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Community Law
Center
Pro Bono E-News
Winter 2007
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When the Community Law Center was founded
in 1986, it was staffed by one person and most legal assistance
was provided through a network of volunteer attorneys. Today,
while the Community Law Center has grown and can handle many
matters in-house through staff attorneys, the Pro Bono Project
continues to match volunteer attorneys with clients in many
communities. This system allows the Community Law Center to
provide specialized legal
expertise in virtually every aspect of the law to community and
nonprofit organizations throughout Baltimore and beyond.
2006 was another busy and successful year
for the Pro Bono Project. Over the course of the year, the Pro
Bono Project can boast that it assisted approximately 100
clients in 2006. We – and our clients! – certainly send a big
“thank you” to all of the volunteer attorneys who helped make
this possible!
With seven active cases at press time
(and two that were recently closed), Ronald Jackson exemplifies
an extremely dedicated pro bono attorney. Mr. Jackson has taken
on widely varied matters, from incorporation and 501(c)(3)
applications to working with community
groups with liquor license or zoning problems. We are truly
appreciative and grateful to Mr. Jackson for the countless hours
and endless energy he puts into his many pro bono cases.
Mr. Jackson has worked for the federal government as an
Environmental Protection Specialist for many years. At the age
of 42, he decided to enroll at the University of Baltimore
School of Law after working with a team of lawyers on a
temporary assignment. “I enjoyed the way they would argue the
facts and circumstances of an action, apply the law and reach a
decision,” he states. Today, Mr. Jackson continues in his role
with the federal government but has taken on an assortment of
pro bono legal cases with the Community Law Center and other
legal services providers. A special clinic case in law school,
where his client’s criminal conviction was reversed, piqued Mr.
Jackson’s interest in working with those unable to otherwise
afford legal assistance: “I [began] to appreciate the power that
lawyers have to
improve the lives of the disenfranchised.” He initially started
to do pro bono work to gain
experience in various aspects of the law, and found it to be
very rewarding and yet not too
time-consuming. In his words, “The legal work is fulfilling,
challenging, and often fun.” Mr. Jackson is now looking to make
the shift into a full-time legal career.
One client Mr. Jackson has enjoyed working with is a new
nonprofit youth organization called Redeemed of Our Youth, Inc.,
which is organized to provide cultural activities and equip
youth with new skills and self-esteem, all toward the goal of
developing positive and productive youth into adulthood. The
organization is designed for youth ages 6-17 and is
focused on the 21212, 21211, and 21239 zip codes of Baltimore
City. Redeemed of Our Youth, Inc. plans to offer instruction,
activities and field trips related to the visual and performing
arts, after-school tutoring and a computer lab, conflict
resolution counseling, and sports and recreation programs. Since
November 2005, Mr. Jackson has enjoyed seeing the group’s
initial plans turn into reality, as he has assisted them with
writing bylaws, incorporation, and preparing their application
to the IRS for recognition as a 501(c)(3) organization, along
with other corporate matters. Ms. Mardell Alexander, President
of
Redeemed of Our Youth, Inc., tells the Pro Bono Project that Mr.
Jackson has been very helpful and professional in explaining the
many details surrounding the formation of a nonprofit
organization and is always available for questions. She notes,
“We know that Redeemed of Our Youth, Inc. would not be where it
is today without the help of Mr. Jackson. We feel that he has
been a blessing.” The Community Law Center staff would like to
send out a special “thank you” to Ronald Jackson for being such
an active and dedicated volunteer attorney with the Pro Bono
Project, and look forward to continuing to work with him.
It is that time of year again – time for
our semiannual hours reports. Twice a year, in accordance with
our funders’ requirements, we must survey our pro bono attorneys
to determine how many hours of legal services the Pro Bono
Project has provided in the past six months. We have found that
this exercise is also quite helpful in updating our case record
files, as often we learn that matters have been resolved or that
they have taken on a whole new direction. We hope that the
timing of this request is not too inconvenient since it is also
time for the annual reporting of pro bono hours to the Court of
Appeals. Please click here
to obtain a Community Law Center hours
report to report to us the time you have
contributed to our project throughout the July 1 – December 31, 2006
period. We thank you for your participation!
