September 2023
About the Project
The National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (NCCRC) was created in 2003 as a project of the Public Justice Center (PJC). The PJC uses legal advocacy tools to pursue social justice, economic and racial equity, and fundamental human rights for Marylanders who are struggling to provide for their basic needs. The NCCRC is the PJC’s only project with a national focus.
The NCCRC’s mission is to ensure individuals have a right to effective counsel when facing the loss of
their basic human needs in the civil legal system. We work nationally to accomplish this by:
- Supporting, connecting, and coordinating federal, state, and local efforts to study, enact, litigate, implement, and evaluate right to counsel programs;
- Tracking and reporting on right to counsel litigation, legislation, education, and social science research efforts around the country;
- Maintaining a comprehensive right to counsel research repository and status map;
- Planning and/or presenting at convenings, educational sessions, and public events; and
- Speaking with the media to raise awareness / understanding of, and enthusiasm for, the right to counsel.
We have assisted the NCCRC’s 600 participants and partners across 45 states in efforts to establish a right to counsel for cases involving adoption or guardianship of children, termination of parental rights, evictions, suspension of driver’s licenses, civil incarceration, domestic violence, truancy, guardianship of adults, and civil forfeiture.
About the Position
The movement to establish the right to counsel for tenants facing eviction (“RTC”) has seen dramatic growth in the past six years: with our support, four states, seventeen cities, and one county have enacted such a right. We therefore are looking to hire an Implementation Specialist so that we can fully assist jurisdictions working to ensure their enacted rights to counsel are effective and empowering. While the position has clear responsibilities, we’re looking for someone who can bring fresh perspectives, ideas, creativity, energy, and humor to the position.
The Implementation Specialist is a new, full-time, exempt, professional, and remote position (all NCCRC employees work remotely), and will report to the NCCRC Coordinator, who works from Montgomery, Alabama. The Implementation Specialist will initially travel to Montgomery for a week of training and will later travel on occasion to other locations as needed.
Core duties
- Providing direct technical support to cities, counties, and states that are in the process of implementing a RTC, including matters related to rollout / phase-in, hiring, outreach, intake, court collaboration, funding, data collection / evaluation, and more;
- Collaborating with the NCCRC staff on:
- Providing implementation knowledge to assist advocates pursuing RTC enactment;
- Collecting, compiling, and publishing data emerging from RTC jurisdictions;
- Designing and presenting on webinars, boot camps, and conferences;
- Developing guides available to advocates.
- Exploring and reporting on potential federal, state, and local funding sources;
- Overseeing interviews of advocates in RTC jurisdictions to document implementation data and lessons learned;
- Planning and facilitating monthly nationwide calls, including identifying relevant topics and securing expert speakers;
- Gathering lessons learned from implementing the right to counsel in criminal cases;
- Working on efforts to expand the pipeline of attorneys available for RTC programs.
Desired skills and experience
- Admission to practice law in Maryland or state of residence required;
- Experience with eviction proceedings required;
- Experience managing/supervising a legal services program strongly preferred;
- Experience with RTC campaigns or implementation strongly preferred;
- Established passion for social justice, and keen interest in access to justice;
- Strong organizational skills, as well as keen attention to detail;
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment;
- Experience working with diverse populations from various backgrounds and lived experiences, as well as demonstrating cultural responsiveness and understanding;
- Ability to effectively communicate complex legal and technical concepts to various stakeholders, adapting communication style to meet different needs.
Compensation
Salary range for an attorney with 1-15 years of experience is $65,000-95,000 and increases with experience. An excellent cafeteria benefit package in the annual amount of $15,600 is also provided. This package offers health, vision, dental, disability and life insurance, and retirement options. Cafeteria benefits packages give employees flexibility to choose how to direct their benefits. For example, this package can cover 100% of employee healthcare premiums, but an employee can choose to direct those funds towards retirement if they already have health insurance and/ or the excess can be taxed and added to salary. PJC employees receive at least 20 days of paid leave, with increases based on length of tenure, 10 paid holidays, and 15 days of sick leave annually.
