| Bar Bulletin |
July,
2003 |
| Pro Bono Profile |
|
The Pro Bono
Resource Center of Maryland is pleased to announce and congratulate the
2003 recipients of the Maryland Pro Bono Service Awards.
Individuals
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Charles Balint,
Esquire, Law Offices of Charles Balint – Baltimore
Charles Balint is an
exemplary model of diverse pro bono contributions. He is considered a
“charter volunteer” for the Legal Aid Ministry of Baltimore, Inc., having
served the homeless shelter and rehabilitation center for over four years.
Mr. Balint also regularly volunteers for the Women’s Law Center’s Family
Law Hotline and has developed a reputation as one of the most reliable pro
bono lawyers for the House of Ruth Domestic Violence Legal Clinic. He
periodically works on pro bono cases through the Maryland Volunteer
Lawyers Service and has recently been appointed to the Baltimore City Pro
Bono Committee. Mr. Balint is a volunteer for the MSBA Speakers’ Bureau
and serves as a mentor to students at the University of Maryland School of
Law.
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Kathleen A. Ellis,
Esquire, Piper Rudnick LLP – Baltimore
Kathleen A. Ellis
serves as a pro bono coordinator for Piper Rudnick’s Baltimore office and
sits on the firm’s Pro Bono Committee. Her commitment to pro bono stems
from her direct involvement in representing non-profits and their clients
in ADA cases and on transactional issues. She has also contributed her
skills to help form the Appellate Advocacy Network, a collaborative legal
partnership for women and children seeking appellate relief from domestic
violence. Additionally, she serves as general counsel to the Maryland Food
Bank and Planned Parenthood.
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Michael C. Hickey,
Esquire, Hickey & Windsor, P.A. – Harford County
Michael C. Hickey,
Jr., is a hero to the Harford County Bar Foundation’s Pro Bono Program.
Mr. Hickey regularly accepts family law pro bono cases and provides legal
information through the Circuit Court’s Pro Se Project. One recent
challenging pro bono case involved preventing the eviction of a
hearing-impaired couple. Mr. Hickey persevered to overcome basic
communication issues and successfully resolved their case. During this
past year alone, Mr. Hickey has handled over 14 pro bono cases for the
Program. His reputation is that of a consistently willing, helpful and
reliable volunteer.
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Stephen J. Nolan,
Esquire – Towson (Lee A. Caplan Award)
Stephen J. Nolan has
been a strong advocate for the delivery of legal services to the poor for
many years. He is currently an active member of Maryland’s Statewide
Standing Committee for Pro Bono and is a member of Baltimore County’s
Local Pro Bono Committee. As president of the Baltimore County Bar
Association, Mr. Nolan has made pro bono a top priority, taking a leading
role, for example, in establishing the Equal Justice Council in Baltimore
County. He has personally served as a pro bono attorney for the Maryland
Volunteer Lawyers Service since its inception and accepts cases from the
Maryland Disability Law Center, serving children with special needs, as
well.
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Stephanie Ketchum,
Esquire, Whiteford, Taylor & Preston L.L.P. – Towson (Alex Fee Memorial
Award)
Stephanie Ketchum,
the first recipient of the Alex Fee Memorial Award, has consistently
worked on a range of pro bono projects. Ms. Ketchum routinely represents
non-profit organizations, participates in regular outreach visits to
shelters through the Homeless Person’s Representation Project, has
contributed pro bono service to the Civil Justice Network – First Time
Homebuyers Project, and is an active participant with the Maryland
Volunteer Lawyers Service. As a tax attorney, the Whiteford, Taylor &
Preston associate manages to assist organizations and individuals in need
in a variety of ways.
Pro Bono Program
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Latino Legal Access
Project – The Law Foundation of Prince George’s County, Inc.
The Latino Legal
Access Project is a weekly walk-in legal clinic operated by the Law
Foundation of Prince George’s County, Inc. Based out of the
Community-Oriented Policing Station in Langley Park, in the heart of the
Latino community, it served over 500 families last year alone. Volunteer
lawyers working through the Project have enabled the Foundation to sustain
its services despite staff cutbacks. The Project’s pro bono services have
not only increased access to legal services for the community but also
increased targeted outreach to the Latino community.
Law Firm
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Ballard Spahr Andrews
& Ingersoll, LLP
As a signatory of
the ABA’s Pro Bono Challenge, the law firm of Ballard Spahr Andrews &
Ingersoll, LLP, has committed to annually contribute, at a minimum, an
amount equal to 3 percent of the firm’s total billable hours to pro bono
work. Pro bono efforts of the firm’s Baltimore office have included a
commitment to handle the sale of 100 vacant properties in Baltimore City
for Mayor O’Malley’s Project 5000. In 2002, Ballard Spahr donated over
1,000 hours of pro bono work to the Community Law Center working on the
tax sale foreclosure cases alone. The firm has worked on numerous other
projects with the Center in the city as well, including the revitalization
of abandoned properties, libel suits, and zoning and nuisance cases.
The Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland congratulates the 2003
recipients of the Maryland Pro Bono Service Awards. Pictured from left to
right: (front row) Sharon E. Goldsmith, Esq., Director, Pro Bono
Resource Center of Maryland; Hon. Julia Weatherly, Circuit Court for
Prince George’s County; Stephanie Ketchum, Esq., Whiteford, Taylor &
Preston L.L.P., Alex Fee Memorial Award; Edwin G. Fee, Jr., Lisa Barkin
and Katie Fee; (back row) Michael C. Hickey, Esq., Hickey &
Windsor, P.A., Individual Award; Stephen J. Nolan, Esq., Lee A. Caplan
Award; Charles Balint, Esq., Law Offices of Charles Balint, Individual
Award; Keith Parris, Esq., President, the Law Foundation of Prince
George’s County, Inc., Pro Bono Program Award. Not pictured: Susan
Spence, Esq., and Raymond G. Truitt, Esq., Managing Partner, Ballard Spahr
Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, Law Firm Award; Kathleen A. Ellis, Esq., Piper
Rudnick LLP, Individual Award.
