Shore Legal Access, Inc.
Connecting Counsel & Communities
Shore Legal Access, Inc.
EIN: 16-1779280
as of September 2023
as of September 18, 2023
Mission
Shore Legal Access connect low income individuals and families who need civil legal services with volunteer attorneys and community resources. We serve Maryland's Eastern Shore. Shore Legal Access' Vision Statement: All people are empowered to resolve civil legal issues.
Notes from the nonprofit
For over 15 years, MSPB has successfully connected low income Eastern Shore community members to the resources they need when they are in the midst of a civil or legal crisis. MSPB serves more than 3,000 clients across the Eastern Shore annually. Our solid reputation and track record of success and the growing need for our services are helping us rapidly expand across the Eastern Shore. MSPB provides advocacy and legal resources for those with nowhere else to turn. MSPB provides these services with a staff of thirteen including an executive director, legal director, administrative director, staff attorneys, paralegals, and program staff dedicated specifically to family law, consumer debt and housing, and life planning as well as cannabis expungements.
Ruling year
2007
Executive Director
Meredith Girard
Main address
499 Idlewild Ave Suite 102
EASTON, MD 21601 USA
Formerly known as
Midshore Pro Bono, Inc.
EIN
16-1779280
Legal services
Family services
Population served
Adults
Families
Ethnic and racial groups
Economically disadvantaged people
NTEE code
Legal Services (I80)
Legal Services (I80)
Family Services (P40)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
In 2005, five Mid-Shore counties, together with state pro bono legal services groups, identified a need on the Eastern Shore for an agency that could connect volunteer attorneys with low-income individuals in need of civil legal representation. Mid-Shore Pro Bono (MSPB) was established out of that need. Remarkably, Mid-Shore Pro Bono became the first regional pro bono referral agency in the state of Maryland and remains the only pro bono legal services provider on the Eastern Shore. Rapid growth and expansion of Mid-Shore Pro Bono demonstrates the urgent need for these services. MSPB has grown from a small referral agency, able to meet this need for a smaller segment of the community, into a significant community resource, able to handle multiple critical legal needs for the Eastern Shore’s at-risk residents. MSPB's, now Shore Legal Access, satellite offices now allow us to take our services closer to those residents in more distant areas of our widespread rural Eastern Shore region.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Life Planning Program
SLA recognizes that a growing proportion of the Eastern Shore residents are seniors. We have launched this program to better serve our aging population by providing them with important end of life documents and general legal advice in a safe, secure setting.
Services: Wills/POA/AMD
Small Estate Administration
Guardianship
Economic Stability Project
With a broad scope of programming, this project provides legal advice on a variety of financial problems faced by low income individuals including Foreclosure, Consumer Debt, Expungement, Bankruptcy, and various other Real Property issues. By helping resolve these matters clients are better able to remain employed, remain in their homes and provide for their families.
Services:
Foreclosure, Housing, Bankruptcy, Consumer Debt, Employment, Expungement
Debtor Assistance Project
The Debtor Assistance Project
The Debtor Assistance Project (“DAP”) is a clinic, originally located at the U.S. Courthouses in Maryland, which provides debtors with an opportunity to meet with a bankruptcy attorney for a cost-free half-hour consultation. The DAP is designed to help individuals without an attorney to answer legal questions about bankruptcy. SLA holds a DAP clinic once a month in 2 counties. This project started in January 2010 in Talbot County and has expanded to other Eastern Shore counties including Kent and Wicomico.
Family Law Program
Provides free legal assistance for divorce, custody, child support and other family law related matters. Outreach is mainly done at the Courthouses and other social service agencies. Special services include the Purple Notebook Project, Child Advocacy Project and the Judicare Project. Court Liaisons are primary conduit for these cases.
Cannabis Charges Expungement Program
In November 2022, Maryland citizens voted to legalize the recreational use of cannabis by adults. Shore Legal Access aides those with cannabis convictions to have those charges expunged.
