Partners

PBRC offers support and technical assistance to the Maryland legal services provider community by recruiting, training, and referring volunteer lawyers; facilitating collaboration; and distributing tools and resources.

VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT & REFERRAL

We conduct extensive outreach to educate the bar about the pressing legal needs of the low-income community and how they can assist your clients. We recruit, train, mentor and support volunteer lawyers, and often offer limited “service-learning” experiences through clinics to ensure they are equipped to handle new areas of practice. The trained volunteers are then referred to your agencies as legal services providers so you can engage them in direct representation or other service. Contact PBRC for more information.

COLLABORATION

PBRC regularly brings legal services providers together around access to justice issues and offers advice, training and networking opportunities to work more collaboratively. Each year PBRC coordinates the Maryland Partners for Justice Conference and the Pro Bono Coordinating Council to assess trends and disseminate resources and information to the provider community. Every project involves some collaboration with others to ensure coordination and efficiency. Learn more about the Partners for Justice Conference or the Pro Bono Coordinating Council.

 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Those who manage or work in pro bono programs can seek free technical assistance and support from PBRC on best practices, volunteer models, and other important information and resource documents pertinent to operating an effective pro bono program. Our staff is available to speak with provider staff about collaboration opportunities, training partnerships, and PBRC’s support services. We also periodically provide orientations to new executive directors or pro bono managers of Maryland legal services providers. Contact PBRC for more information.

RECOGNITION

Through the annual Maryland Pro Bono Service Awards, PBRC recognizes outstanding pro bono programs and volunteer lawyers as well as others for their dedication to the delivery of pro bono civil legal services to Maryland’s poor. Throughout the year, PBRC also periodically features legal services providers, pro bono programs and exceptional volunteer lawyers in its publications; recognizes Pro Bono Stars submitted by Maryland legal services providers in the E-Bulletin; and acknowledges lawyers engaged in pro bono work. Learn more about the Maryland Pro Bono Service Awards.

 

TRAINING CO-SPONSORSHIP

We pride ourselves on hosting high quality training programs for lawyers who commit to engage in pro bono work. By partnering with PBRC on a training program, as a legal services provider you can better focus resources on developing the program’s substance and referring cases to volunteers. We generally record the training program and provide it on-demand through our training website, which enables volunteer lawyers to train at their convenience through a webcast or webinar. Learn more about Training Co-Sponsorship.

 

LITIGATION FUND FOR VOLUNTEERS

PBRC administers the statewide Litigation Fund with funding from the Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC), through which volunteer lawyers working with MLSC-funded programs can be reimbursed for certain types of litigation expenses incurred in pro bono and Judicare cases. The Fund regularly reimburses volunteers for expenses like process server fees, postage, mileage, copies, and parking fees among others. Volunteer lawyers need to submit their paperwork which is reviewed by PBRC to determine eligibility and funding capacity. Learn more about the Litigation Fund.

E-BULLETIN

Twice a month PBRC circulates the E-Bulletin, an email publication that reaches thousands of Maryland lawyers and summarizes available pro bono cases, upcoming training courses, and other volunteer opportunities and announcements. Providers are encouraged to submit synopses of cases available to volunteer lawyers; announcements regarding volunteer opportunities, trainings, upcoming events, and job openings; and names of outstanding volunteers to be recognized as Pro Bono Stars. Opportunities submitted to the E-Bulletin are also available to search on our Statewide Opportunities site. Contact PBRC to make a submission or subscribe to the E-Bulletin.

PUBLICATIONS & OTHER RESOURCES

Periodically we create and disseminate publications designed to assist the legal services provider community including the Guide to Legal Services in Maryland, and the Best Practices Manual for Pro Bono Service Providers. In addition, we connect providers with a variety of pro bono resources from outside sources such as the ABA Center for Pro Bono and the National Association of Pro Bono Professionals (NAPBPro). Learn more about publications and other resources.