Pro Bono E-News

Summer 2009

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 handles many matters in-house through staff attorneys, the Pro Bono Project continues to match volunteer attorneys with clients in many communities. This Project offers specialized legal expertise in virtually every aspect of the law to community and nonprofit organizations throughout Baltimore and beyond.

Featured Pro Bono Attorney: Michael McCann, solo practitioner

In the spring of 2006, the Community Law Center was contacted by an environmental group looking for pro bono help. The County Board of Appeals for Anne Arundel County handed down a decision in favor of a developer that would allow them to essentially ignore the Rural Critical Area law designed to protect the Chesapeake Bay. Solo practitioner , Michael McCann, Esq., accepted the case and began working on the group's appeal to the Court of Special Appeals.

Three years later, Michael McCann and the communities along Saltworks Creek are awaiting the decision of Maryland's Court of Appeals. After hundreds of hours of work on this case, McCann believes the case could have far reaching effects. He says the resolution of the case "will have a significant impact on the issue of whether development may occur in the critical areas of the Chesapeake Bay."

The President of the Severn Riverkeepers, Fred Kelly says: "Michael McCann is an excellent attorney whose pro bono efforts on behalf of the Severn Riverkeepers have been outstanding. These communities along the Severn would not have been able to pursue this case and stand on a level playing field without his generous donation of time and effort."

Whatever the ultimate outcome, McCann made it possible for these communities to take their fight to the highest court in Maryland. It is an honor to have an attorney with such perseverance and dedication on the roster of the Pro Bono Project for the Community Law Center.

Legal Briefs

is a special event to raise funds, friends and fame for the Community Law Center, a nonprofit law firm that represents nonprofits and community associations to help them achieve safe and sustainable neighborhoods.
The Community Law Center will inaugurate the first members of a new Honorary Board of Directors: Chief Judge Robert M. Bell, Anne Blumenberg, Esq., and W. Warren Hamel, Esq. Judges and prominent members of the legal community, with the help of local artists, will design and decorate brief cases to be silent auctioned at the event. There will be a live auction of the brief case created by Chief Judge Bell.

The following dignitaries are participating:

Judge Richard D. Bennett
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
Judge J. Frederick Motz
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
Chief Judge Robert M. Bell
Court of Appeals of Maryland
Judge Lynne A. Battaglia
Court of Appeals of Maryland
Ret. Judge Joseph H.H. Kaplan
Circuit Court for Baltimore City
Judge Gale E. Rasin
Circuit Court for Baltimore City
Judge Pamela J. White
Circuit Court for Baltimore City
Ret. Judge Norris Byrnes
Circuit Court for Baltimore County
Judge Jeannie Jinkyung Hong
District Court of Maryland, Baltimore City
Judge Jack I. Lesser
District Court of Maryland, Baltimore City
Benjamin R. Civiletti, Esq.
Senior Partner, Venable LLP, former U.S. Attorney General
Anne Blumenberg, Esq.
Community Law Center founder and community activist

Where? Old Northern District Police Station stables, 3355 Keswick Road, Baltimore, MD 21211
When? Friday, October 9th, from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM.
Why? Great honorees, guests, hors d’oeuvres, desserts, craft beers, wine, Ketel One cocktails, music, and support for the Community Law Center!
How much? $65 per ticket.
Tickets must be purchased in advance by mail with a check to the CLC, by credit card at www.communitylaw.org, or by calling 410-366-0922.
Sponsorships available at $5,000, $2,500, $1,000, and $500.
Contact Fran Gunther Minges, Director of Development at franm@communitylaw.org

New Volunteers

The Pro Bono Project would like to welcome the following attorneys who have recently volunteered:

Jennifer Smith
Yetunde Kehinde
Devorah Lewin
Danielle Taylor
Sebastian Kurian
Joe Macri
Sidney Reid
Charles Nolan
Marilyn Harris
Adam Connolly
Michael Gaches

Do you have a colleague who may be interested in volunteering with the Pro Bono Project? Please encourage interested attorneys to contact the Project Director, Kelly Pfeifer at kellyp@communitylaw.org for more information. The Community Law Center is always in need of more dedicated volunteers to assist client organizations.

New Clients

The following clients have recently been matched with a Pro Bono attorney:

IT Whiz Kids, Inc.
Lauraville Improvement Association, Inc.
Avondale North Woodridge Citizens Association, Inc.
Tuscany Canterbury
Anne Arundel County Citizens for Protection Against VLT Facilities
Panway Neighborhood Improvement Association, Inc.
Douglass Place Neighborhood Association
Prince George's County Civic Federation, Inc.
Chinese American Doctors Association, Inc.
North Shore at Canton, Inc.
Johnston Square Community Development Corporation
I Will Restore Ministries, Inc.
The T.I.P.P.E.R. Foundation, Inc.
Sanaa Kundi Art Foundation
Linden Rialto Condominium Association
Meet Me After School
Greater St. Johns Ministries
Center for Urban Families, Inc.
Prince Georges Feral Friends, SPCA, Incorporated

Upcoming Workshops and Events

How to Keep Your Tax-Exempt Status.
September 16, 2009 6-8:30pm
Pratt Central Library, 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore.
Register TODAY www.neighborhoodrevitalization.org or Click here for more information!
Additional Workshops

Become a FaceBook Fan of the CLC!

The CLC is now on FaceBook, and we invite you to become a Fan. You will receive up to the minute news about CLC’s work in the community, special events, and workshops. Click to see our page!

Client Satisfaction Surveys

We are always interested in hearing from our clients! All current Pro Bono Project clients are invited and encouraged to complete a client satisfaction survey. We value your feedback and consider all information provided. Please tell us if, as we hope, we've done a great job, or if there are areas where we could improve our services. Your feedback will help us continue to assist you and numerous other organizations. Client Survey

Pro Bono Project Staff Available to Visit Community and Nonprofit Organizations and Law Firms

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. Staff members are available to attend regular membership or board meetings to describe the Community Law Center, the types of issues for which assistance can be provided, 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.

Pro Bono Project staff is also available to present information about pro bono opportunities to law firms or other gatherings of attorneys, such as bar association events. The success of the Pro Bono Project is very much dependent on the involvement of dedicated volunteer attorneys, and, as such, Project staff is always looking to expand the current roster of over 240 pro bono attorneys. Please contact the Project staff to schedule a time to discuss pro bono opportunities for attorneys.

Raising Money is Just a Click Away

Thanks to the Community Law Center's partnership with Goodsearch.com, raising money to help support our programs is literally only a mouse click away. Log on to 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.

Giving Wisely

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!

Donations can be mailed to: Community Law Center, Inc., 3355 Keswick Road, Suite 200, Baltimore MD 21211 or Click Here

Pro Bono Project Staff

Kelly E. Pfeifer, Supervising Attorney
kellyp@communitylaw.org or 410.366.0922 x33
Alyson Harkins, Pro Bono Outreach Coordinator
alysonh@communitylaw.org or 410.366.0922 x15