Where we work
Awards
William L Marbury Outstanding Advocate 2018
Maryland Legal Services Corporation
Affiliations & memberships
Maryland Legal Services Corporation- William L Marbury Outstanding Advocate Award 2017
Mid-Shore Community Foundation- J. MCKENNY WILLIS, JR. AWARD Established in honor of Mr. J. McKenny 2020
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of clients assisted with legal needs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Number of people who reach out to our organization for assistance with legal issues.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Provide access to direct legal services to the area's poorest residents
Engage the Private Bar in Pro Bono Service
Outreach and Education regarding Civil Legal Services
Expand access to remote communities
Resolve Legal Matter
Provide preventative legal remedies to avoid egregious law suits
partner with area agencies
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Continue to be a community based legal services provider and bring our services out to the people. We do this by outreach, education and networking with other agencies that share a client pool.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have been doing this for over 14 years and we are the only Legal Services Provider on the Eastern Shore of Maryland providing so many diverse programs and engaging private attorneys in Pro Bono Service
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We continue to increase the number of clients we serve each year and develop new programs to meet that need.
We have yet to engage our local community in giving!
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2022 info
6.94
Months of cash in 2022 info
5.6
Fringe rate in 2022 info
10%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
Shore Legal Access, Inc.
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
This snapshot of Shore Legal Access, Inc.’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | -$69,362 | -$67,412 | $44,009 | $291,321 | $85,018 |
| As % of expenses | -7.3% | -6.6% | 3.7% | 24.0% | 6.3% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$77,964 | -$76,848 | $35,196 | $273,492 | $63,413 |
| As % of expenses | -8.2% | -7.5% | 3.0% | 22.2% | 4.6% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $848,820 | $1,029,641 | $1,206,275 | $1,431,044 | $1,527,408 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | -5.0% | 21.3% | 17.2% | 18.6% | 6.7% |
| Program services revenue | 2.9% | 1.2% | 4.4% | 3.1% | 0.8% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.9% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 27.2% | 27.5% | 1.6% | 44.8% |
| All other grants and contributions | 97.4% | 71.5% | 68.0% | 95.2% | 54.1% |
| Other revenue | -0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | -0.6% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $946,137 | $1,021,571 | $1,183,764 | $1,216,211 | $1,357,483 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 14.7% | 8.0% | 15.9% | 2.7% | 11.6% |
| Personnel | 21.9% | 40.3% | 43.5% | 41.5% | 40.7% |
| Professional fees | 43.2% | 35.4% | 43.3% | 47.7% | 46.5% |
| Occupancy | 4.6% | 4.1% | 4.2% | 3.7% | 3.7% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 30.3% | 20.2% | 9.0% | 7.2% | 9.2% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $954,739 | $1,031,007 | $1,192,577 | $1,234,040 | $1,379,088 |
| One month of savings | $78,845 | $85,131 | $98,647 | $101,351 | $113,124 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $35,682 | $0 | $0 | $48,071 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $1,069,266 | $1,116,138 | $1,291,224 | $1,383,462 | $1,492,212 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 8.4 | 8.3 | 7.5 | 6.4 | 5.6 |
| Months of cash and investments | 8.4 | 8.3 | 7.5 | 8.8 | 8.4 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 6.7 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 7.4 | 7.3 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $666,054 | $706,945 | $737,649 | $643,909 | $636,998 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $252,603 | $312,988 |
| Receivables | $101,467 | $82,855 | $151,749 | $153,771 | $240,475 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $53,879 | $53,879 | $57,639 | $98,897 | $66,967 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 27.3% | 44.8% | 57.2% | 44.5% | 46.5% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 3.4% | 5.3% | 13.9% | 10.5% | 10.9% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $568,787 | $491,939 | $527,135 | $800,627 | $864,040 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $224,903 | $300,385 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $224,903 | $300,385 | $278,887 | $203,110 | $252,268 |
| Total net assets | $793,690 | $792,324 | $806,022 | $1,003,737 | $1,116,308 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Meredith Girard
Meredith Girard has been the Executive Director for the Shore Legal Access, formerly Mid-Shore Pro Bono, since January of 2022. SLA covers a large service area including Kent, Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot, Queen Anne's Counties, Somerset, Worcester, and Wicomico. Over the years, SLA has grown from a simple lawyer referral agency, to the Eastern Shore's only legal resource organization serving low income residents.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Shore Legal Access, Inc.
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Shore Legal Access, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 09/05/2023
Board of directors data
Esq. Timothy Abeska
Retired Attorney
Term: 2023 - 2026
Tawes Harper
Tim Abeska
Clinton Pettus
Jim McComb
Becky Burner
Hillary Lindeman
Holland Brownley
Doncella Wilson
Tanisha Armstrong
Arlette Bright
Rosemary Granillo
Mike Starling
Anthony Rodriguez
Ruth Thomas
Judith Showalter
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Contractors
Fiscal year endingGuideStar Pro Reports
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