March Newsletter

We’re Getting Together to Say Thank You to our Volunteers!  Come celebrate with us, enjoy some refreshments at Franklin’s Restaurant and Brewery on April 8, 2019, 6-8 PM.  Please RSVP to Flor Ceron at ceron@clspgc.org or 240-391-6532, ext. 2.  Franklin’s address: 5123 Baltimore Avenue, Hyattsville, MD 20781

Additionally, on April 8, 2019, anytime from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, CLS supporters can come, enjoy Franklin’s delicious food, and support CLS.  Please make sure you let the host or server know that you are dining to support CLS.  CLS will receive 20% of the pretax total receipts.

We are delighted to announce that Jennifer L. Muskus, Esq., is once again part of CLS.  She became a member of our Board of Directors in 2008 and served as Board President from 2012 to 2013.  Ms. Muskus returned to CLS in January 2019 and staffs our Family Law Clinic for the Self-Represented in the Circuit Courthouse where she provides brief advice in family law matters. Ms. Muskus handled family law matters at Muskus & Muskus, LLC, for almost 15 years so needless to say, we know she will provide self-represented litigants great advice.  She was admitted to the Court of Appeals of Maryland in 2003.  She is member of several professional associations including the Maryland Association for Justice, Women’s Bar Association of Maryland, Maryland State Bar, Prince George’s County Bar, and the Prince George’s County Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland.  She was the recipient of several awards including Small Firm Pro Bono Award by CLS, Pro Bono Awards from the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland among others.

Please also help us welcome our newest staff member, Elizabeth-Ann Thompson, Esq.  Ms. Thompson joined CLS in January 2019 as a staff attorney.  She staffs our Domestic Violence Legal Wellness Program (DVLWP), which provides holistic legal services for victims fleeing violence in Prince George’s County. Ms. Thompson provides brief advice, direct representation and/or referrals based on the victim’s needs.  Ms. Thompson received her Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University, School of Law in 2012, and her Bachelors of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Prior to joining CLS, Ms. Thompson employment positions included serving as Junior Associate Attorney at Price Benowitz, LLP, Business Analyst I at Exelon Corporation, Law Clerk for Morris E. Fischer, LLC, Executive and Human Resources Intern for the National Football League Players Association, and Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Lynn Stewart from the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.

CLS has a new website.  Please visit www.clspgc.org to check out our new website. Attorneys can now join our Judicare panel and submit case and closing reports online. Please check our Attorney Resources page https://www.clspgc.org/what-we-do/attorney-resources/

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Support Community Legal Services when shopping! When you shop online using Amazon Smile, Amazon donates 0.5% of your purchase back to our organization. Start now by clicking the button below to designate Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County, Inc. as your chosen charitable organization.  AMAZON SMILE

Sign up to help families avoid wrongful evictions in our Failure to Pay Rent Tenant Representation Program. Training & Stipend is Available. 

CLS is seeking attorneys to provide same day representation to tenants in Prince George’s County Rent Court, located at Hyattsville District Court. CLS provides training, malpractice insurance coverage, mentoring, and support to our volunteers.  Out-of-state attorneys are welcomed.   Representing Tenants in Prince George’s County Rent Court training, in partnership with the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, is available on line at www.pbrc.org.  The training includes Landlord/Tenant rules and perspectives, issue spotting in Failure to Pay Rent complaints, and practical advice for handling cases.  If you wish to take this training or have questions about the program, please contact Kayla Williams, Esq. at williams@clspgc.org.  Participating attorneys must commit to volunteer to staff two clinics or take two landlord/tenant cases within one year of completing the training.

Beyond this volunteer commitment, a stipend of $100* will be provided to attorneys in exchange for their representation. *per docket. Funding for this program is provided by Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC).

Our Next Estate Planning Clinic for Income Eligible Seniors – Ages 60 and Over

Thursday, March 21, 2019, 10 AM – 3 PM, Greenbelt Municipal Center, 25 Crescent Road Greenbelt, MD 20770.  Space is limited and reservations are required. To register call 443-703-3052.  Attorneys will be available to prepare wills, advance medical directives, and power of attorney documents for income eligible clients.

Estate Planning Clinic Volunteer Opportunity

Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County and the Pro Bono Resource Center (PBRC) are seeking attorneys to prepare simple wills, advance medical directives and financial powers of attorney for Low Income Seniors. NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

9:30 AM – 3:30 PM
March 2, 2019 (Saturday), College Park United Methodist Church, 9601 Rhode Island Ave
March 21, 2019 (Thursday), Greenbelt Municipal Center, 25 Crescent Road

Participating attorneys will have access to free resources, including but not limited to, malpractice insurance, document templates, on-site mentors, laptops, printers and notary services.

