THE
ADVOCATE VOLUME 34, NUMBER 1 - Fall 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 Message from the Chair 4 Committee Updates 4 Disaster Relief 5 Education 6 Membership 7 Nominating 7 Pro Bono 8 Featured Article: PRBC Kicks Off 2019-2020 Professional Skills Academy 11 Announcements Lawyers’ Campaign Against Hunger
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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR BY NATHANIEL K. RISCH, SECTION CHAIR (nate@mannrisch.com) Are you ready for a great year with the Young Lawyers Section (YLS)? I know I am (and so is this year’s Section Council... see photo below). Great events and activities are being planned by great people. My focus as Chair this year is to engage lawyers and law students who may not be familiar with what the YLS has to offer and encourage them to test drive and, hopefully, join the YLS. Whether you want to network with other lawyers, serve the community, hone your legal skills or just have a good time, the chances are good that the YLS can provide an avenue to meet your needs. The YLS offers countless opportunities for young lawyers and law students to get involved in the legal community, make new contacts, and further themselves on a personal and professional level. As a result, involvement in the YLS offers substantial and diverse value for its members. Likewise, every member, new and old, brings their own perspectives and life experiences to the
section. Thus, every new member adds to the diversity and value provided by the Section and I want to see it continue to grow. Every year, the Chair has the privilege of choosing a charity for the YLS to sponsor. The YLS has raised awareness and funds for some very deserving groups over the years. This year, I am honored to select MYLaw: Maryland Youth and the Law. MYLaw (formerly CLREP) has a long partnership with the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA). Since 1975, MYLaw has been teaching Maryland youth about the legal system and providing experiences to develop skills, such as communication, advocacy, critical thinking, and problem solving. Programs such as the High School Mock Trial program and Teen Court have touched the lives of thousands of Maryland youth. MYLaw is a group that we can all get behind and I hope you will come to the YLS Annual Charity Event on April 24, 2020 at Gertrude’s to support MYLaw and the great work they do. As MSBA President Dana O. Williams said, now it is time to get to work. I hope that you’ll join us on this journey. Together we can have another fun and fulfilling year working through the YLS.
Some members of this year’s YLS Section Council at our orientation at Urban Axes.
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COMMITTEE UPDATES DISASTER RELIEF
As part of the Disaster Relief Committee’s annual planning, it is in the process of updating the Disaster Relief Plan to include current contact information for individuals and organizations willing to serve as volunteers in the event of a disaster. Each Circuit should have a minimum of five volunteer attorneys. A volunteer attorney may assist with accepting phone calls, placing callers/clients with pro bono attorneys, or providing pro bono representation (if desired), in the event of a disaster. The Committee requests your assistance in either serving as a volunteer attorney, or recruiting someone to serve as a volunteer attorney. Please contact Sean O’Keefe, Chair of the Disaster Relief Committee, for more information, or to be included on the list of volunteer attorneys. Sean O’Keefe can be reached at spokeefe@okeefelegal.com or (301) 473-1842.
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EDUCATION
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MEMBERSHIP On October 2, 2019, the YLS Membership Committee hosted an Oktoberfest happy hour at Diamondback Brewing Company where it welcomed more than 80 lawyers, including MSBA President Dana O. Williams and his wife, The Honorable Alexandra Williams. Guests gathered to toast the start of another MSBA year. The Committee would like to thank the University of Baltimore School of Law, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, and Planet Depos for making this event a huge success!
Attendees of the Oktoberfest happy hour.
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NOMINATING The YLS is seeking applications for the position of Young Lawyers’ representative to the MSBA Board of Governors. One position is currently available for a two-year term. Any current member of YLS who is interested may submit an application to Michael Hudak, Chair, Nominating Committee, MSBA Section of Young Lawyers.
All applications must be received via email to angela@msba.org no later than the close of business on Friday, November 1, 2019. Applications should include a statement of interest, a resume, and a list of Bar activities. If you have any questions, please contact either Michael Hudak (mhudak007@ gmail.com) or Angela Munro (angela@ msba.org).
PRO BONO The Pro Bono Committee is recruiting volunteers for an Estate Planning Clinic at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2019, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event is aimed at serving veterans, but nonveterans are welcome to attend. Please see the flier to the left for more details.
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PRO BONO RESOURCE CENTER KICKS OFF 2019-2020 PROFESSIONAL SKILLS ACADEMY BY: DAVE PANTZER, ESQ., PBRC Director of Education, Outreach, and Technology (dpantzer@probonomd.org)
Attendees listen to the PBRC Academy orientation.
