Legal Aid Bureau Inc.

“The Form 990 is reviewed in detail by Management and then Management reviews the return with the Finance Committee. Once approved by Management and the Finance Committee, the Form 990 is distributed to the full Board of Directors, where they have the opportunity to discuss the return with Management and the Finance Committee before the return is filed.”

“Annually, each officer, director, or member of a committee with governing Board delegated powers is required to sign a statement which affirms such person has received a copy of the conflicts of interest policy, has read and understands the policy, and has agreed to comply with the policy. Determinations of whether a conflict exists, and appropriate resolution of those conflicts, is made either by the governing Board of Directors or by a committee appointed by the Board of Directors. No person determined to have a conflict of interest is allowed to participate in the deliberations or decision regarding resolution of that conflict or the approval of transactions related to it.”

“The Finance Committee of the Board of Directors uses comparable compensation data obtained from other legal services programs, Legal Services Corporation, Maryland Association for Nonprofits, and state, federal and local governments to determine an appropriate compensation level for the Executive Director. The Finance Committee then forwards its recommendation to the entire governing Board of Directors for its review and approval. The Executive Director determines the compensation of all key employees following reference to comparability information obtained from other legal services programs, Maryland Association of Nonprofits and state, federal, and local governments.”

“The Organization's governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements are made available to the public upon request.”

“Annual Actuarial Pension Adjustment - Non Operating Revenue/Loss -2,375,675.”

“The process has not changed from prior year.”

“In 1911, the Legal Aid Bureau (Maryland Legal Aid) was organized as a department of the Federated Charities of Baltimore and was incorporated as a separate entity in 1929. The direct lineage of Federated Charities, and therefore, Maryland Legal Aid (MLA), can be traced back to 1849 with the formation of The Association for the Improvement of the Condition of the Poor in Baltimore City. Formed by the Baltimore City mayor at the time, it was the third organization of its kind in the United States. To this day, Maryland Legal Aid remains devoted to many of the same goals as its earliest predecessors. Since its inception, MLA has been providing free legal services to Maryland's most vulnerable citizens pursuing the ideal of equal justice for all. MLA has grown to become Maryland's premier statewide public service law firm maintaining 12 full-service offices. Through these offices, civil legal services are provided free of charge to vulnerable and low-income individuals and families throughout Maryland. Maryland Center for Legal Assistance, LLC (MCLA) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MLA. Through a contract with the Administrative Office of the Courts, MCLA operates the District Court Self-Help Centers in Baltimore City, Glen Burnie, Upper Marlboro, and Salisbury and the Maryland Courts Self-Help Centers in Frederick and Annapolis. The District Court Self-Help Centers are walk-in facilities that assist with District Court civil matters only, including landlord-tenant, small claims, debt collection and protective orders. In addition to these matters, the Maryland Courts Self-Help Centers also assist with a broad range of issues including custody, divorce, and expungement of criminal records via phone, live chat and a new walk-in center in Frederick. MCLA staff consists of a Managing Director, 30 attorneys, and 6 administrative assistants. MLA is funded, in part, by the federal Legal Services Corporation (LSC). MCLA is a separate legal entity which does not receive LSC funds, and operates in compliance with the program integrity regulations established by LSC. MCLA is a single member LLC and, as such, is a disregarded entity for federal income tax purposes and, therefore, is considered a branch or division of MLA. Its assets, liabilities and operations are included in both this Form 990 and MLA's audited consolidated financial statements. MLA provides legal assistance in a number of areas, including foreclosure and eviction prevention, housing, unemployment, consumer debt, health care, criminal records expungement, educational issues, government benefits, family matters, and domestic violence. This assistance is especially vital because, unlike in criminal cases where there is typically a Constitutional right to counsel, there is no right to a lawyer in most civil cases. With an organizational vision to protect and advance human rights, MLA provides legal services in civil matters to individuals and families in Maryland with incomes below 125% of the federal poverty level, and, in some instances, pursuant to Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC) guidelines, to those whose income is less than one-half of Maryland's median income. MLA sets priorities for service delivery based on the expressed and assessed needs of potential clients. To date, demand for services has been highest on issues related to family/domestic law, housing, consumer, and income maintenance (both employment and public benefits) law. In addition, MLA has increased its focus on addressing the needs of Limited English Proficient (LEP) populations in Maryland and providing services which are sensitive to the ethnic and cultural diversity of Maryland's low-income population. MLA attempts to strategically coordinate advocacy and resources to meet these needs statewide. Experience also has enhanced MLA's awareness of the legal needs of veterans, senior citizens, long-term and assisted care residents, migrant farmworkers, neglected and abused children, and individuals”

