court Self Help Forums
DCt Self Help Legal Resources
Self Help - When you can't afford a lawyer
This section is specifically for development of materials for the staff providing self help services to litigants at the Glen Burnie Self Help Center, with the goal of developing material for expansion to litigants across the state.
Maryland Legal Aid self help brochures
Maryland Legal Aid has published a number of brochures and guides for clients. You can find copies here:
Brochures for clients about various topics from Maryland Legal Aid:
General Information Brochure
Human Needs & Human Rights
Welcome to Legal Aid English
Welcome to Legal Aid Spanish
If I'm Sued
Debt Collection Know Your Rights
Debt Collection Harassment
Bankruptcy:What You Need to Know in Maryland
Security Deposits
Rent Escrow
Evictions
HUD Subsidized Housing
Food Stamps
Protections for Direct Deposit of Federal Benefits
The Basics of Child Custody & Visitation
Divorce Basics
Access to Child Records
Medical Assistance
Social Services Appeal Rights
Long Term Care Assistance Project
What Is Elder Abuse?
Nursing Home Rights
Nursing Homes - Avoiding Discharge
Nursing Homes - Involuntary Discharge
Nursing Homes - Medical Rights
Maryland Senior Legal Helpline
Planning for Incapacity
Forms
Instructions and Wallet Cards
Fair Pay Booklet English
Fair Pay Booklet Spanish
Farmworkers Know Your Rights! English
Farmworkers Know Your Rights! Spanish
Farmworkers Know Your Rights! Creole
Ryan White Project Supportive Services Legal Assistance
New Criminal Records Expungement resource!
I hope I am not spoiling anyone's pending announcement too badly ...
There's a new web-based resource for clienbts for clearing their criminal record. Find it at
http://expunge-md.herokuapp.com/questions
The website has 3 buttons that explain what expungement is (What Is Expungement?), explain how to clear a user's criminal record (How Can I Expunge My Record?), and helps a user figure out whether their criminal record can be expunged (Can I Expunge My Record?).
I have attached a pdf of the About Us page so you can find more details about the project.
This is very cool!
Attachment | Size |
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expungemaryland.pdf | 252.31 KB |
Pro Bono Day - Washington County, Hagerstown
The Bar Association of Washington County Pro Bono Committee and the Legal Aid Bureau, Inc. are hosting a free legal clinic at the Washington County Department of Social Services. Have a one on one meeting with a lawyer about:
•Family Law
•Landlord-tenant
•Wills & Advance Directives
•Bankruptcy
•Workers Compensation
•Foreclosures
•Business Law
•Employment
•Real Estate
•Social Security Disability
•Consumer
•Immigration
•Criminal & Expungement
•Government Benefits
•Tax
•Serious Traffic & MVA issues
Attachment | Size |
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Washinton Co Pro Bono Day.pdf | 355.13 KB |
Washington Co Pro Bono Day Volunteer Form.docx | 12.42 KB |
Maryland Legal Aid Midwestern MD Office at Frederick Pride 2014
The Midwestern Maryland office of Maryland Legal Aid will be staffing a table at the 3rd Annual Frederick Pride celebration on Saturday June 28, from noon until 6:00 p.m. The staff will be handing out our substantive law brochures.
The Frederick City Council recently proclaimed June LGBTQ Pride month. In celebration of LGBTQ Pride, The Frederick Center has organized a celebration along Carroll Creek Park, with entertainment, food vendors, and community programs of all sorts celebrating diversity and human rights. For more information about Frederick Pride visit the website about the event at https://www.facebook.com/events/582720451817732/.
Maryland Legal Aid hopes to see you there!
The seven reasons you will fall for a scam artist
Excellent analysis, and way overdue. Share this with your friends and families. Post it wherever you can post it.
One excerpt just to hook you into reading this:
... before I tell you what’s wrong with the tired old saw, “If it seems too good to be true, it is,” let me get this out of the way: I hate people who blame the victim. Yes, consumers can be dumb, foolish, and even greedy. None of these things should ever be construed as permission to steal from them. These are the kinds of excuses you hear from criminals and corporations all the time, and I hate them. It’s always clear who the bad guy is: The guy who walks away with the money. The test is easy: Any time you take someone’s money and that person is confused about why, you are wrong. Give the money back.
Pro Se Manual for women who have fled domestic violence in their home countries seeking protection in the US
This looks like a very good resource for people we may not otherwise be able to help.
Dear Colleagues & Friends,
The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies is pleased to announce that we recently published a pro se manual for women who have fled domestic violence in their home countries and are seeking protection in the United States. We developed this manual in response to a call from advocates after hearing countless stories of women who fled domestic violence but who did not apply for asylum or were denied relief because they were unable to obtain representation while in immigration detention. Although this manual is geared at women in detention who face imminent removal from the United States, the manual also instructs women on how to file for asylum affirmatively. We hope it will increase awareness of the availability of asylum based on domestic violence and provide the tools needed for women who have no choice but to represent themselves.
The manual is available on our new website (check us out!) at this link. Please share widely with your networks, community based organizations, and local detention centers. Please contact us if you would like a hard copy of the manual mailed to you and/or have suggestions for where we should distribute the manual, as we have a limited number of copies available. Versions in Spanish and Haitian Creole are forthcoming.
