Maryland Center for Legal Assistance Annual Report 202

Director's Message

May 19, 2021 by Emily Angel

In 2020, the Maryland Center for Legal Assistance experienced many changes, some that were a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, including MCLA being required to close its walk-in centers, MCLA staff continued to serve litigants via the telephone call center which did not close, resulting in MCLA assisting more than 96,000 visitors.

MCLA is extremely proud of its accomplishments from this past year, in particular, the high-quality service that staff and pro bono attorneys continued to provide to pro se litigants during COVID-19 center closures. Throughout summer 2020, MCLA increased its offerings of free, monthly live webinars on a range of civil legal issues.

MCLA also acquired the Family Law Self Help Center Program in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, further expanding the provision of free legal advice and resources for pro se litigants.

It is also exciting to share that MCLA’s Pro Bono Program continues to grow with the hiring of a new Pro Bono Coordinator and the availability of new pro bono opportunities for attorneys to provide assistance remotely, from their homes or offices, via a cloud-based phone system.

Pro bono attorneys are an important part of MCLA’s provision of services. In 2020, pro bono attorneys assisted 476 MCLA visitors by phone, chat, and walk-in.

MCLA is grateful for and looks forward to its continued partnership with the Maryland Judiciary and with Anne Arundel County on new initiatives to increase access to justice throughout Maryland.

Be sure to visit our website, mdcla.org, for more information.

Sincerely yours,
Emily M. Angel
Managing Director
Maryland Center for Legal Assistance, LLC

About MCLA

The Maryland Center for Legal Assistance (MCLA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Maryland Legal Aid. MCLA operates the Maryland Courts Help Center, District Court Help Centers, and Family Law Help Center in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County through contracts with the Maryland Judiciary and Anne Arundel County.

Services

The Help Centers address a wide range of civil legal matters, including landlord-tenant, consumer (e.g., debt collection and credit card cases), family law, and criminal record expungements, which remove barriers to obtaining housing, employment, and child custody.

Impact

Number of visitors assisted by the Maryland and District Court Help Centers in 2020:

96,240

MCLA Locations

Maryland Courts Help Centers

Annapolis

Remote Services Center

Frederick

100 W Patrick ST
Frederick, MD 21701

Family Law Help Centers

Annapolis

8 Church CIR, 3rd FL
Annapolis, MD 21401

District Court Help Centers

Baltimore City

501 E Fayette ST, 3rd FL
Baltimore, MD 21202

Cambridge

310 Gay ST
Cambridge, MD 21613

Catonsville

1 Rolling Cross RD, 2nd FL
Catonsville, MD 21228

Glen Burnie

7500 Governor Ritchie HWY
Glen Burnie, MD 2106

Hagerstown

36 W Antietam ST
Hagerstown, MD 21740

Salisbury

201 Baptist ST
Salisbury, MD 21801

Upper Marlboro

14735 Main ST
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

Supervising Attorney

Beutrice Walker

Staff Attorney

Darryl Wright

Staff Attorney

Anne Arundel Family Law Help Center

Cheryl Chado

Staff Attorney

Sara Magette

Staff Attorney

Morgan Winn

Staff Attorney

Kandis Ball

Administrative Assistant

Jayson Bozek

Staff Attorney

Thomas Fisher

Supervising Attorney

Corey Rudolph

Staff Attorney

Frederick Office

Salisbury Office

Linda Gillis

Administrative Assistant

Matthew McElroy

Staff Attorney

Sarah Rhine

Supervising Attorney

Board of Managers

Jessica A. duHoffmann

Member

Brian P. Hochheimer

President

Gustava E. Taler

Member

Annapolis Office

Mercedes Beery, Esq.

I am a
Pro Bono
Attorney

Pro Bono Spotlight

MCLA - Tattiana Goluskin

What inspired you to get involved with MCLA’s Pro Bono Program?

Pro Bono - Mercedes Beery

MCLA’s Pro Bono Program is really convenient, and MCLA has invested a fair amount into technology so that pro bono attorneys can take calls or chats and help people without leaving their home or office.

During the pandemic, I've been working primarily from home and I occasionally have a little bit of downtime, so I thought “why not help out by taking a few calls?

MCLA - Tattiana Goluskin

What do you enjoy about this volunteer opportunity?

