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Volunteers Ensuring Justice

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Allison Press Conference

Volunteers Ensuring Justice

Allison Press Conference
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Volunteers Ensuring Justice

Completing Documents
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Volunteers Ensuring Justice

Peace Park Matte & Jade
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Volunteers Ensuring Justice

Academy Fellows
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Volunteers Ensuring Justice

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Volunteers Ensuring Justice

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Volunteers Ensuring Justice

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Register for the Partners for Justice Conference!

You're invited to participate in the Partners for Justice Conference at the Baltimore Convention Center on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

The Partners for Justice Conference takes place annually, and presents a unique opportunity for legal services program staff, the public and private bar, members of the judiciary, human services agencies, elected officials, and others to discuss critical issues facing the poor and underrepresented across the mid-Atlantic region and how we can improve access to justice.

Early bird gets the worm! Register at the special Early Bird price from now until April 25, 2025, and you can save $15 on your ticket.

PBRC in the News

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Katie Davis, Director of PBRC's Courtroom Advocacy Project, co-wrote an article for Shelterforce about a case in Maryland where parents and school leaders joined with housing advocates to win additional rental assistance, targeted to families in the state's community schools.

"Partnership between PBRC and numerous community school coordinators in Baltimore City has resulted in outreach to school communities about tenants’ rights and resources for low-income renters at school food banks and back-to-school events. PBRC looks to the community school coordinators to learn about the specific needs of the community, and the school communities benefit from the resources and easy access to a legal services organization.”

Read more about the partnership between housing advocates and community school coordinators.

PBRC in the News

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Allison Harris, Director of PBRC's Home Preservation Project, spoke to The Baltimore Sun about the importance of exempting all residencies from tax sale due to unpaid water bills, and the underexamined issue of misclassified properties.

“When the State Department of Assessments and Taxation receives word that a homeowner has died, the home’s classification is changed. But after an heir who resides in the home obtains the deed, the home might still be listed in the SDAT catalog as not owner-occupied.

'People assume: ‘Oh, homeowners are protected,' Harris said. 'But because the database is filled with errors about what is or isn’t owner-occupied, homeowners aren’t protected.'"

Read more about House Bill 59 and the changes to the tax sale system PBRC is advocating for to better protect homeowners.

PBRC Now Offering Community Investment Tax Credits

This year, PBRC is proud to offer Community Investment Tax Credits (CITC) for donations of $500 or more. Here’s how it works:

  • 50% State Tax Credit: Receive a credit on your Maryland state taxes equal to half your donation amount. For example, a $1,000 gift means $500 off your Maryland state taxes.

  • Charitable Deduction: In addition to the state tax credit, you can still claim the full donation as a deduction on your federal and state taxes.

The bottom line: A $1,000 donation to PBRC could cost you as little as $250 after combining tax savings and credits. Your generosity has never gone further! But credits are limited, so act fast. Visit probonomd.org/taxcredits to learn more or make your gift today. 

2023 Annual Report

We are pleased to announce that our 2023 Annual Report is now online.

Unmet Need

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There are only 1.49 lawyers for every 10,000 low-income people in Maryland.

A Community of Volunteers

PBRC connects lawyers and others with the purpose of serving those in need.

Learn more about how you can help.

Impacting Neighborhoods

Learn how PBRC is saving homes, helping families, and stabilizing communities.

Last year, by the numbers...

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Who We Are

PBRC is Maryland’s hub for pro bono (free) civil legal assistance provided by volunteers. Equal access to justice is a core value of our nation, yet hundreds of thousands of our state’s residents cannot afford the legal help they desperately need and have no legal guarantee of a lawyer. As the pro bono arm of the Maryland State Bar Association, PBRC plays a unique role as the training, support, innovation, and advocacy center for pro bono. Our statewide services include:

  • Offering a professional training and mentoring program with both substantive law and skills building sessions enabling lawyers and others to effectively serve clients
  • Consulting and connecting volunteers with legal nonprofits across Maryland
  • Hosting innovative, free legal clinics in the courthouse and community offering immediate legal assistance to low-income families in areas of critical need not yet addressed by other organizations
  • Advocating and organizing to encourage pro bono service and improve the justice system for the communities we serve

 

Together, our community of lawyers with purpose is opening the doors of justice for everyone.

PBRC's mission is to champion equitable access to justice for Maryland's marginalized communities by providing legal help, pioneering collaboration with partners, and advocating for economic and social justice.