Sincerely,
The CGRS Team
cgrs@uchastings.edu
(415) 565-4877
Blaine Bookey
Associate Director/Staff Attorney
Center for Gender & Refugee Studies
200 McAllister Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: (415) 565-4877
Direct: (415) 703-8202
bookeybl@uchastings.edu
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Social Security benefits for same sex couples
From the The Bringing Human Rights Home Lawyers' Network listserv:
For those who have clients that may be eligible, to follow is the link for application information for benefits for same sex couples.
MD Legal Aid offices are all closed on New Year's Day
Happy New Year! All offices will be open on New Year's Eve, and on the Thursday and Friday after New Year's Day.
MD Legal Aid offices are all closed for Christmas
Merry Christmas! All offices will be open Christmas Eve, and the Thursday and Friday after Christmas.
MD Legal Aid offices are all closed for Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!
Frightening Scam that appears to be from the federal courts
Notice from the US District Court of Maryland:
For those whose computer assistive devices cannot "read" pictures, the above relevant text is:
United States District Court for the District of Maryland
Greetings:
I am writing to alert you to a new scam potentially involving district courts. In this case, a fictitious arrest warrant on a criminal charge is sent to an individual, offering a chance to avoid arrest through the payment of a specific amount. While these scams are more prevalent in state and county courts, this particular scam has occurred in the Western District of New York in the last two weeks.
Felicia C. Cannon
Clerk of Court
New videos to help people represent themselves in court
The Maryland Access to Justice Commission released four new videos for the self-represented which can be viewed at the links below. The videos were produced by the Office of Communications & Public Affairs.
Tips for Your Day in Court: http://mdcourts.gov/video/selfhelp/atjtipsforyourdayincourt20131016.wmv
Service of Process: http://mdcourts.gov/video/selfhelp/atjserviceofprocess20131016.wmv
Finding Legal Help: http://mdcourts.gov/video/selfhelp/atjfindinglegalhelp20131016.wmv
Defending a Small Claim: http://mdcourts.gov/video/selfhelp/atjdefendingagainstasmallclaim20131016.wmv
Find videos at the court website: http://mdcourts.gov/reference/videolibrary.html.
Law Review Commons
This is a new free legal research resource.
Check out a blog about the website at http://accesstojustice.net/2013/10/20/law-review-commons-has-free-online-access-to-many-law-reviews/.
From the website:
The Law Review Commons contains over 75,000 articles from open-access law reviews with issues dating from 1904.
Current issues and archives are freely available online through law schools’ bepress Digital Commons repositories.
10 Things Assisted Living Homes Won't Tell You
Good things to know, be sure to ask questions about these topics when searching for a good facility.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-things-assistedliving-homes-wont-tell-you-1344980948534
5 Obamacare Scams And How To Avoid Them
Share this wherever you can, you know that when there is an opportunity like this, our clients may suffer.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/10/01/5-obamacare-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them/
Redesigned Maryland State Court website
http://www.courts.state.md.us/legalhelp/
Immigration: Free Maryland Legal Services Providers List from the Justice Department
As required by 8 C.F.R. § 1003.61, the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge (OCIJ) maintains a list of
organizations and attorneys qualified under the regulations who provide free legal services. The information
posted on this list is provided to OCIJ by the Free Legal Services Providers. The Executive Office for Immigration
Review (EOIR) does not endorse any of these organizations or attorneys. Additionally, EOIR does not participate in,
nor is it responsible for, the representation decisions or performance of these organizations or attorneys.
Maryland Legal Aid is closed New Year's Day
Maryland Legal Aid is closed New Year's Eve
Maryland Legal Aid is closed Christmas Day
Feedback
Brochures for clients about various topics from Maryland Legal Aid:
General Information Brochure
Human Needs & Human Rights
Welcome to Legal Aid English
Welcome to Legal Aid Spanish
If I'm Sued
Debt Collection Know Your Rights
Debt Collection Harassment
Bankruptcy:What You Need to Know in Maryland
Security Deposits
Rent Escrow
Evictions
HUD Subsidized Housing
Food Stamps
Protections for Direct Deposit of Federal Benefits
The Basics of Child Custody & Visitation
Divorce Basics
Access to Child Records
Medical Assistance
Social Services Appeal Rights
Long Term Care Assistance Project
What Is Elder Abuse?
Nursing Home Rights
Nursing Homes - Avoiding Discharge
Nursing Homes - Involuntary Discharge
Nursing Homes - Medical Rights
Maryland Senior Legal Helpline
Planning for Incapacity
Forms
Instructions and Wallet Cards
Fair Pay Booklet English
Fair Pay Booklet Spanish
Farmworkers Know Your Rights! English
Farmworkers Know Your Rights! Spanish
Farmworkers Know Your Rights! Creole
Ryan White Project Supportive Services Legal Assistance
Post new information to one of these forums:
Center Administration - Policies, procedures, and materials
News and Other Resources for Self Help Centers - News about self help centers
Outreach - For developing self help materials for clients