Pro Bono - Mercedes Beery

I enjoy the fact that the people I speak to really need advice from an attorney, and that I am able to provide that for them and steer them in the right direction. It can be really challenging to navigate the legal system on your own and incredibly expensive to retain proper representation.

MCLA - Tattiana Goluskin

What advice would you have for someone interested in volunteering?

Pro Bono - Mercedes Beery

I would say pick an area of law that you're really comfortable with. If you don't have an area of law that you're comfortable with, then focus on something that you're passionate about. I also think it's a great opportunity for new lawyers to interact with litigants.

MCLA - Tattiana Goluskin

What's your motivation for doing pro bono work?

Pro Bono - Mercedes Beery

I grew up in a legal family – my mother is an attorney and my grandmother was a practicing attorney for forty years. As a solo practitioner, my grandmother added an addition onto her house to create an office. I think those values were instilled in me and inspired my background in public service.

MCLA - Tattiana Goluskin

What have you learned from doing pro bono?

Pro Bono - Mercedes Beery

I'm always learning from pro bono. I get to interact with a different litigant base than I would otherwise, and with pro bono litigants, they don't have the money but they need the help.

MCLA - Tattiana Goluskin

Why is pro bono important to you?

Pro Bono - Mercedes Beery

It should be important to everyone, especially in Maryland since we don't have a mandatory pro bono requirement. Legal advocates help people navigate the judicial system during some of the worst times of their lives. I'm fortunate enough to be in a position to give back, so for me, it’s important to do so. I can't go out and change the entire system, but I can do my part.

MCLA - Tattiana Goluskin

Why would you encourage a fellow attorney to get involved with MCLA?

Pro Bono - Mercedes Beery

I think if you're a new attorney, MCLA is a really good place for you to cut your teeth and gain experience talking to litigants and problem-solving without having to commit to extended representation.

MCLA - Tattiana Goluskin

Is there a memorable moment or anecdote from volunteering that you think speaks to the benefit of MCLA’s services and programs like it?

Pro Bono - Mercedes Beery

I answered a phone call from a woman who was pro se, who had been writing and filing all of her own motions. She was doing great until she hit a roadblock that she couldn’t figure out on her own. It turned out that she just needed to file something simple, like a Motion for Reconsideration or Motion to Set Aside Judgment, but it was something procedural that you wouldn't know unless you talked to an attorney. She was crying by the end of our conversation. I really connected with her and assured her that she would be all right. It was obvious that she felt a lot better after our call, and that really stuck with me.

2020 Annual Report

Director's Message

About MCLA

Services

Impact

96,240

MCLA Locations

Annapolis

Frederick

Annapolis

Baltimore City

Cambridge

Catonsville

Glen Burnie

Hagerstown

Salisbury

Upper Marlboro

Stats:

69,731

13,237

12,399

873

Thanks to the support of the Maryland Judiciary and Anne Arundel County, MCLA is able to help provide access to legal advice, information and resources for civil legal matters.

MCLA Staff and Pro Bono

Annapolis Office

Chijioke Akamigbo

Emily Angel

Nana Benneh

Laurence Boylan

Naoka Clyburn

Ruby Devine

Brittaney Ferrier

Tattiana Goluskin

Patricia Greenwell

Jonathan Howe

Gerard James

Colleen Jennings

Chienwen Lee

Gregory Nolen

Julia Oaten

Towanda Oliver

Harry Snoots

Ariel Shaynak

Jamie Stevens

Joycelyn Stinson

Beutrice Walker

Darryl Wright

Anne Arundel Family Law Help Center

Cheryl Chado

Sara Magette

Morgan Winn

Baltimore City Office

Patricia Granato

Tracey Jones

Madianna Jackson

Lauren Leboe

Whitney Parham

Brittany West

Abena Williams

Terrence Young

Catonsville Office

Kandis Ball

Jayson Bozek

Thomas Fisher

Corey Rudolph

Frederick Office

Graham Bennie

Ana Mejia

Alyssa Patzoldt

Timothy Swanson

Terrence Young

Glen Burnie Office

Itta Englander

Pamela Flemming

Nicolle Katrivanos

Nicole Lipinski

Alyssa Sines

Risheena Schwemle

Upper Marlboro Office

Megan Challender

I am a
Pro Bono
Attorney

I am a
Pro Bono
Attorney