Commentary: Three cheers for Legal Aid

Imagine the plight of Mary Jane Smith, a woman married for 20 years. She, her investment banker husband, and their three children live in a luxurious home in the suburbs. Life seems wonderful to Mary Jane until she discovers her husband is having an affair. When she confronts him, he becomes abusive. For months he harasses her and argues with her. Pushes lead to shoves, and he begins to physically assault her. Mary Jane retains the meanest lawyer in town, teaches her husband a lesson in court, and obtains a very fair economic settlement.

Now meet the Sara Jane Smyth. Sara Jane is just as nice as Mary Jane Smith. Nevertheless, she and her husband are as poor as church mice. After 15 years of marriage, Sara Jane discovers that her husband is having an affair. He, like Mary Jane's husband, becomes abusive and assaults her. But who will take her case? She has no money to pay for a lawyer. Her husband has no money from which her lawyer could one day hopefully obtain legal fees. Her desperate situation seems to have no resolution.

Someone should tell her to call Legal Aid. Legal Aid will take her case. The organization's mission is to provide high quality legal services to the poor.

There are thousands of impoverished Maryland citizens (56,000 last year) like Sara Jane Smyth who benefit from the services of Maryland's Legal Aid Bureau Inc. In fact, 45 percent of Legal Aid's work is devoted to family law problems.

Civil legal services

The organization focuses on civil legal services, not only in domestic disputes, but also in the realm of housing, education, employment, consumer, and public benefits law.

Housing matters, which often become urgent without warning, are an important aspect of the work of the Legal Aid lawyer. For example, a tenant recently complained about living conditions. In retaliation, the landlord evicted him. Who rescued this person? Thank goodness for Legal Aid.

Consumer problems occupy another 12 percent of Legal Aid's cases, and juvenile matters about 13 percent.

Children in Need of Assistance cases are another important area of concentration. Experts in the field, Legal Aid lawyers have saved the lives of hundreds of children. Consider the girl whose mother was suffering from mental illness and denied the child indispensable medical assistance. Thank goodness for Legal Aid.

The Legal Aid Bureau (it should be renamed Legal Aid-Maryland) was founded in 1911 to provide free legal services to the poor. Today its principal office is at 500 E. Lexington Street. It has offices throughout Maryland, including in Harford, Frederick, Allegany, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Talbot, Wicomico, Calvert, Prince George's, Montgomery, and Howard Counties.

With a staff of 260, including 130 lawyers and 65 paralegals, secretaries, clerks, and finance and fund raising directors, Legal Aid is busy helping disadvantaged Marylanders obtain the advice and services of lawyers. They can't carry on this work, however, without donations.

Backing justice for all

The budget of Legal Aid is over $16 million. Its primary source of funding is the National Legal Services Corp. Maryland Legal Services Corp., which combines state and local funds, is a critical and generous second source of funding.

About $1 million is raised from the private sector. Of course, this is insufficient. Each year the Equal Justice Council seeks to increase the private contributions to Legal Aid in various capital campaigns.

This year the law firm of Kramon & Graham and Andrew Jay Graham, Esq., will spearhead the fundraising drive. They will need all the help they can get. We should all pitch in.

As Legal Aid's Executive Director Wilhelm H. Joseph Jr. points out, it is important for everyone to contribute to Legal Aid to demonstrate faith in our democracy and its legal system. Lawyers, in particular, have a responsibility to contribute to Legal Aid to fulfill their commitment to the ideal of justice for all.

Today more than ever Legal Aid needs everyone's help. Changes in technology and modernization have posed more financial burdens on the organization.

The complexities of laws in many instances and the increasing numbers of destitute citizens unable to afford attorneys enhance the pressure on Legal Aid and its board, which is chaired by the dedicated Warren S. Oliveri, Jr.

As you consider your charitable contributions over the coming months, consider Legal Aid. You could support no worthier cause.

Trial lawyer and author Paul Mark Sandler is a partner with Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler in Baltimore. His column appears each Friday in The Daily Record.

Copyright 2003 Dolan Media Newswires
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.