Maryland Pro Bono Organizers Seek Another Wave Of Attorneys To Step Up In Foreclosure Defense Effort

The Washington Post reports:

• When Maryland's chief judge asked the state's lawyers to help homeowners facing foreclosure over the summer, hundreds of lawyers across the state stepped forward, agreeing to provide free legal assistance.(1)

• Now, with state officials expecting a fresh surge in foreclosures in the coming weeks and months, organizers of the pro bono project say they are going to need more lawyers.

For more, see Lawyers Sought to Help in Foreclosure Cases (Homeowners Get Pro Bono Assistance).

(1) Reportedly, the attorneys were given a few choices: They could provide basic advice at workshops for homeowners, or they could sign on to defend individuals against lenders. Another option was to serve as in-house counsel to the housing counseling organizations, only a couple of which have lawyers on staff. Initially, most of the lawyers signed up to help out at the workshops, opting for the most manageable of the assistance opportunities, [executive director of the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland Sharon E.] Goldsmith said. But after meeting with homeowners at the workshops, many lawyers agreed to go a step further and represent a homeowner in dealings with a lender. "It really struck a chord with them," Goldsmith said.