In the Community Legal Services Program, CLC attorneys represent and provide counsel to community-based organizations to help those organizations bring their goals to fruition.
Photo by Andy Cook
CLC attorneys employ diverse legal tenets and strategies to help communities organize and achieve their objectives. The focused use of these tenets constitutes a body of law known as community law. Community law ranges from capacity-building activities, such as seeking incorporation and filing for IRS and state tax exemption, to partnership formation, to implementation of creative solutions to community issues related to housing, economic development, and public safety.
CLC attorneys in the Community Legal Services Program are general legal practitioners. They utilize corporate law to formalize associations of active citizens. They apply crime-fighting civil laws, such as the drug nuisance abatement law and self-help nuisance abatement law, to target disruptive behavior in the neighborhoods. They employ real property laws to turn vacant lots into community gardens, playgrounds, or new structures. They use transactional law to form agreements and partnerships between distinct entities. They are well-versed in local ordinances that affect their clients’ pursuits, and communicate consistently with clients about their options.
The Community Legal Services Program has four focus areas:
1. Neighborhood Revitalization
Through the Neighborhood Revitalization focus area, Community Law Center provides legal representation to community associations and nonprofit organizations in Baltimore City, helping bring their neighborhood revitalization goals to fruition and making their communities cleaner, greener, safer, and more attractive places to live, work, and play.
Working with community leaders, a Community Law Center Staff Attorney represents the interests of Baltimore’s community associations and assists to:
- Draft articles of incorporation and bylaws, which help associations operate effectively and efficiently;
- Obtain 501(c)(3) status;
- Clean and beautify vacant lots and alleys;
- Acquire and care for community open spaces;
- Work effectively with City and State agencies, as well as elected officials;
- Understand the land use/development process and present community interests at zoning hearings;
- Protest liquor license renewals and transfers and form “Good Neighbor Agreements” with liquor licensees;
- Stop drug dealers from using houses for the distribution of narcotics; and
- Much, much more!
2. Equitable Development
Through the Equitable Development focus area, Community Law Center provides legal services, legal education, and policy research to community and nonprofit organizations in Baltimore that are working to build community assets and improve access to affordable housing, reliable transportation, healthy food, living wage employment, and needed social services.
Equitable development seeks meaningful involvement of impacted citizens in decision-making processes, regardless of race, income, culture, and social class. Equitable development means that the positive benefits of development are shared by all and that no group bears a disproportionate share of negative consequences of development.
An equitable development framework is essential because those most affected by development are often not at the table to determine how development happens or to ensure that the benefits of development—jobs, housing, business opportunities—come to those who were there before the development was conceived. Equitable development aims to meet this problem head-on by including those most affected by development as true stakeholders in the development process.
The Community Law Center provides legal representation to nonprofit and community organizations to foster equitable development by:
- Working with communities to draft community benefits agreements with developers in their neighborhoods;
- Representing communities in administrative hearings and judicial review;
- Providing workshops and educational opportunities to community residents about equitable development and community benefits agreements;
- Seeking policy changes to improve opportunities for equitable development;
- Bringing stakeholders together to address community concerns;
- Assisting communities with developing and implementing land reuse plans; and
- Forming, reviving, and maintaining nonprofit organizations (including drafting bylaws, filing articles of incorporation, and submitting tax exemption applications).
3. Real Estate Services
Through the Real Estate Services focus area, Community Law Center provides legal representation to eligible community-based organizations and nonprofit housing developers seeking to return vacant properties in Baltimore City to productive use through acquisition and rehabilitation.
The types of legal matters addressed through this focus area include:
- tax sale foreclosure;
- direct purchase from the city (if the property is city-owned) and/or private owner;
- private donation;
- acquisition planning;
- ground rent redemption;
- property consolidation and state property tax exemption applications;
- lien release requests;
- construction and financing documents; and
- legal representation on commercial and corporate governance matters.
4. Environmental Justice
Through the Environmental Justice focus area, Community Law Center provides legal services to community and nonprofit organizations working to remove threats to public health and safety. This advocacy gives Baltimore grassroots organizations stronger voices in land use and permitting decision-making processes.
Environmental justice means that no groups should bear a disproportionate share of negative consequences resulting from industry, land use decisions, or the execution of government programs. Environmental justice seeks equal protection from environmental, public safety, and health hazards for all people regardless of race, income, culture, and social class, and includes the meaningful involvement of impacted citizens in decision-making processes.
Community Law Center provides legal representation to nonprofit and community organizations with environmental justice issues by:
- Working with state and local government agencies in the enforcement of environmental, zoning, and transportation laws;
- Representing communities in administrative hearings and judicial review;
- Monitoring industries to ensure compliance with the law;
- Assisting communities faced with environmental pollutants or disruptions;
- Advocating for or against proposed state and/or local projects that would impact communities;
- Assisting communities in the development and implementation of land reuse plans;
- Forming, reviving, and maintaining nonprofit organizations (including drafting bylaws, filing articles of incorporation, and submitting tax exemption applications); and
- Helping communities “clean and green” vacant land.
