Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service Inc

Programs: Mvls provides legal help in a broad range of civil legal matters including bankruptcy, consumer debt, criminal record expungement, foreclosure, landlord/tenant conflicts, family law, estate planning, and more. Annually, the organization's core pro bono program matches over 3,000 low and moderate income clients with experienced volunteer lawyers for free representation in civil cases. The organization has more than 2,000 active volunteers on its panel and employs staff attorneys with subject matter expertise in consumer, housing, expungement and tax law to support their pro bono efforts. Mvls recruits volunteers from all sectors of the bar, including small and solo firms, large law firms, corporations and government attorneys.

the judicare project is a family law reduced fee program designed to provide free legal services to clients who otherwise would be unable to afford representation in high conflict family law cases. The organization administers this project in 15 maryland counties and baltimore city. Experienced volunteer lawyers are paid $80/hour for up to 20 hours to resolve these difficult cases. Last year, judicare panel attorneys closed 457 cases, primarily involving contested custody that directly benefited 1,319 family members.

mvls is responsible for providing a variety of pro bono foreclosure prevention services in 15 of 24 maryland counties, including baltimore city and montgomery county. The organization relies on trained volunteer lawyers and the organization's foreclosure staff attorneys to help distressed homeowners. In addition to full representation, the organization also runs a brief advice clinic for homeowners who are facing foreclosure in charles and anne arundel counties. At these clinics, homeowners meet with an experienced foreclosure attorney to get information about foreclosure mediation, the court process and more. Last year the organization's foreclosure volunteers closed 16 cases and provided counseling to 142 clients and brief advice to 42 that directly benefited 649 family members.