STANDING COMMITTEE on PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICE
What is the Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Service?
The Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Service, established in 2002 by the Court of Appeals under Maryland Rule 16-901, has been charged with coordinating the effort to increase access to justice by expanding pro bono participation by attorneys across the state of Maryland. The mandate of the Standing Committee was to study long range pro bono issues, serve as a clearinghouse for materials, and develop a State Pro Bono Action Plan, which was presented to the Court of Appeals in 2005.
The Committee has also been charged with oversight of the Local Pro Bono Committees in each county. The Standing Committee supports Local Pro Bono Committees by recommending uniform standards for Local Committees to assess the needs in their respective jurisdiction and by reviewing and evaluating Local Pro Bono Action Plans and the Annual Reports of the Local Pro Bono Committees. The Standing Committee gathers and makes available information about pro bono projects to Local Pro Bono Committees. When needed, the Standing Committee also provides guidance about Pro Bono Rules.
The Standing Committee collects the Annual Local Pro Bono Committee Reports from each Local Pro Bono Committee as required under Rule 16-902 and drafts an Annual Report and Recommendations about the implementation and effectiveness of the Local Pro Bono Action Plans and Pro Bono Rules for presentation to the Court of Appeals.
Membership Composition
Since its creation, the Standing Committee has expanded to eighteen Court-appointed members: eight lawyer members representing each judicial circuit; Circuit Court Judges; District Court Judges; a Public Defender; representatives from the Legal Aid Bureau, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, and one other pro bono referral organization; and a member of the general public. A hearing was held before the Court of Appeals on October 19, 2010, to address the 165th Report of the Court of Appeals Rules Committee, which includes the proposed changes to Rule 16-901 submitted by the Standing Committee. This rule change added four new members to the Standing Committee, representing Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, the Legal Aid Bureau, the Pro Bono Resource Center and “one other pro bono referral organization.” The Court of Appeals adopted the proposed changes without revision.
The current members of the Standing Committee are as follows:
Committee Member
|
Appointment
|
|
Ward B. Coe, III, Esq. |
CHAIR |
|
Robert D. Anbinder, Esq. |
Sixth Appellate Circuit |
|
Joan Bellistri |
Public Member |
|
Shawn Boehringer, Esq. |
Legal Aid Bureau |
|
Ann Baer Cogan, Esq. |
Second Appellate Circuit |
|
Hon. Angela M. Eaves |
Circuit Court |
|
Antonia Fasanelli, Esq. |
Pro Bono Referral Organization |
|
Jo Benson Fogel, Esq. |
Seventh Appellate Circuit |
|
Manuel R. Geraldo, Esq. |
Fourth Appellate Circuit |
|
Sharon E. Goldsmith, Esq. |
Pro Bono Resource Center |
|
Sharon M. Grosfeld, Esq. |
Fifth Appellate Circuit |
|
Hon. Miriam Brown Hutchins |
District Court |
|
Hon. Karen Murphy Jensen |
Circuit Court |
|
Diane Lach, Esq. |
Office of the Public Defender |
|
Master Jane Cairns Murray |
First Appellate Circuit |
|
Hon. Cathy Hollenberg Serrette |
Circuit Court |
|
Miriam Sincell, Esq. |
Third Appellate Circuit |
|
Bonnie Sullivan, Esq. |
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service |