Applications
Applications should be submitted by Friday, October 13, to be assured of consideration but will be accepted and interviews conducted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To apply, please submit a cover letter explaining your interest, resume, one short legal writing sample, and the names and telephone numbers of three references. Please send applications to John Pollock, jpollock@publicjustice.org with “NCCRC Implementation Specialist Position” in the subject line.
Physical/Mental Demands and Office Environment
The physical/mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may
be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The Public Justice Center is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer that encourages all interested persons to apply regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, age, religion, genetic information, physical or mental disability, marital status, or any other legally protected status. We strongly encourage Black, Latine, Indigenous, and other applicants of color, people with disabilities, and other people historically underrepresented in the practice of law to apply.
September 2023
About the Project
The National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (NCCRC) was created in 2003 as a project of the Public Justice Center (PJC). The PJC uses legal advocacy tools to pursue social justice, economic and racial equity, and fundamental human rights for Marylanders who are struggling to provide for their basic needs. The NCCRC is the PJC’s only project with a national focus.
The NCCRC’s mission is to ensure individuals have a right to effective counsel when facing the loss of their basic human needs in the civil legal system. We work nationally to accomplish this by:
- Supporting, connecting, and coordinating federal, state, and local efforts to study, enact, litigate, implement, and evaluate right to counsel programs;
- Tracking and reporting on right to counsel litigation, legislation, education, and social science research efforts around the country;
- Maintaining a comprehensive right to counsel research repository and status map;
- Planning and/or presenting at convenings, educational sessions, and public events; and
- Speaking with the media to raise awareness / understanding of, and enthusiasm for, the right to counsel.
We have assisted the NCCRC’s 600 participants and partners across 45 states in efforts to establish a right to counsel for cases involving adoption or guardianship of children, termination of parental rights, evictions, suspension of driver’s licenses, civil incarceration, domestic violence, truancy, guardianship of adults, and civil forfeiture.
About the Position
The movement to establish the right to counsel for tenants facing eviction (“RTC”) has seen dramatic growth in the past six years: with our support, four states, seventeen cities, and one county have enacted such a right. We therefore are looking to hire an Enactment Specialist to ensure we can meet this growth. While the position has clear responsibilities, we’re looking for someone who can bring fresh perspectives, ideas, creativity, energy, and humor to the position.
The Enactment Specialist is a new, full-time, exempt, professional, and remote position (all NCCRC employees work remotely), and will report to the NCCRC Coordinator, who works from Montgomery, Alabama. The Enactment Specialist will initially travel to Montgomery for a week of training and will later travel on occasion to other locations as needed.
Core duties
- Providing direct technical support to cities, counties, and states that are building campaigns to enact RTC, including virtually attending meetings and answering questions related to:
- Identifying stakeholders;
- Building coalitions;
- Improving relationships between tenant organizers and legal services;
- Exploring federal, state, and local funding sources;
- Framing the arguments in support of RTC;
- Building a RTC campaign that advances race equity;
- Overcoming opposition arguments;
- Identifying, collecting, and presenting relevant local data;
- Developing legislative language; and
- Beginning the implementation planning.
- In collaboration with NCCRC staff:
- Design and present on webinars, boot camps, and conferences;
- Develop guides available to advocates;
- Present virtually and in person at conferences and meetings around the country.
Desired skills and experience
- Experience with eviction proceedings required, and substantial experience strongly preferred;
- Tenant organizing experience strongly preferred;
- Experience / involvement in a RTC campaign strongly preferred;
- Admission to practice law preferred but not required;
- Established passion for social justice, and keen interest in access to justice;
- Strong organizational skills, as well as keen attention to detail;
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment;
- Experience working with diverse populations from various backgrounds and lived experiences, as well as demonstrating cultural responsiveness and understanding;
- Ability to effectively communicate complex legal and technical concepts to various stakeholders, adapting communication style to meet different needs.
Compensation
The salary is dependent on experience and background. An excellent cafeteria benefit package in the annual amount of $15,600 is also provided. This package offers health, vision, dental, disability and life insurance, and retirement options. Cafeteria benefits packages give employees flexibility to choose how to direct their benefits. For example, this package can cover 100% of employee healthcare premiums, but an employee can choose to direct those funds towards retirement if they already have health insurance and/ or the excess can be taxed and added to salary. PJC employees receive at least 20 days of paid leave, with increases based on length of tenure, 10 paid holidays, and 15 days of sick leave annually.
