Why was MLAN created?
The MLAN Project is the outgrowth of a set of shared recommendations from two task forces established by the Maryland State Bar Association in 1995 -- the Maryland Coalition for Civil Justice (MCCJ) and the Maryland Moderate Income Access to Justice Task Force -- to improve the delivery of legal services for low and moderate income persons.

What is the Role of MLSC?
The Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC) created the grant proposal that resulted in the MLAN project and was the recipient of the OSI grant that funded the first years of project development. MLSC continues as a primary funder of this cross-organizational effort in Maryland.

What is the Role of the Legal Aid Bureau?
The Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) is the recipient of the grant funds used to operate the Network. Through the MLAN Project, Legal Aid coordinates and manages these Network activities. The Project is housed at the Legal Aid office in Baltimore.

What is the MLAN project?
The Project consists of four integrated and interconnected components designed to both support the legal services providers in their work as well as provide additional services to income-eligible MLAN clients. The system includes:

• A public access, legal information and self-help website (Peoples Law Library) with information on topics such as family law, consumer law, landlord/tenant law, government benefits and how someone might represent themselves in court or find a lawyer. www.peoples-law.org. Outreach sites have been set up around the state in 18 libraries, court houses or community centers to help provide better public access to the website and other MLAN services.
  
• A centralized legal provider referral database on the web has been created and made available to help courts, government agencies and legal aid providers to match persons with legal problems with the right legal aid or private attorney program.
  
• A password-protected website support website to help legal aid and pro bono attorneys better serve their clients. www.mdjustice.org
  
• Legal self-help - MLAN supports services provided by the Maryland courts and legal aid providers to help people better understand the law, decide if they need legal representation, and help them represent themselves in appropriate cases.
  
• MLAN works with the private bar and legal services providers to come up with ways to make legal help more affordable through systems that provide for limited legal help. A national conference was held in October 2000 and the www.unbundledlaw.org website has become an ad hoc national clearinghouse on the topic.
  
• A single 800# will offer the public easy access to major legal aid providers in the state that provide free help. Calls are answered by staff at the major statewide partners, which include the Legal Aid Bureau, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers’ Service, House of Ruth and the Women’s Law Center. (This project is currently operating on a pilot basis with client calls being taken on a controlled basis.)
  

What are Unbundled Legal Services?
We have been using the term to refer to any of a number of discrete tasks, short of full service representation, that an attorney might undertake to assist a pro se client. Tasks might include advice, limited document creation, review of pleadings, or coaching prior to court. Materials, updates and recommendations can be found at www.unbundledlaw.org.

Who is served by the MLAN project?
The services of the MLAN is oriented toward the poor and working poor/moderate income individuals in Maryland.

• The centralized intake component is targeted at Marylanders whose income is at or below MLSC guidelines (i.e., 50% of the state median income).
• The People's Law Library will be available to any member of the public, although the areas of substantive law development will be of most interest to MLSC-eligible users.
• The MDJustice website serves the advocate staff of the MLAN legal services providers as well as members of the private bar handling pro bono cases referred by these providers.
• The pro se and unbundled legal services project directly supports the public and private bar members and leaders interested in this area. MLSC-eligible clients and the general public benefit from the project activities to improve and expand these methods of delivering legal services.

What Resources are Being Used for this Project?
The Project is be supported by four major contributors of resources:

• A joint effort of the Open Society Institute (OSI), Program on Law and Society and OSI-Baltimore is providing a three-year $1 million grant to develop the project. OSI is part of the network of foundations, currently operating in 31 countries, created by George Soros. Through a network of autonomous nonprofit organizations, the foundations seek to strengthen the capacity of marginalized groups to affect their lives and public policy through their own efforts as advocates.
• MLSC is contributing a significant in-kind and new resource match to the Project.
• The Project will draw from and build upon the expertise and work of the legal services providers in the state by involving providers in the design, development, implementation and management of the network.
• MLAN contractors/grantees will pledge to leverage existing resources to provide additional support. In order to maximize the effectiveness of this effort, the Project will also build upon existing resources.

Is There a Fee for Project Services?
No fee is charged for any of the direct services provided by the system.  Persons who are ineligible will be referred to lawyer referral or other programs and subject to their fee schedules.

Contact: MLAN Director, Ayn Crawley - acrawley@mdjustice.org

Maryland Legal Assistance Network
c/o Legal Aid Bureau
Second Floor
500 East Lexington, Baltimore MD 21201
MLAN General Phone Number : (443) 451-2894
Fax: (410) 951-7677