About Us
Our Vision
To lead in providing high-quality legal services; to build on mutual respect for clients, staff, and others; to advocate for justice; and to add maximum positive value to all who request legal assistance.
Our Mission
To provide high-quality, free legal services to Marylanders living in poverty through representation and advocacy and to bring meaningful change to the systems that impact them.
Our Values
To grow out of in-depth conversations with our clients across the state about the issues that they and their families face everyday. Maryland Legal Aid has adopted a human rights framework to our advocacy.
What We Do
Maryland Legal Aid (MLA) is the largest provider of free, direct legal services in Maryland and the state’s 3rd largest law firm*. As a private, non-profit law firm, MLA provides a full range of free civil legal services to low-income people statewide, in Baltimore City and in Maryland’s 23 counties, from 12 office locations. Financial support for our services comes from federal, state and local governments, foundations, law firms, the United Way, and from individual donors.
MLA handles civil (not criminal) cases involving a wide range of issues, including child custody, housing, public benefits, consumerA state or federal law designed to protect consumers against improperly described, damaged, faulty, and dangerous goods and services as well as from unfair trade and credit practices. Including Legal Issues like: bankruptcy, collections, garnishment and repossession. law (e.g., bankruptcyA legal procedure for dealing with debt problems of individuals and businesses. and debt collectionTo collect a debt or obtain payment; To recover goods sold on credit or in installments when the buyer fails to pay for them.), and criminal record expungementsRemoving convictions from criminal records. More to remove barriers to obtaining child custody, housing, and employment.
Many of MLA’s local offices represent children in CINA (Child in Need of Assistance) proceedings. Other vulnerable populations, such as victims of abuse and domestic violence, seniors, migrant farmworkers, veterans, and nursing home and assisted living residents, also receive specialized representation. MLA’s services include representation before federal and state trial and appellate courts, brief advice and counsel, and referrals to other sources of assistance.
*The Daily Record 2019
Leadership
Rachel Bitter, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Upper Eastern Shore
Laurence Boylan, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Baltimore City Intake Services Unit
Cornelia Bright Gordon, Esq.
Advocacy Director for Administrative Law
Arlene Callender, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Harford/Cecil County Office
Towanda Chambers, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Anne Arundel/Howard County Office
Natalie Coley-Lawrence, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Baltimore City Intake Services Unit
Teresa Cooke, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Prince George's County
Gregory Countess, Esq.
Advocacy Director for Housing & Community Development
Graham Cowger
Director of Development
Anthony Davis, Esq.
Advocacy Director for ConsumerA state or federal law designed to protect consumers against improperly described, damaged, faulty, and dangerous goods and services as well as from unfair trade and credit practices. Including Legal Issues like: bankruptcy, collections, garnishment and repossession. Law
Angus Derbyshire, Esq.
Director of Pro Bono
Mitra Ghahramanlou
Chief Financial Officer
Lee Heithoff, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Southern Maryland
Kelley Hooper-McCamey, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Baltimore County Office
John Jeffcott, Esq.
Director of Information Technology
Karwolo Kamei, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Community Lawyering Initiative
Jeff Kaplan, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Domestic Law Unit
Jennifer Lavella
Director of Marketing and Communications
Erica LeMon, Esq.
Advocacy Director for Children's Rights
Joan Little, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Baltimore City CINA
Ashley Mariner, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Lower Easter Shore
Claudine “Dini” McCullough, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Montgomery County
Meaghan McDermott, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Community Lawyering Initiative
Christina Moore, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Administrative Law Unit
Eileen Nnoli, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Baltimore City Intake Services Unit
Lee Ogburn, Esq.
Advocacy Director for Appellate Law
Amy Petkovsek, Esq.
Deputy Legal and Advocacy Director
Colleen Russell
Director of Administrative Services
Jennifer Schauffler
Director of Grants, Contracts and Compliance
Kristi Schulenberg, Esq.
Chief Operating Officer
Vicki Schultz, Esq.
Executive Director
Janine Scott, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Baltimore County
Zafar Shah, Esq.
Assistant Advocacy Director for Access to Counsel (ACE)
Miriam Sincell, Esq.
Chief Attorney, Allegany/Garrett Office
William Steinwedel, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Foreclosure Legal Assistance Project
Jessica Sysak
Chief Human Resources Officer
Somil Trivedi, Esq.
Chief Legal and Advocacy Director
Frank Vitale, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Montgomery County Office
Patricia Waldman, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Prince George's County
Shannon Weaver, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Baltimore City CINA