Self Help - When you can't afford a lawyer

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!

The Midwestern Maryland office of Maryland Legal Aid will be staffing a table at the 3^rd 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!

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

Happy New Year!  All offices will be open on New Year's Eve, and on the Thursday and Friday after New Year's Day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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.

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