In celebration of National Pro Bono Week from October 22-28, 2023, it is important to reflect upon what John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States stated: “justice is indiscriminately due to all without regard to numbers, wealth, or rank.”
We have made good strides in Maryland where in fiscal year (FY) 2022, 16,956 lawyers have provided 1,323,546 hours of pro bono service in family law cases, foreclosure prevention, guardianship matters, criminal expungements and many other areas of law. But we still have more to do to close the access to justice gap in 2023, with only 2.2 legal services lawyers for every 10,000 low-income Marylanders as opposed to 49 lawyers for every 10,000 Marylanders. Volunteer attorneys try to help fill that gap but we believe the bar can do more. From July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, among Maryland-certified lawyers, only 16,956 or 41.4% reported some pro bono activity.
The reality of not being able to afford a lawyer has a profound impact on basic needs like housing, health care, education and employment. And this inability to access the justice system is disproportionately higher in marginalized communities, those of persons of color, the LGBTQIA community, and disabled persons.
While court systems have little control over many of the structural barriers that prevent improving the lives of others in the aforementioned areas, the Maryland Judiciary believes that justice must be fair, efficient and effective. To...
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