“Highlights of 2018 Accomplishments: MLA opened a new Southern Maryland office in Hughesville, Charles County, which offers greater accessibility for clients and a more modern and professional work environment for staff. The new leased space covers more than 5,500 square feet on the second floor of the SMECO (Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative) building. The office has been completely renovated to accommodate nine full-time staff and several volunteers. Upon the hiring of a new staff attorney responsible for veterans issues statewide, MLA's veterans work has been re-energized. Regular outreach and expungement events take place at MLA's Baltimore City neighbor and partner, McVets. Education, legal information and expungement opportunities were provided at the local Maryland Stand Down at the Baltimore City War Memorial Building. The staff attorney is actively engaged in building community partners such as NABVETs, the Baltimore City Veterans' Commission, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion Department of Maryland. These organizations not only refer clients to MLA, they also turn to MLA for information regarding legal information related to veterans' issues. In MLA's Metropolitan Maryland office, the chief and a senior paralegal attended the Howard County Veterans' Fair in November 2018, and multiple staff members attended the Prince George's County Veterans' Stand Down and Homeless Resource Day also in November 2018. In an effort to deepen MLA's bench with respect to expertise in veterans' issues, a staff attorney in the Metropolitan office has become the office's "go to" advocate for veterans' issues and has advised veteran clients on a wide range of legal matters. Finally, MLA's Director of Advocacy for Training and Pro Bono serves as the Secretary for the Maryland State Bar Association's Section for Veterans and Military Affairs. In this role, she is able to connect the private bar with MLA's Joining Forces hotline and extended representation services for Maryland veterans. MLA's Long-Term Care Assistance Project (LTCAP) continued during 2018 to focus its services on clients in danger of being involuntarily discharged from nursing facilities or losing needed Medicaid health-related services provided through home and community-based services. These services include Community First Choice (CFC), the Home and Community-Based Options Waiver (HCBOW), and medical day care. Case types include: 1) protecting nursing home residents' rights not to be discharged against their will; 2) appealing erroneous denials of Medicaid coverage for long term care; and 3) safeguarding individual rights for all those who receive long-term services and supports. To that end, LTCAP staff not only engage in legal representation, but also participate in related policy work. The following LTCAP brochures were created or updated to reflect changes in the law over the past year: Signing a Nursing Home Admission Contract for Someone Else; Involuntary Discharges and Transfers from Nursing Homes: Know Your Rights; Protect Your Rights in Assisted Living, Community First Choice; Protecting Your Rights in a Nursing Home; and Long Term Care Medical Assistance: Paying for the Nursing Home. New Community Medical Assistance brochures and Mobility Paratransit Rights brochures are scheduled to be completed in 2019. During 2018 MLA's Anne Arundel County office established a collaboration with Chrysalis House, a local women's substance abuse recovery program. This effort created a streamlined process for referring incoming clients of Chrysalis House to MLA for evaluation of eligibility for expungements and possible representation. The office's supervising attorney gave a presentation to approximately 175 people from Chrysalis House about MLA's services and wide range of legal issues covering expungements, family law, and housing. MLA's Community Lawyering Initiative (CLI) engages in legal clinics in community spaces such as libraries, places of worshi”

