Courtroom Advocacy Project (CAP)
FOR TENANTS & CONSUMERS:
Tenants in Baltimore City or Baltimore County who have received a Failure to Pay Rent complaint, and consumers in Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County or Prince George’s County who have received a debt collection lawsuit or need general advice about consumer debt, can call PBRC’s CAP Hotline at 443-703-3053 to speak with an attorney or paralegal.
The Courtroom Advocacy Project (CAP) is an innovative pro bono program that combines a clinic model providing day-of-court, limited scope representation with full representation to ensure access to justice for low-income tenants and consumers. We represent tenants at risk of eviction in Baltimore City and Baltimore County and consumers sued under affidavit in Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County and Prince George’s County District Courts. CAP Courthouse Clinics are staffed by PBRC staff attorneys and paralegals who provide direct legal services while also working with and mentoring volunteers and interns where appropriate to ensure that as many tenants and consumers as possible can benefit from representation. CAP staff attorneys provide full representation for low-income tenants in Escrow, Tenant Holding Over, Breach of Lease and Illegal Eviction actions and consumer actions related to landlord/tenant disputes. In addition, CAP staff and volunteers support the CAP hotline, through which callers receive vital information, referrals and advice.
CAP staff have also been instrumental in working to improve the rights of low-income tenants statewide and helping to pass and implement the Access to Counsel in Evictions Legislation through direct representation, systemic advocacy, coordination of state-wide trainings, and assistance and mentoring for legal services providers in other jurisdictions.
Tenant Justice Program (formerly TVLD)– Providing Access to Counsel for Tenants facing eviction
Each month thousands of Failure to Pay Rent actions are heard in courtrooms throughout Maryland. While landlords often have counsel or agents appearing on their behalf, tenants in Rent Court are almost always unrepresented. Many are unfamiliar with court procedures, unaware of their rights as renters, and not prepared to assert valid defenses to a complaint. Defenses include a lack of licensure by the landlord, incorrect rent amount claimed to be due, or serious threats to life, health, and safety on the property.
In 2021 Maryland became the second state in the nation to pass legislation granting Access to Counsel for income-eligible tenants facing eviction. As an organization with years of experience providing same-day advocacy and legal representation in Rent Court, PBRC has been instrumental in helping to build a system to deliver similar services state-wide.
PBRC’s Tenant Justice Program (TJP), is designed to protect tenants’ rights through same-day advocacy and legal representation in Rent Court as well as full representation for habitability and eviction-related actions. PBRC operated its first limited-scope pro bono clinic in Baltimore City Rent Court in 2017 and expanded to Baltimore County in 2021. Since the inception of the Program, TJP staff and volunteer attorneys have provided representation to over 10,000 tenants facing eviction or dangerous conditions in their homes. TJP staff also work with clients after court to help them maintain housing stability and perform extensive outreach to ensure tenants understand their rights.
PBRC's TJP Rent Court Clinics
Baltimore City District Court
- 500 N. Calvert Street, Courtroom 1
- Mondays, Tuesdays & Fridays, 8:30 am - 11:30 am
- Wednesdays, and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Fridays, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Baltimore County District Courts
- Essex District Court
- Mondays, 8:30 am - 11:00 am & 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
- Catonsville District Court
- Tuesdays, 8:30 am - 11:30 am & 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
- Towson District Court
- Thursdays & Fridays, 8:30 am - 11:30 am
The Tenant Justice Program is supported by grant awards from the Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC), Wells Fargo and the Krieger Fund.
VIDEO: Attorney Volunteer Cory Zajdel on his experience volunteering with the Consumer Protection Project
Consumer Protection Project (CPP)
Tens of thousands of Marylanders are sued each year under “affidavit,” a process by which a creditor can secure a money judgment in district court by filing an affidavit with documents to support their debt collection claim. Debt lawsuits filed under affidavit include medical bills, auto loans, bail bonds, credit cards, and claims arising from past due rent. If debt collection lawsuits are not settled or disputed, consumers are subject to a money judgment and may be garnished to satisfy the debt. In contested cases, the consumer must go to trial against the creditor’s attorney. The collateral consequences of a money judgment—even for a small amount—can be devastating.
In 2012, PBRC’s Consumer Protection Project (CPP) operated its first limited-scope pro bono clinics in Baltimore City District Court and Prince George’s County District Court in Upper Marlboro. Since then, CPP has expanded to Anne Arundel County and begun accepting select cases based upon landlord/tenant debt for full representation. Last year CPP staff and volunteer attorneys provided limited-scope, day-of-court representation to over 800 clients at CPP Clinics.
PBRC’s CPP Clinics
Baltimore City District Court (Calvert Street)
- Wednesdays, 8:30 am - 12:00 pm
Prince George’s County District Court (Upper Marlboro)
- 1st three Fridays of the month, 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
Anne Arundel County District Court (Glen Burnie)
- 3rd Thursday of each month, 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
CPP is operated in partnership with Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) and is supported by a grant awards from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) Access to Justice Department, Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC) and the American College of Bankruptcy.
CAP welcomes barred volunteer attorneys in our CPP clinics. We also use volunteer attorneys, paralegals and law students to help staff our CAP hotline. For those interested in learning more about court proceedings related to eviction, we encourage you to observe a rent court docket.
Click any of the opportunities below to register and get started.