Rooted in Justice Gala: 35 Years of PBRC
Saturday, November 8, 2025 | 6PM - 10PM
1840s Plaza Ballroom, 29 S Front St, Baltimore, MD 21202
Join us for the Rooted in Justice: 35 Years of PBRC gala! Celebrate the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland's 35-year legacy of justice, growth, and resilience.
This elegant event will bring together Maryland’s legal and philanthropic communities for an evening of celebration and commitment to justice. Guests will enjoy a sophisticated champagne welcome, a gourmet dinner, an engaging program, auctions, raffles, dancing, prizes, and more—all set against the stunning backdrop of the 1840s Plaza Ballroom in Baltimore.
We are delighted to announce Tom Hall as MC for the Rooted in Justice Gala to help us celebrate! Tom Hall is the host of Midday, the award-winning, highly rated news and public policy program on WYPR Radio that features interviews with elected officials, community leaders, as well as thought provoking authors, artists, researchers, journalists, and scholars from around the world.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown
Judge Maria Ellena Chavez-Ruark
Justice Angela M. Eaves
Chelsea Ortega, Esq.
Gerard R. Vetter, Esq.
PBRC Founders:
Paul V. Carlin, Esq.
Herbert S. Garten, Esq., in memoriam
Stephen J. Nolan, Esq.
Louise Michaux Gonzales, Esq.
Leslie and Irving Walker
Anonymous
Ballard Spahr LLP
Burnett Injury Group
The Chase Law Group
Core Fitness
Glenn and Debra Weinberg Philanthropic Fund
Gordon Feinblatt LLC
Iliff, Meredith, Wildberger & Brennan, P.C.
The Kelly Group
Klima, Peters, & Daly, P.A.
Landau, McGee & Glickman
Law Offices of Nicholas J. Del Pizzo
Lerch, Early & Brewer
Levin Gann PA
Mason & Carter Inc
Miles & Stockbridge
Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company
Natural Concerns
Becca Odelius and Billy Spier
Jennifer and Bryan Rakes
Robbins Custom Builders, Inc.
Rosenberg Martin Greenberg LLP
Royston Mueller McLean Reid LLP
Santoni, Vocci & Ortega, LLC
Seyfath Shaw LLP
Shulman Rogers
Seawall Development Company, LLC
Veritext Legal Solutions
Susan and John Warshawsky
Waranch & Brown, LLC
Wasserman White Family Law LLC
Women of Dominion International
Zuckerman Spaeder
In 2024, PBRC...
PBRC's Impact: Gladys’ Fight for Livable Housing Conditions
There was snow on the ground when an attorney from the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland visited Gladys at her Baltimore City home. CBS had already reported four cold-related deaths in the city that winter; the attorney was determined not to let Gladys become the fifth.
As she entered the home, she noticed a massive hole where the ceiling had been. This only exacerbated another of Gladys’ woes: she had no heat. While Gladys was grateful that no one was harmed during the ceiling’s collapse, her landlord simply cleaned up the debris—leaving a crater in her ceiling that exposed the underlying rafters.
The home was freezing—inhospitable, yet, despite her landlord’s awareness of Gladys’ dire housing situation, he was suing her for failure to pay rent. The attorney explained to Gladys that she could sue the landlord for the condition of the home, but Gladys was too afraid to even consider it. The attorney spent two months going back and forth with the landlord’s attorney to resolve the issue: insisting that the ceiling and heat be repaired and that Gladys be credited on the ledger.
Ultimately, the attorney was able to compel the landlord to make all the repairs and credit Gladys’ ledger $4,207.50 for the open ceiling and lack of heat. For the PBRC attorney, the image of Gladys smiling, warm and safe in her home, was all the compensation she needed.
