2019 Self-Help Center Provider Conference: Full Schedule

8:30am EDT

Registration and Continental Breakfast

Friday September 27, 2019 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
Judicial College Education & Training Center - Upper Level

Registration

9:00am EDT

Welcome Remarks and Introductions

Speakers

Pamela Harris

State Court Administrator, Administrative Office of the Courts

Friday September 27, 2019 9:00am - 9:30am EDT
UL 4, 5, 6, 7

General Session

9:30am EDT

Keynote: The Future of Access to Justice + Technology

What can courts, self-help centers, and other legal service organizations be doing to harness the power of technology for justice? How can we help empower more people to navigate civil courts, and to make the court system more user-friendly? This presentation will dive into the current promising technology projects that can better engage people in the justice system, and to improve their legal capabilities. It will also discuss the necessary infrastructure investments and partnerships that can ensure new tech projects are sustainable and successful.

Speakers

Margaret Hagan

Director, Stanford University Legal Design Lab

Margaret Hagan directs the Legal Design Lab, an R&D lab for more accessible, intuitive, and engaging legal services at Stanford. The Lab is at Stanford Law’s Center on the Legal Profession and a lecturer at Stanford Institute of Design (the d.school). She is a lawyer (JD, Stanford... Read More →

Margaret Hagan Maryland September 2019 pptx

Friday September 27, 2019 9:30am - 10:30am EDT
UL 4, 5, 6, 7

General Session

10:45am EDT

Parenting Plans: A Structure for Custody-Decision Making

In 2014, the General Assembly’s Commission on Child Custody Decision-Making recommended that the Maryland Judiciary develop a process requiring that parties submit a parenting plan as part of the custody determination process. Efforts to implement this recommendation are underway.
Attendees will learn about parenting plans and how they can be used to encourage settlement. Presenters will introduce pending parenting plan court rules and attendees will have an opportunity to review and provide feedback on resources to help parties develop their own parenting plans.

Speakers

Kelly Franks

Senior Program Manager, Department of Juvenile and Family Services

Hon. Richard Sandy

Associate Judge, District Court for Frederick County

RICHARD “RICKY” SANDY is a Circuit Court Judge in Frederick County, Maryland. He was Family Magistrate from 2007 until June of 2016. As a Magistrate, he heard divorce, child custody, child support, juvenile delinquency, and Children in Need of Assistance (C.I.N.A.) cases. He was... Read More →

Hon. Cynthia Callahan

Associate Judge, Circuit Court for Montgomery County

Nisa C. Subasinghe

Domestic & Guardianship Program Manager, Department of Juvenile & Family Services

Nisa C. Subasinghe, Esq., is Domestic & Guardianship Program Manager at Department of Juvenile & Family Services at the Administrative Office of the Courts – Programs Division. She staffs the Judicial Council’s Domestic Law Committee and several of its work groups, including... Read More →

Parenting plan rules from 201streport pdf

Friday September 27, 2019 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
UL 4 & 5

Breakout Session

10:45am EDT

Self Help Center Tapas - Best Practices in Preparing Self-Represented Litigants for Court

This session features experienced family law and consumer protection practitioners. Learn about the unique approaches that self-help providers in Baltimore County and Frederick County use to prepare self-represented litigants for court hearings. Seasoned consumer protection practitioners will discuss how to incorporate consumer law into your program.

Speakers

Rich Abbott

Administrative Office of the Courts, Department of Juvenile and Family Services

Emanwel Turnbull

Attorney, The Holland Law Firm, P.C.