Application process
Applications should be submitted by Friday, October 13, to be assured of consideration but will be accepted and interviews conducted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To apply, please submit a cover letter explaining your interest, resume, a short writing sample, and the names and telephone numbers of three references. Please send applications to John Pollock, jpollock@publicjustice.org with “NCCRC Enactment Specialist Position” in the subject line.
Physical/Mental Demands and Office Environment
The physical/mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The Public Justice Center is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer that encourages all interested persons to apply regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, age, religion, genetic information, physical or mental disability, marital status, or any other legally protected status. We strongly encourage Black, Latine, Indigenous, and other applicants of color, people with disabilities, and other people historically underrepresented in the practice of law to apply.
Melanie Babb is honored to serve as the 2023-2024 Francis D. Murnaghan, Jr. Appellate Advocacy Fellow at the Public Justice Center. In this role, she represents parties and files amicus briefs in civil rights cases related to poverty law and racial equity issues in state and federal courts.
Prior to joining PJC, Melanie clerked for the Honorable Christopher B. Kehoe on the Appellate Court of Maryland and former Special Family Magistrate Andrea F. Kelly for Baltimore City Circuit Court. She earned her law degree from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, where she worked as a student attorney for the Consumer Protection Clinic and was the Articles Editor for the Journal of Health Care Law and Policy. During law school, Melanie drafted the Baltimore City Wage Commission’s first procedural bylaws. Prior to law school, Melanie graduated from the University of Rhode Island summa cum laude in 2017.
In her spare time, Melanie enjoys watching women’s soccer and attending games.
Phone: (410) 625-9409 x222
Email
she / her
Brendan is originally from Rochester, NY, and graduated from Fordham University in 2023 with a B.A. in History and Economics. He is a voracious reader, and enjoys running, hiking, and visiting art galleries and museums in his spare time.
Brendan joined the PJC in August 2023 as a paralegal in the Human Right to Housing Project through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
Phone: (410) 625-9409 x235
Email
he / him
Nadrat Amos is a paralegal in the PJC’s Human Right to Housing Project.
Phone: (410) 625-9409 x230
Email
she/her
David is the paralegal for the Public Justice Center’s Health and Benefits Equity Project, which supports policies and practices that promote the overall health of Marylanders struggling to make ends meet. The Project seeks to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare access and health outcomes. Before joining the Public Justice Center in 2023, David was an organizer with United Workers, working to develop leaders from the ranks of the poor in the fight to end poverty and secure the human rights of everyone, everywhere. He is a coordinator of the United Workers Media Team.
David holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Towson University and a master’s in Anthropology from American University. When he isn’t fighting for social justice, David enjoys travel, paintball, and gaming. He has two very cute dogs, photos of which are available upon request.
Phone: (410) 625-9409 x277
Email
he/him
Dan Gugliuzza joined the Public Justice Center’s development team in April 2023. He has been in the non-profit field for over 20 years, most recently as Data Manager for LGBTQ Victory Fund in Washington, D.C. He was born and raised in Baltimore and has worked or volunteered for Village Learning Place, Everyman Theatre, Business Volunteers Maryland, Baltimore Tree Trust, Gaudenzia, France-Merrick Foundation, LifeBridge Health, Maryland Center for History and Culture, Chesapeake Arts Center, and Sheppard Pratt. He has a Masters in Non-Profit Management from Notre Dame of Maryland University and is a proud alumnus of Towson University and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.
Phone: (410) 625-9409 x281
Email
he/him
Elizabeth Ashford is an attorney in the Human Right to Housing Project at the Public Justice Center (PJC). Elizabeth comes to the PJC from the Housing Unit of Delaware Community Legal Aid Society, Inc., where she represented tenants in subsidized and fair housing eviction proceedings, and in administrative hearings with the state and local housing authorities. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Brenda A. Sexton in Circuit Court for Cecil County Maryland.
