Wednesday, May 22, 2024 from 8:15 AM to 3:30 PM
Baltimore Convention Center, 1 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
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 people in poverty and the underrepresented across the mid-Atlantic region and how we can improve access to justice.
In our 25th year, speakers and panelists from over 30 different organizations, government agencies, and law firms across Maryland and the United States will share their thoughts and ideas while leading discussions on key access-to-justice issues.
Take Advantage of Early Bird Registration!
Save $25 when you register before this offer ends on 4/26.
Keynote Address by
Maryland Attorney General
Anthony G. Brown
FEATURED SESSIONS
Sessions are in development and may be subject to change.
How To Prevent Family Separation and Keep Them Out of Court
Providing services to marginalized and impoverished families before Child Protective Services separates children from their parents and removes them from their home can be accomplished by establishing an interdisciplinary prepetition advocacy program. The Better Together Early Family Advocacy Program, part of the Parental Defense Division of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, was launched in September of 2023 and provides the services and support of an attorney, social worker, and parent advocate who has experienced first-hand navigating the criminal and/or family policing system. Legal service providers can help make a positive impact on their community by providing assistance before there is a legal proceeding, with the goal of keeping families intact, especially Black and Brown families, who are disproportionately impacted by the legal system. Strengthening families will strengthen communities.
Speaker information coming soon!
Social Work & Legal Services: Collaborating for Impact
Mental health disorders and housing insecurity have risen in the United States, which opens individuals and families to increased stress and mental and physical health problems. In general, we know that evictions disproportionately affect low-income people of color, and the health consequences of eviction likely widen both racial and socioeconomic disparities in health as well. At Rising for Justice, we leverage the collective force of student attorneys, social work students, and experienced advocates to achieve equity and justice for all. A unique feature of Rising for Justice’s social work program is that it embeds within our legal team such that clients receive both services simultaneously. The social work division partners with clients and their attorneys to assess clients for potential benefits, determine what services in the community may help, and support clients through the stressful process of walking through their legal cases. This structure allows our legal and social work teams to collaborate to achieve the best results for our clients. This panel will explore how the structure at Rising for Justice reinforces the coordination of services between disciplines to promote sustainable success for their clients.
Speaker information coming soon!
DV Practitioners and the Court Working Together to Holistically Help Survivors
This panel will highlight how agencies work together to treat survivors holistically throughout their Protective Order cases and beyond. The presentation will discuss ways the courts, legal services providers, agencies, and non-profit organizations can collaborate to bring greater continuity of service to the many survivors who need help.
Panelists:
- Honorable Ada Clark Edwards, District Court of Maryland for Prince George’s County
- Jackie Rhone, Prince George’s County Office of the Sheriff
- Adebola Adedoyn, Community Legal Services Same Day Representation Pilot Project
Moderator: TBD
Is A.I. Coming for You? What Will You Do?
In this conference session, we'll discuss how emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) can positively impact law students, lawyers, or judges with disabilities. We'll explore AI's potential to simplify tasks such as research and document analysis, emphasizing the importance of creating inclusive work environments. Our goal is to advocate for responsible AI use, urging the legal profession to avoid using AI to replace professionals with disabilities, which could perpetuate discrimination. Instead, we should leverage AI while preserving the human qualities essential to legal practice, such as empathy and creative problem-solving.
Panelists:
- Gary C. Norman, Lawyer, Consultant, and Columnist
- Richard E. Shermanski, Jr., American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
- Ariel Simms, Esq., RespectAbility
Moderator: Meredith L. Girard, Shore Legal Access
Retaining Talent in Traumatic Times
For many nonprofit organizations that provide direct legal services, the biggest challenge we face is retaining talent in the face of the trauma and burnout that comes with standing next to clients in their fight through unjust legal systems. This session will delve into strategies for retaining talent, including tailoring retention plans, leadership modeling, funding considerations, and the intersection of DEIB and mental health care.
Panelists:
- Patrick Orciani, Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia
- Daniella Prieshoff, Tahirih Justice Center
- Michelle Siri, Maryland Legal Services Corporation
Moderator: Michael Lukens, CAIR Coalition
The Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ruling & the Nonprofit Sector
Through two cases decided this past summer—Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. University of North Carolina (SFA), the Supreme Court effectively halted the practice of affirmative action in college and university admissions. This panel will consider the ruling’s potential reverberations beyond academia. The discussion will focus on the impact of the ruling as it pertains to key issues in the nonprofit sector, such as race-conscious services, programs, and/or internal operations including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Panelists:
- David Maher., Kahn, Smith & Collins, P.A.
