MARYLAND BAR FOUNDATION | GRANT RECIPIENT
Expanding Access to Justice in Western Maryland Kelly Swanhart’s Equal Justice America Fellowship In Fall 2024, with generous support from the Maryland State Bar Foundation, Equal Justice America awarded a fellowship to University of Baltimore School of Law student Kelly Swanhart to continue her work with Maryland Legal Aid’s Frederick office. The grant allowed Swanhart to deepen her commitment to public interest law while making a tangible impact on housing stability and access to justice in Western Maryland. Swanhart contributed approximately 300 hours of legal service during her fellowship, working 15–20 hours per week while continuing her studies. Her primary focus was on housing law through Maryland Legal Aid’s Tenants’ Right to Counsel Project, where she
The fellowship provided invaluable experience from legal research and writing to court advocacy and applying new legislation in real time. I developed critical skills while helping clients navigate urgent housing crises. provided supervised direct representation to clients facing eviction and other landlord-tenant issues in both Frederick and Washington County district courts. “The fellowship provided invaluable experience,” Swanhart reflected, “from legal research and writing to court advocacy and applying new legislation in real time. I developed critical skills MARYLAND BAR JOURNAL | VOLUME 7 ISSUE 1
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