A native Marylander, Elizabeth grew up in North Potomac. She earned a J.D. from the Widener University Delaware Law School, which awarded her Pro Bono distinction. During law school she participated in the Civil Law Clinic and co-authored three publications: one on dignity rights in housing, and two on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Delawareans with disabilities. Elizabeth graduated from La Salle University in 2018, where she earned her B.S. in Political Science.
Phone: (410) 625-9409 x237
Email
she/her
Policy and practice changes to expect following the settlement of Gorres, et al. v. Robinson
On December 7, 2022, a settlement was approved in Gorres v. Robinson, a lawsuit which alleged and sought to address system-wide failures in Maryland’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) system. The settlement strengthens the UI system so that it can better serve unemployed workers in the state.* Please see below for a webinar about the settlement. If you are experiencing problems with UI in Maryland that may reflect a violation of the settlement, please complete the Google Form on this webpage to help us monitor compliance.
*There was no finding of liability by a court in this case.
Note that we cannot provide direct legal representation in UI cases. Below are three places you can contact if you need legal representation in a UI case.
- Maryland Legal Aid, 410-951-7750
- Robbie Leonard at Leonard & McCliggott Law Group, 410-753-8687 (private lawyer, may charge a fee for representation)
- Andrew Dansicker at the Law Office of Andrew M. Dansicker, 410-213-3392 (private lawyer, may charge a fee for representation)
PowerPoint presentation from the webinar below
Press coverage
El derecho a los servicios de interpretación y traducción para niños y adolescentes con necesidades de salud mental en el Estado de Maryland
El Centro de Justicia Pública
Centro SOL, Universidad Johns Hopkins
Baltimore, Maryland
Noviembre de 2022
Los niños y adolescentes de familias inmigrantes sufren una crisis de salud mental, que se refleja en las altas tasas de depresión, ansiedad y autolesiones. La solución de esta crisis depende de un mayor acceso a un cuidado de salud mental de calidad.
El acceso a la atención de salud mental depende de que los profesionales de salud mental, los pacientes y los familiares hablen el mismo idioma. Sin la capacidad de comunicarse eficazmente- con profesionales del cuidado de salud o el personal bilingüe o a través de un intérprete-los niños y adolescentes con enfermedades de salud mental o transtornos psicológicos o psiquiátricos están en riesgo.
Este informe es producto de la colaboración entre el Centro de Justicia Pública, una organización de derechos civiles y servicios legales, y los médicos del Centro SOL de la Universidad Johns Hopkins. El informe constata:
- La ley federal exige el acceso a servicios de idioma, imparciales y eficaces para la atención de la salud mental sin costo alguno para los niños y adolescentes de familias inmigrantes. La ley federal también exige que se traduzcan los documentos vitales para que los pacientes y sus familias puedan entenderlos.
- A pesar de los requisitos de la ley, los niños y adolescentes de familias inmigrantes de Maryland tienen dificultades para acceder a la atención de salud mental y no reciben los servicios de interpretación y traducción
exigidos por la ley. Por ejemplo, a una joven de 16 años que luchaba contra un trastorno alimentario crónico se le negó la atención simplemente porque su idioma principal era el español. - Los proveedores de salud mental en Maryland informan de múltiples desafíos para ofrecer servicios de traducción e interpretación, incluyendo un gran volumen de pacientes con dominio limitado de inglés, poca
orientación para proporcionar estos servicios y falta de financiación.
Este informe formula cinco recomendaciones para mejorar los servicios de interpretación y traducción en Maryland:
- El Departamento de Salud de Maryland debería proporcionar una guía de servicios de interpretación y traducción para los proveedores de salud mental que atienden a las familias inmigrantes.
- Todos los proveedores de salud mental deben tener un plan y una política de acceso al idioma.
- El Departamento de Salud de Maryland debería proporcionar apoyo financiero para los servicios de interpretación y traducción.
- El Estado de Maryland debería adoptar una política de control y aplicación de la interpretación y la traducción.
- El Estado de Maryland debe proporcionar educación pública sobre el derecho de las personas a los servicios de interpretación.
Reducir esta brecha en la atención debe ser la máxima prioridad para los proveedores de salud y los responsables políticos locales y estatales.
