Reaching Out to the People of Baltimore

Standing up for equal justice is woven into the fabric of our culture at Maryland Carey Law. We are committed to providing legal assistance to underserved, marginalized, and disadvantaged communities in Baltimore and beyond. Through our renowned Clinical Law Program and centers dedicated to public interest law, you will have ample opportunities to fight for the rights of people who lack access to justice and endure the ongoing effects of historic and systemic discrimination.

You could get involved with one of our early intervention programs that help prevent entry into the criminal legal system or collaborate with students across the UMB campus to provide wraparound services for victims of crime. Your work may involve advocating for people contending with housing discrimination or immigrants seeking asylum. Regardless of the path you explore, you will be guided by the leading scholars on our faculty who advocate for policy in the public interest and facilitate critical community conversations that drive positive change.

Crime & the Criminal Legal System

Individuals involved in the criminal legal system—both victims of crime and those charged with crimes—come, disproportionately, from disadvantaged populations.

The Rebuild Overcome and Rise (ROAR) Center at the University of Maryland, Baltimore is an interdisciplinary center that helps survivors of crime access legal, social work, health and mental health resources that aid in their recovery. Our Justice for Victims of Crime Clinic works in conjunction with ROAR to address the unmet legal needs of its clients.

In our Criminal Defense Clinic, student-attorneys work with clients who have been charged with misdemeanor crimes in Baltimore through all phases of the criminal case, including representing them in court.

Sentenced to life in prison as a result of crimes committed as a child, “juvenile lifers” are a prominent reflection of the mass incarceration policies of a criminal legal system in need of drastic reforms. The Juvenile Lifer Advocacy Clinic explores the plight of juvenile lifers and represents these clients in attempts to obtain release on parole or through a sentence modification.

Youth Advocacy & Enrichment

Advocating for and connecting Baltimore’s youth with enriching opportunities helps plant the seeds for a new generation of leaders and a more just society.

The Youth, Education, and Justice Legal Theory and Practice course addresses how students are disciplined and criminalized, creating a domino effect that removes them from school and in some cases, lands them in the juvenile justice system.

The Center for Dispute Resolution is at the forefront of addressing the school-to-prison pipeline through its research, legislative involvement, and Restorative Approach training programs for school leaders.

Student-attorneys work directly with students in K-12 public schools in the Mediation Clinic, where they support peer-mediation programs that teach kids how to address conflict productively. Additionally, the clinic, in partnership with the Gender Violence Clinic, facilitates the Erin Levitas Initiative for Sexual Assault Prevention. This initiative uses a restorative justice framework to help middle school students identify, question, and reject the destructive ideas that give rise to sexual violence.

Through nearly a dozen pipeline programs, Maryland Carey Law prioritizes outreach to communities both underrepresented in and underserved by the legal profession. These programs expose youth to new, positive experiences with the law. In 2020, Maryland Carey Law hosted nearly 200 Prince George’s County high school students to share the law school experience.

Immigration

Locust Point was a bustling port of entry for immigrants in Baltimore’s early days, paving the way for the city’s rich ethnic diversity. Today, Baltimore is home to one of 58 federal immigration courts, allowing our Immigration Clinic and the Immigration Law and Policy Association to help clients navigate the court system, examine issues in immigration policy, and host other outreach opportunities.

Housing

Housing inequity and Baltimore’s affordable housing shortage contribute to a growing homelessness crisis. Our Fair Housing Clinic addresses the critical need for legal services for victims of housing discrimination in Baltimore.

In partnership with the Clinical Law Program, the Law and Social Work Services Program provides several services to the law school’s clinic clients upon referral, including help securing housing.

Policing & Racial Justice

Maryland Carey Law is dedicated to standing up against the systemic racism ingrained in society’s infrastructure and institutions. Many of our clinics address how racial bias and discrimination impact their clients and the community as a whole. For example, while the Youth, Education, and Justice Legal Theory and Practice course examines school disciplinary actions, it also looks at policing practices on Baltimore’s black and brown children.

In addition to the important work our clinics are doing on this front, we’ve launched an Anchor Events webinar series that brings together scholars and advocates with students, faculty, staff, and community members to explore issues of racial justice and inequality.

Students who desire to gain experience in this legal sector can also be supported by the Maryland Public Interest Law Project (MPILP), a student-run non-profit that provides summer funding for Maryland Carey Law students to work in unpaid public interest internships. If public interest law speaks to your inspiration for attending law school, contact the Office of Admissions for more information about how you can join us in reaching out to the people of Baltimore.