“MLA again partnered with Clothes4Souls and Macy's, Inc. to produce five successful "Coats and Clinics" events in December 2018. The events were held at St. Peter Claver Church in West Baltimore, The Lighthouse Homeless Prevention Support Center in Annapolis, the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring, the Boys and Girls Club in South Baltimore, and Children in Need, Inc. in Hagerstown. Each event featured the distribution of over 500 new winter coats for men, women and children, along with free civil legal services and record expungements. Thousands of Marylanders attended these clinics, many of whom were in desperate need of a winter coat and who were formerly unaware of the legal services provided by MLA. In 2018, all MLSC-grantee organizations were invited to attend over 15 MLA trainings at no cost or pro bono obligation. MLSC grantees also attended MLA's annual New Lawyer Training at only the cost of an overnight stay and food at the retreat center. Maryland Center for Legal Assistance, LLC (MCLA): In 2018, the Maryland and District Court Self-Help Centers, staffed by MLA's subsidiary MCLA, assisted more than 95,000 visitors. The Maryland Court Self-Help Center in Frederick began serving visitors on July 18, 2018. By the end of 2018, the Center had assisted 1,733 visitors. In September 2017, MCLA launched a pro bono expungement clinic at the Prince George's DCSHC in Upper Marlboro. Since then, 232 visitors have received assistance expunging their criminal records. MCLA offers monthly webinars on a range of civil legal issues. These webinars are free and available to the public. Webinar topics have included, filing for divorce, completing the Failure to Pay Rent from, defending yourself in a Failure to Pay Rent case, and completing the Small Claim form. In 2018, MCLA launched two new webinars to assist visitors collecting on a judgment and dealing with child custody matters. More than 210 visitors have participated in MCLA's webinars since their inception in 2017.”

“Maryland Center for Legal Assistance, LLC (MCLA) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MLA. Through a contract with the Administrative Office of the Courts, MCLA operates the District Court Self-Help Centers in Baltimore City, Glen Burnie, Upper Marlboro, and Salisbury and the Maryland Courts Self-Help Centers in Frederick and Annapolis. The District Court Self-Help Centers are walk-in facilities that assist with District Court civil matters only, including landlord-tenant, small claims, debt collection and protective orders. In addition to these matters, the Maryland Courts Self-Help Centers also assist with a broad range of issues including custody, divorce, and expungement of criminal records via phone, live chat and a new walk-in center in Frederick. MCLA staff consists of a Managing Director, 30 attorneys, and 6 administrative assistants. MLA is funded, in part, by the federal Legal Services Corporation (LSC). MCLA is a separate legal entity which does not receive LSC funds and operates in compliance with the program integrity regulations established by LSC. MCLA is a single member LLC and, as such, is a disregarded entity for federal income tax purposes and, therefore, is considered a branch or division of MLA. Its assets, liabilities and operations are included in both this Form 990 and MLA's audited consolidated financial statements. Highlights of MCLA 2018 Accomplishments: In 2018, the Maryland and District Court Self-Help Centers, staffed by MLA's subsidiary MCLA, assisted more than 95,000 visitors. The Maryland Court Self-Help Center in Frederick began serving visitors on July 18, 2018. By the end of 2018, the Center had assisted 1,733 visitors. In September 2017, MCLA launched a pro bono expungement clinic at the Prince George's DCSHC in Upper Marlboro. Since then, 232 visitors have received assistance expunging their criminal records. MCLA offers monthly webinars on a range of civil legal issues. These webinars are free and available to the public. Webinar topics have included, filing for divorce, completing the Failure to Pay Rent from, defending yourself in a Failure to Pay Rent case, and completing the Small Claim form. In 2018, MCLA launched two new webinars to assist visitors collecting on a judgment and dealing with child custody matters. More than 210 visitors have participated in MCLA's webinars since their inception in 2017.”