To Volunteer:

• Must be in good standing and licensed to practice in Maryland. (Retired and/or out-of-state barred attorneys may contact Shelly Jackson for volunteer instructions)
• If less than 2 years of estate planning experience, training must be completed before volunteering. Visit www.probonomd.org/for-lawyers/training/estate-planning/ to register for Estate Planning Basics for Low Income Clients, a free online webcast that is accessible 24/7.
• If 2 or more years of estate planning experience, sign up on line at:

https://probonomd.secure.force.com/V4SVolunteers/GW_Volunteers__PersonalSiteJobCalendar

For questions or sign up by phone or email, contact Shelly Jackson at (443) 703-3028 or sjackson@probonomd.org

Expungement Clinic Saturday, March 2, 2019

The Prince George’s County Bar Association and Community Legal Services for Prince George’s County (CLS) are teaming up for the 4th annual expungement event with Reid Temple A.M.E. Church in Glenn Dale, MD (11400 Glenn Dale Blvd, Glenn Dale, MD 20769).  Reid Temple always provides a massive turnout from the community, so we will need a great turnout from the legal community as well!
The event will be from 9 AM to 3 PM but you are welcome to volunteer even if you can’t stay the entire time.  Donuts and coffee, as well as lunch, will be provided.  Even if you can’t make it, please share the attached flyer with your networks.  To volunteer, please RSVP to me, Ben Rupert, at ben.rupert@gmail.com

CLS Monthly Foreclosure Prevention Training – Last Wednesday of Every Month

Our next monthly training will be held on Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at 2:00 pm. Join us for a presentation regarding foreclosure related cases and speak with an experienced foreclosure attorney.  Please RSVP to Nora Eidelman at 240-391-6532, ext. 5 or eidelman@clspgc.org Trainings will be held at 6301 Ivy Lane, Suite 720, Greenbelt, MD.

Civil Cases Available for Attorneys and Other Volunteer Opportunities

Through our Lawyer Referral Program, we refer income eligible clients to attorneys for representation in their domestic cases.  Judicare funding pays the attorneys’ fees.  Attorneys receive $100.00 per hour with a cap of $3,000 per case.  The billing process with CLS allows you to bill twice during the life of the case.  MLSC reimburses CLS for your billed time.  As a result, a slight delay in Judicare payments should be anticipated.  This funding program is administered by the Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC) with funds from the Administrative Office of the Courts.  For more information about MSLC and the Judicare program, please visit https://www.mlsc.org/.

CLS’s domestic violence program places protective order and peace order petitioners and respondents with attorneys. A limited funding of up to $500 per case is available for attorneys providing representation in these cases.

CLS encourages attorneys to take pro bono cases. CLS has requests for landlord tenant attorneys, wills attorneys, and attorneys for additional civil legal cases. CLS can place cases with attorneys based on the attorney’s preferred case type.

CLS also has volunteer opportunities at our Brief Advice clinics. Expand and grow your practice by volunteering around your schedule.

CLS clients have limited means but have real legal issues that require representation. Help CLS bridge the Access to Justice Gap by taking Judicare or Pro bono cases. CLS provides our volunteer attorneys training, mentoring, access to a litigation fund, monthly practitioner’s clinics, and malpractice insurance.  To learn more about our opportunities, please contact Nora C. Eidelman, at 240-391-6532, ext. 5.

Funding Available for Representation in Foreclosure Prevention

CLS has funding for attorneys representing clients in Prince George’s County through our Foreclosure Prevention Program.  CLS has expanded our Foreclosure Prevention project to provide paid hours to attorneys accepting cases for representation in foreclosure defense cases, post-foreclosure Motions for Surplus, tenants in foreclosures, as well foreclosure mediation.  In foreclosure prevention cases, the funding provides attorneys $80.00 an hour and up to thirty hours of representation. Funds include representation at judicial proceedings, mediation preparation, representation at mediation, and negotiations.  Additionally, funding is available for bankruptcy chapter 7, and other legal actions that may help the client save his home.  If you are interested in being added to our foreclosure volunteer attorney pool, or require additional information, please contact Michael Udejiofor at 240-391-6532, ext. 1 or udejiofor@clspgc.org.  Training, mentoring and malpractice insurance is provided.  Funding is available from a generous grant provided by Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC).

Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County, Inc. (CLS) is a non-profit organization established to provide quality civil legal services to low-income residents of Prince George’s County.  CLS provides direct legal services through the generous contributions by members of the private bar.  Additionally, CLS operates free Brief Advice Clinics throughout the County, including in the Prince George’s County Circuit Court, Room 2435 M, the Prince George’s County Multi-Services Center in Langley Park, and in Suitland’s Windsor Crossings Apartments.  For referrals of low-income residents of Prince George’s County to CLS programs, our hotline is 240-391-6370. Intake is Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm., online applications are available at www.clspgc.org. For more information about our services, please contact Nora C. Eidelman, at 240-391-6532, ext. 5.