- Amy L. Petkovsek, Community Law Center
- Christia Ravenell, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Moderator: TBD
Paralegals Are Partners for Justice!
Access to justice advocates recognize the integral role of allied professionals and paraprofessionals -- including paralegals, legal assistants, and legal advocates -- in filling Maryland's justice gap. This session will discuss the creative and high-impact ways legal service organizations and pro bono attorneys partner with paralegals and legal advocates to address the justice gap.
Panelists:
- Erin Gable, Anne Arundel Community College, Legal Studies Institute
- Ian Williams, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service Consumer Protection Project
- TBD
Moderator: TBD
It Takes All of Us: An Overview of the Maryland OAG's Community-Based Approach to Combat Hate
Under Public Safety Law Section 2-307, law enforcement must report hate bias incidents and hate crimes, a broader standard than federal hate crime requirements. Between 2021 and 2022, Hate Bias Incidents increased 19.8 percent in Maryland, and have steadily risen over the last few years since 2016. The Maryland OAG has taken an innovative approach partnering with community organizations and state agencies, securing more than $800,000 in grant funds from the Department of Justice to respond and prevent hate in the State of Maryland. Efforts include informing communities on how to report a hate crime or hate bias incident through our new hate crimes portal, running the State Hate Crime Commission, tasked with providing strategies and recommendations to combat hate to the Maryland General Assembly and the State Department of Education annually; law enforcement training; regional forums; and reporting mechanisms. It is important to inform the legal community of these initiatives as a resource to their clients and networks.
Panelists:
- Jennifer Frederick, Maryland Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention, Maryland Office of the Attorney General
- Lauren Pruitt, FreeState Justice
- Everett L. Sesker, Office of the Sheriff, Anne Arundel County
Moderator: Cleveland L. Horton, III, Maryland Commission on Civil Rights
Tips for Engaging Young and New Attorneys for Pro Bono Service
Data shows that young and new attorneys have been moving away from pro bono legal service to non-legal volunteerism. This panel will discuss tips for engaging young and newer attorneys in different areas of law for pro bono legal service.
Panelists:
- Jade McClary, National Trust for Historic Preservation
- Alexandria Montanio, Gordon Feinblatt, MVLS Board Chair
- Allison Stillinghagan, Legal Services Attorney
Moderator: TBD
Using Consumer Protection Statutes to Combat Financial Predatory Practices
Financial exploitation of the poor is ubiquitous. But there are a host of underutilized powerful laws designed to fight predatory financial abuses. This session will focus on investigation and litigation of consumer claims, primarily offensive claims arising from common bad practices. We will provide an overview of laws used to combat a broad array of abuses, including wrongful repossession, illegal landlord tenant fees, collection cases filed past the statute of limitations, wrongful credit reporting, used car dealer fraud, medical debt and private student loan collections, mortgage servicing abuses and more.
Panelists:
- Emanwel J. Turnbull, The Holland Law Firm, P.C.
- Kate DeNobile, DeNobile Law
- Domonique Flowers, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
Moderator: Marceline White, Economic Action Maryland
Race Equity Toolkit: Analyzing Your Projects for Greater Inclusivity
Panelists will present on tools they have used in their organizations, such as the race equity filter, to examine their programs and projects and plan new initiatives. Real-life examples will be given as to how these tools were implemented on projects such as examining our intake process, launching a new clinic, identifying community outreach partners, or even using the filter to examine a particular case someone was working. This will be an interactive session, where audience members are asked to identify something they are working on with their own team and break into small groups to practice using the equity analysis tools presented to examine it.
Panelists:
- Jeniece Jones, Public Justice Center
- Laura Lopez McNulty, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
- TBD
Moderator: Margaret Henn, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
Fighting Blight Through Resolving Tangled Title Issues
Families with unclear title are at risk to lose hard-won generational wealth. The most vulnerable are already disadvantaged communities. Panelists will discuss the importance of Tangled Titles, a subset of issues in Heirs Property, and how they contribute to blight and vacancy issues. This session will delve into the intersection of tangled title issues, building vacancy issues, and the development of solutions to help service providers, lawyers, and advocates effectively fight blight.
