View this email in your browser

Project Updates

Cover page of article about the Maryland Justice Passport

Maryland Justice Passport featured in Trends in State Courts publication
The National Center for State Courts published “The Maryland Justice Passport: Making Effective Referrals from Court Help Centers” in the 2022 edition of its peer-reviewed publication, Trends in State Courts. This article, written by the Maryland Judiciary Access to Justice Department’s Pamela Ortiz and Civil Justice Executive Director Sarah Coffey Bowes, highlights the Justice Passport’s contributions to access to justice in Maryland, and specifically our fruitful partnership with court help centers. We are honored to have our work featured and recognized on this national scale.

Download Article

In-Person Conversations at Maryland Court Help Center in Catonsville
On July 19, 2022, Justice Passport Manager Nicole Kiker spent the day at the Maryland Court Help Center in Catonsville. Nicole spoke with visitors about ways to make it easier for them to handle their case and find legal services. The insights of unrepresented Marylanders are invaluable to our team as we make the Justice Passport more user-friendly and effective. Over the next month, Nicole will visit other court help centers, learning further from the real experts on access to justice: litigants themselves.

Meet Savannah!

Introducing New Maryland Center for Legal Assistance (MCLA) Referral Coordinator, Savannah Hackley!

We’re excited to welcome Savannah Hackley to the Justice Passport partnership. After earning her Bachelor's in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in May 2022, Savannah is very excited to start her new position as a MCLA Referral Coordinator! She applies her strong understanding of legal structures, great customer service, and communication skills to help litigants access legal services.

MCLA Referral Coordinators assist litigants with creating or updating their Justice Passports, inputting case details, uploading documents, and initiating referrals. The Referral Coordinators also follow up with litigants to ensure that they can access their Justice Passport and that the referral for representation has been accepted. We are deeply grateful for their hard work, as MCLA’s Referral Coordinators initiate the most Justice Passports of all our partners.

Should you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Savannah at shackley@mdcla.org.

Reminders:

Don’t forget to order your FREE Maryland Justice Passport flyers, posters, buttons, and pocket cards by emailing the Team at mjp@civiljusticenetwork.org.
You can find more information about the Maryland Justice Passport at www.mdjusticepassport.org.
If you would like more information about the project or would like to offer the Maryland Justice Passport at your organization, contact the team at mjp@civiljusticenetwork.org.

This project is supported by a grant from the Maryland Judiciary