Thirty-eight people came out on Thursday evening, August 29, 2019, to celebrate the kick-off of Pro Bono Resource Center’s (“PRBC”) 2019-2020 Professional Skills Academy. The Academy develops volunteerism and expertise in newer attorneys through a combination of training, mentorship, and service. The event, hosted by the Baltimore office of Goodell, DeVries, Leech & Dann, LLP, served as an orientation for Academy Fellows (newer attorneys seeking to deepen their skills while giving back to the community) and mentors (experienced attorneys and retired judges who have agreed to meet with the Fellows over the coming year). PBRC Executive Director Sharon E. Goldsmith, and District Court Judge and MSBA President-Elect Mark Scurti welcomed the group, and provided historical context regarding the need for pro bono legal services in Maryland. American Bar Association (ABA) research has shown that in Maryland, younger attorneys do significantly less pro bono than older attorneys. Dave Pantzer, PBRC’s Director of Education, emphasized the program’s dual purposes of developing in 8
newer attorneys both a deep commitment to pro bono service, and a deep confidence in their own ability to do that work. Victoria Bethel, a member of MSBA’s YLS selected as a Fellow, said she was “drawn to the Academy because I wanted to gain knowledge and help provide legal help to those who cannot afford it.” After the event, Bethel stated, “I felt grateful that such a program existed for newer lawyers, and so many people were willing to provide their mentorship.”
PBRC Executive Director Sharon E. Goldsmith talks with attorneys Irwin Kramer and James Connolly of Academy sponsor firm Kramer & Connolly.
The 2019-2020 pilot program paired nineteen Fellows with individual mentors. In addition to mentorship, the Academy provides each Fellow with seven trainings over the year, and with seven specific opportunities to learn by doing – providing pro bono service to real clients, with a mentor present. Detailed information about the Academy is available at www.probonomd. org/academy. Fellow Sarah Adkisson expressed confidence after meeting her mentor, Montgomery County family attorney Lindsay Parvis. “We’re a good fit, and I’ll learn a lot about the practice of law and balancing pro bono work from her.”
Hon. Mark Scurti, District Court Judge and MSBA President-Elect, welcomes attendees.
Each Fellow will first undertake client representation in the Baltimore City Rent Court, as part of PBRC’s Courtroom Advocacy Project. During the winter, Fellows will represent clients in PBRC’s District Courtbased Consumer Advocacy Project. In the spring, Fellows will choose a final project: either a more complex case type in the District Court; estate planning work for low-income seniors; or a brief advice clinic for vulnerable clients in the U.S. Immigration Court. 9
All of the training and service opportunities provided through the Academy are also freely available to Maryland attorneys on an individual basis, by signing up at www. probonomd.org/training. What the Academy distinctively provides to Fellows is an opportunity for personalized mentoring and intentional peer relationships. Academy mentor and Anne Arundel County criminal defense attorney, Chris Flohr addressed the Fellows at the event, encouraging them to persevere in seeking mentorship, community, and learning opportunities throughout their careers. He emphasized that in addition to learning from seasoned mentors, it is critical to work with and learn from peers along the way.
Academy Fellow Cynthia C. Farmer and PBRC Staff Attorney Cate Scenna discuss PBRC’s Maryland Immigrant Legal Assistance Project.
On Friday, September 20, 2019, the first formal training for Academy Fellows (as well as other attorney volunteers) took place. Kat Hyland of Hyland Law Firm, LLC, presented on “Witnesses and Exhibits in Maryland’s District Courts.” The presentation was followed by a roleplaying exercise, in which participants practiced the skills they had just learned. Both Academy Fellows and mentors participated in the training.
Academy Fellows practice getting a document admitted into evidence in a role-play exercise.
Following the training, Snehal Massey, an Academy Fellow and member of the MSBA YLS, stated she “felt energized to see how many ‘mentors’ in the room wanted to help us strengthen our litigation skills.”
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ANNOUNCEMENTS On October 1, 2019, The Lawyers’ Campaign Against Hunger officially kicked off. The campaign supports the Maryland Food Bank. This year, the fundraising goal of the Young Lawyers is $10,000. To help reach that goal, please donate by going to mdfoodbank.fenly.org/drive/younglawyers. $1=3 meals, so no amount is too small. Spread the word to your firms, colleagues, friends, and family to consider donating to the food bank. The campaign deadline is December 31, 2019. There will also be a fundraising happy hour on November 19, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. at Gordon Biersch (see flyer below). This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Maryland Food Bank. To learn more information about the work of the Maryland Food Bank, please visit https://mdfoodbank.org.
Additional details can be found at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/happy-hour-withthe-young-lawyers-campaign-against-hunger-tickets-77489676709
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PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE For questions or comments about The Advocate please contact any member of the Publications Committee: Letam Duson Chelsea Crawford Chaz Ball Paul H. Farmer, Jr.
Letam.Duson@gmail.com CCrawford@browngold.com cball@sbwlaw.com pfarmer@gjblawfirm.com