Panelists:
- Nneka N'namdi, Stop Oppressive Seizures (SOS) Fund
- Nketiah Berko, National Consumer Law Center
- Steven Kappen, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
Moderator: Madonna Lebling, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
Empowering Futures: A Framework for Positive Youth Justice Strategy
Over the past decade, significant strides have been made in progressive law within the realm of youth justice. Notably, in 2016, the Supreme Court ruled against mandatory life without parole sentences for youth, marking a pivotal moment in legal history. Our session aims to provide a comprehensive overview of these transformative legal changes affecting youth. We will discuss briefly the practical implementation of these laws, shedding light on their implications, side effects, and the victories or setbacks associated with their enforcement.
Moreover, we will assess the current state of youth justice, delving into the challenges faced by young individuals in communities, education, and the legal justice system, and particularly following the COVID-19 Pandemic. Highlighting the 2024 session, we will explore any noteworthy updates and share insights into ongoing efforts focused on progressive policy development. Join us as we analyze the dynamic landscape of youth justice, reflecting on the past, evaluating the present, and envisioning a future shaped by forward-thinking policies.
Speaker information coming soon!
Creative Lawyering: Leveraging Tyler v. Hennepin County to Change Tax Sale Law
This session will highlight creative lawyering to make positive change for vulnerable populations in our legal system using the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in Tyler v. Hennepin County, Minnesota, et. al. as an example. On May 25, 2023, the Court issued an opinion, holding that Hennepin County unconstitutionally violated the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment by retaining the excess value of a home above the tax debt when the petitioner’s house was auctioned off for failure to pay property taxes. Since then, legal service organizations and community advocacy organizations nationwide have been devising ways in which the Tyler decision can be used to challenge state and local tax sale laws. A distinguished panel of national tax sale experts will discuss legislative proposals and litigation in the year since the Tyler decision.
Panelists:
- Andrea Bopp-Stark, National Consumer Law Center
- Matt Kreis, Center for Community Progress
- Shana Roth-Gormley, Community Law Center
Moderator: Allison Harris, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
Democratizing Legal Access: Mapping and Community Justice Workers in Action
Many civil legal services organizations are struggling to create the capacity to meet legal needs of the community through limited legal staffing and pro bono services, especially in rural areas. Mapping technology is helping some states to better understand gaps in access to legal services and has led to innovations such as use of community justice workers and allied legal professionals to deliver assistance. Join this interactive dialogue connecting cutting edge mapping work already happening in Maryland with possible scalable solutions.
Panelists:
- Kazeem Anifowoshe, Mid-Shore Council on Family Violence
- Reena Shah, Maryland Access to Justice Commission
- Nikole Nelson, Frontline Justice
Moderator: Meredith Girard, Shore Legal Access
Listening as a Tool for Community and Client-Centered Advocacy
Our clients come to us for answers, and as attorneys, paralegals and advocates, we want to provide them. But more often than not, what we ought to provide are options. The answers need to come from the clients themselves. When our clients’ lived experiences, background or culture differs from our own, it can be challenging to know how best to advise our clients and when to step back and let them make decisions for themselves. How to we make sure that we aren’t substituting our views for those of our clients or their communities? This panel of experts will lead a skills-based training on how to truly listen and work with clients and communities in a way to gives them appropriate agency and choice.
Panelists:
- Rev. Kate Foster, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
- Angie Young, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
- TBD
Moderator: TBD
Litigating in the Wild West: Trial Techniques for District Court
In May 2017, with a grant from the Maryland Judiciary’s Access to Justice Department, PBRC launched the Tenant Volunteer Lawyer of the Day (TVLD) Program in Baltimore City Rent Court to provide day-of-court legal representation to tenants in Rent Court. Four years later, Maryland became one of the first states in the nation to require access to free legal counsel for low-income tenants facing eviction. PBRC and the ACE lawyers who have followed their lead continue to improve access to justice for tenants by changing the way eviction cases are litigated in Rent Court. This presentation will examine the methods used by experienced attorneys litigating in Rent Court specifically and in District Court generally. Panelists will address issues such as how to litigate in an environment where the court is balancing pro se litigants and those who have representation, how and when to employ motions and discovery in District Court, and how to use provisions such as stipulated dismissals and consent judgments to our clients’ advantage. Attendees will come away with creative ideas for providing the best representation possible for their clients in District Court.
Panelists:
- Valda Ricks, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
- E. David Hoskins, The Law Offices of E. David Hoskins, LLC
- Matilda Smith, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
Moderator: Honorable Michael Siri, District Court of Maryland for Baltimore County
Questions? Contact Kiah Pierre at kpierre@probonomd.org.