Emanwel J. Turnbull is a consumer rights lawyer in private practice at the Holland Law Firm, P.C. and occasional adjunct professor in the Legal, Ethical and Historical Studies division at the University of Baltimore. He defends ordinary Marylanders sued by landlords, property managers and debt buyers. He also brings high-value individual claims and class actions against businesses which victimize consumers with attempts to collect money not owed, false credit reporting and other unfair practices. He also uses Maryland Volunteer Lawy... Read More →

Erika Daneman Slater

The Law Offices of Erika F. Slater

Erika Slater has been a family law practitioner for more than 25 years. In addition to being a litigator, she is a trained mediator, a collaborative law practitioner, and Parent Coordinator. She has limited her practice to Parenting Coordination and representing children as a Best... Read More →

Joanna Shapiro

Provider, Frederick County Family Law Self-Help Center

Joanna Shapiro has been committed to providing resources and guidance to pro se litigants for nearly two decades through her work at the Family Law Self Help Center in Frederick County. She developed, with Dave Pantzer, the Client “Purple” Notebook. She has also served as a prosecutor... Read More →

Emily Angel

Managing Director, Maryland Center for Legal Assistance

Consumer law self help pptx

Self Help Workshop Spring 2019 pptx

SAMPLE TID ACCESS COMPLETE pdf

SAMPLE COMPLETED CALENDAR SHORT VERSION pdf

Legal Issue Checklists pdf

Friday September 27, 2019 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
UL 8 & 9

Breakout Session

10:45am EDT

The 10 Commandments of Intake Interviews

Join us as we reveal "The 10 Commandments of the Intake Interview". Interviews are the first step in providing assistance to self-represented litigants and they can be tricky. Time is usually short and emotions may run high. Our presenters will share a wealth of information about how to ask sensitive questions, manage combative clients, and ensure safety for staff and litigants. Our experienced presenters will share the most important elements of a successful interview and provide recommendations on how to avoid pitfalls.

Speakers

Denise McCain

Director, Prince George's County Family Justice Center

Denise C. McCain is a foremost domestic violence expert, researcher, visionary leader, and trailblazer in the movement to break the cycle of violence. With more than 25 years of experience to the field of domestic violence, Denise has worked on the front lines as a grassroots advocate... Read More →

Bobbie Steyer

Director of Advocacy for Family Law, Maryland Legal Aid Bureau

Bobbie Steyer graduated from the Pennsylvania State University and the Widener University School of Law. She has worked in a number of non-profit settings, both as a counselor and a lawyer, including 30 + years with various domestic violence programs. During that time, she was an... Read More →

Risheena Schwemle

Supervising Attorney, Maryland Center for Legal Assistance

Friday September 27, 2019 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
UL 6 & 7

Breakout Session

12:00pm EDT

Lunch

Friday September 27, 2019 12:00pm - 12:30pm EDT
Judicial College Education & Training Center - Upper Level

Lunch

12:30pm EDT

2019 Legislative Updates

Speakers

Hon. John P. Morrissey

Chief Judge, District Court of Maryland

Chief Judge Morrissey graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from James Madison University, and in 1989 earned his Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of Baltimore School of Law. While at the University of Baltimore, Judge Morrissey was Editor-in-Chief... Read More →

Hon. Laura Ripken

Administrative Judge, Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County

Friday September 27, 2019 12:30pm - 1:15pm EDT
UL 4, 5, 6, 7

General Session

1:15pm EDT

Plenary: Eighteen Ways Courts Should Use Technology to Better Serve Their Customers

Speakers

John Greacen

Principal of Greacen Associates, Greacen Associates, LLC

Currently a principal of Greacen Associates, LLC, Mr. Greacen was director of the Administrative Office of the Courts of New Mexico, clerk of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Mexico, and clerk of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth C

eighteen ways courts should use technology pdf

Friday September 27, 2019 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
UL 4, 5, 6, 7

General Session

2:30pm EDT

Guardianship & Self-Represented Clients – Choose Your Own Adventure!

Nisa and Dan will have an abundance of slides from which they will lead an audience-driven, Reddit-style “ask anything you want to know” about guardianship cases and self-represented clients. The focus will be on best practices for shepherding self-represented clients through the guardianship process from A to Z, including where and how (and if?) they should begin, as well as how they should complete their pleadings, deal with communications/problems from the Court, prepare for their hearing, and find videos and other resources to guide them.