Our Pro Bono Project relies on dedicated
attorneys who donate their time and energy to assisting
community and nonprofit organizations with legal issues.
Although we boast a roster of over 200 current pro bono
attorneys, and reach out to others via the Pro Bono Resource
Center’s listserv, we are always looking for new volunteer
attorneys! Please share your pro bono experiences with friends
and colleagues, and encourage potential pro bono attorneys to
contact us for more information. Current and new pro bono
attorneys may download a registration form
from our website.
This will help us place cases most efficiently and match
appropriate attorneys and clients.
Each month, Pro Bono Project staff visit
several community and nonprofit organizations to present
information about the Community Law Center and the Pro Bono
Project. We can attend regular membership or board meetings to
describe our organization, the types of issues for which we can
provide assistance, and the nuts and bolts of the Pro Bono
Project. Please contact the Pro Bono Project if you would like
to schedule a presentation to your organization.
The Pro Bono Project would like to
welcome the following attorneys who joined our roster of pro
bono attorneys by taking on cases in 2006:
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Jonathan Ackerman, Law
Office of Jonathan Ackerman LLC
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Michael Beattie, Ober /
Kaler
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Michael Forlini, Michael
V. Forlini, Attorney at Law, PC
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Jason Harmon, DLA Piper
US LLP
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Leeann Kelly-Judd, DLA
Piper US LLP
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Eileen Morgan Johnson,
Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP
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Colin G. Moorhouse, DLA
Piper US LLP
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Patrick O'Hare, Ober /
Kaler
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Sylvia Ontaneda-Bernales,
Ober / Kaler
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Dodi Samuel, DLA Piper
US LLP
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Renee Servance
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Ronald Shapiro, Miles &
Stockbridge PC
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Robert Spar, Saul Ewing,
LLP
Each month, Pro Bono Project staff visit
several community and nonprofit organizations to present
information about the Community Law Center and the Pro Bono
Project. We can attend regular membership or board meetings to
describe our organization, the types of issues for which we can
provide assistance, and the nuts and bolts of the Pro Bono
Project. Please contact the Pro Bono Project if you would like
to schedule a presentation to your organization.
The fifth edition of the popular “How to
Start a Nonprofit Organization in Maryland” book continues to be
available for purchase. This manual serves as a “how to” guide
to community and nonprofit groups wishing to formally organize
as nonstock corporations and to obtain 501(c)(3)
tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. The book
includes samples of bylaws, articles of incorporation, and Form
1023 (the IRS application for recognition of tax exemption), and also describes
filings and other ongoing requirements. Cost of the manual is
$25.00 plus tax and shipping where applicable.
Choosing a place to make a charitable
donation can be complicated. What is a good cause? Who is a good
steward with your money? Does the program really help the people
it says it does?
Make it easy to choose. Give to a place you know, a place where
you already volunteer your time. Give a gift to the Community
Law Center.
You may not realize that only around 8% of the CLC budget comes
from fees paid by clients. 92% of the funds to run our programs
come from grants and donations. Every gift helps someone in
Baltimore live a better life or improve their community. Please
support us with your time and your money. Thanks!
The mission of the Community Law Center
is to provide legal services and technical assistance to improve
the quality of life and economic viability of communities.
Kelly E. Pfeifer, Staff Attorney –
kellyp@communitylaw.org
or 410.366.0922 x33
Danielle Deckard, Paralegal –
danielled@communitylaw.org
or
410.366.0922 x15
Thanks to the Community Law Center's new
partnership with Goodsearch.com, raising money to help support
our programs is literally only a mouse click away. Log onto
www.goodsearch.com -- a new search engine powered by Yahoo! --
and type "Community Law Center, Inc." into the "I support" box.
CLC will then receive a donation each time you search the web
using GoodSearch.
Unable to open links e-mail to
mail@communitylaw.org
The Community Law Center Website is under
construction please watch for updates
Last Updated:
February 07, 2007 ©
2007 Community Law Center, Inc. Baltimore, Maryland
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The Community Law Center, Inc.
