Where can I get legal help in Maryland?
Answer
On our Services for Members of the Public page, Thurgood Marshall Law Library provides Guidelines for Visitor Services on what TMLL library staff can and cannot do to help you. Since library staff may not know the answers to all questions about court rules, procedures and practices, and because we do not want to give you incorrect information, we will not answer questions if we do not know the correct answer or if the answer could be considered legal advice. For additional information, please contact a self-help center or other legal services program provided in the Guidelines for Visitor Services, and below.
Information about Maryland and related federal law is available to the general public on the People's Law Library (PLL) of Maryland, a legal information and self-help website maintained by the Thurgood Marshall State Law Library of the Maryland Judiciary. PLL provides summaries of the law, links to primary and secondary legal sources, guidance on how to navigate Maryland's legal process, and a directory and calendar of legal services.
Research topics on PLL are generally related to civil case types that self-represented litigants most frequently litigate in Maryland state courts. Topics include consumer law, criminal law, domestic violence, education law, employment law, family law, government benefits & services, landlord-tenant law, health law, life & health planning, motor vehicle law, real estate & housing law, senior citizens, wills, estates & probate law, youth law, and other legal issues.
To get legal help in resolving your matter, PLL provides a directory of legal service organizations that can be searched by keyword, county, and category. The directory and the website provide links to free, low-cost, and fee-based legal service providers, such as the Maryland Courts Self-Help Center, District Court Self-Help Centers, Maryland Legal Aid (which offers a Lawyer in the Library program at Enoch Pratt Free Library as part of their Community Lawyering Initiative), and Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (which offers an Ask A Lawyer in the Library program in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County). PLL also offers a legal clinic calendar that can be limited by county for the general public.
The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law Clinical Program provides free legal consultations to Maryland residents through the JustAdvice® Project. According to the JustAdvice website, "The program’s goal is to increase access to justice within the Baltimore community by providing a free alternative for individuals in need of legal advice who do not qualify for Legal Aid, but may not have the resources to hire a private attorney." To schedule an appointment or to learn more about the project, visit the JustAdvice website.
The legal research platform Westlaw offers a 7-day free trial with a unique email address. For information on the legal research process, please see the Thurgood Marshall Law Library Guide to Legal Research.
Please note that legal services may be modified or disrupted in response to emergency closures.