Speakers

Dan Cardile

Managing Attorney, Self-Help Center Montgomery County

Graduated University of Notre Dame in 1996; Social Worker in Washington D.C. for several years out of college. Graduated from Catholic University School of Law in 2005. Law Clerk to Honorable Ann Sundt and then for a second year for Honorable S. Michael Pincus. Worked in Family Law... Read More →

Nisa C. Subasinghe

Domestic & Guardianship Program Manager, Department of Juvenile & Family Services

Friday September 27, 2019 2:30pm - 3:45pm EDT
UL 4 & 5

Breakout Session

2:30pm EDT

Operation Overload: Managing the Unmet Needs and Collateral Issues of Self-Represented Litigants

This session will focus on both unmet needs—access to safe housing, employment and government benefits—and collateral legal issues that occur when working with self-represented litigants. Learn about how to identify collateral issues and determine where to send litigants who need help beyond brief advice. Referrals may include organizations that provide full representation and/or limited scope, social service organizations, mental health providers, organizations that provide financial resources and others.

Speakers

Saraah Lang

Attorney, The Rebuild, Overcome & Rise (ROAR) Center at the University of Maryland

Saraah is an attorney for the ROAR Center. The ROAR Center is a “one-stop-shop” that services the community of Baltimore, by providing legal, social, medical, and mental health services to victims of crimes. In her position, Saraah represents survivors in matters involving: protective... Read More →

Abena Williams

Supervising Attorney, Maryland Center for Legal Assistance, LLC

Bobbie Steyer

Director of Advocacy for Family Law, Maryland Legal Aid Bureau

Ludeen McCartney-Green

Family Advocacy Manager & Attorney, Green & Healthy Homes Initiative

Ludeen is the Family Advocate Manager and Attorney for Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (“GHHI”). Ludeen brings her tremendous legal skills to represent families in courts throughout Maryland and to work in partnership with the Family Advocacy Services team to impact the lives... Read More →

Megan Challender

Supervising Attorney, Maryland Center for Legal Assistance, LLC

Megan Challender serves as a Supervising Attorney for the Maryland Center for Legal Assistance (MCLA) in the District Court Self-Help Center in Upper Marlboro. Prior to joining MCLA, Megan served as a Clinical Teaching Fellow in the Domestic Violence Clinic at Georgetown University... Read More →

Panel on Referrals All Slides Abena Y Williams pptx

Friday September 27, 2019 2:30pm - 3:45pm EDT
UL 6 & 7

Breakout Session

2:30pm EDT

Self-Help for Everyone: Aiding Self-Represented Persons with Sensory, Visual and Hearing Impairments

How can attorneys effectively assist persons who are blind or deaf? Are there ways we can design services to make it easier for individuals who have low vision, are hard-of-hearing, or have other sensory impairments? Is your current program accessible? Is your program website screen-readable? Are multimedia materials tagged, captioned or are transcripts provided? Learn techniques, tools and resources you can use to ensure your program is truly accessible to all. Access to justice means access for everyone. Come learn first-hand from individuals experienced in serving this population what blind and deaf individuals experience when trying to use the courts and court-based services.

Speakers

Christopher Danielsen

Director of Public Relations, National Federation of the Blind

Christopher S. Danielsen, J.D., currently serves as director of public relations for the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). Before joining the staff of the NFB, Mr. Danielson had a private law practice in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where he was born and still has family... Read More →

Hon. Pamela White

Associate Judge, Circuit Court for Baltimore City

Judge Pamela J. White has served for more than 12 years on the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, trying cases on the Civil, Criminal and Family Dockets. Off the bench, she currently serves as Chair of the Judicial Council’s Court Access and Community Relations Committee and its... Read More →

Deepinder Goraya

Attorney, Disability Rights Maryland

Dr. Richard Jeffries

President, Maryland Association for the Deaf

Richard L. Jeffries, Jr., Ph.D. is a long time educator and advocate for Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing. He has worked with children for nearly twenty years in a variety of capacities. Beyond his role as an educator, he has been involved with advocacy through his role as the... Read More →

20 Resources docx

18 Md State and Federal Laws on Accessibility docx

19 Types of Accommodations docx

ccdc049 pdf

Friday September 27, 2019 2:30pm - 3:45pm EDT
UL 8 & 9

Breakout Session