Agreement To Provide Limited Legal Advice

This is an agreement between the Harford County Bar Foundation, the volunteer attorney who is assisting you today, and you.  It sets out the terms of our agreement to provide you with limited legal advice and information through a volunteer attorney. Harford County Bar Foundation offers this clinic as service to our community. The goal of these sessions is to provide brief legal advice to people who may not qualify for legal aid, but cannot afford to hire a private attorney. Donations are gratefully accepted.

Duration of Legal Help: OUR AGREEMENT TO ADVISE YOU BEGINS IMMEDIATELY AND WILL END AT THE COMPLETION OF OUR INTERVIEW TODAY. We do not promise to help you after that. You may return in the future and ask for further assistance.

Extent of Legal Advice: You have asked us to give you legal advice.  We will help you by giving you advice and other information concerning a civil matter.  There are specific things we cannot do for you in this office. We cannot file forms for you.  We cannot go to court or hearings with you.  We cannot get your case ready to go to trial.  We are simply providing brief legal advice, counseling and information on a legal issue.

Cooperation: If you want us to give you good advice, we need you to answer truthfully any questions that we may ask about your case.

Attorneys Fees: You will not be charged attorney’s fee for advice and assistance today.

Court Costs: There are court costs and fees which are part of a lawsuit.  We cannot pay any court costs or fees for your case.  You are responsible for all court costs. The Court may waive your prepayment of filing fees if you are financially eligible. The form is available at the Clerk’s Office or online.

Declining to Advise: You may not be able to receive advice if:

1. There is a “conflict of interest.” This means that we may already have spoken with or advised the other side of your case, or we may have previously advised someone closely connected with the other side of your case in the past.
2. Your legal problems may be problems that do not meet our case acceptance guidelines.
3. There may be other reasons in the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct which would not allow us to give you legal service. In this event, we will make every attempt to refer you to the appropriate agency to help you.

Consent and Conflict Waiver:  If we know that we assisted another person involved in your case and we become aware of a conflict of interest, we may not be allowed to assist you.  By signing below, you understand and agree that we may have provided assistance in the past, or may provide legal assistance in the future, to persons who have interests opposing your own.  You also understand that there is no expectation that our assistance will continue beyond this limited consultation.  Finally, you understand that you may receive advice but that you may also need to hire a private attorney.  By signing below, you are voluntarily and with the full understanding that you are waiving any right you may have to claim that Harford County Bar Foundation cannot provide assistance to any such opposing persons because of a conflict of interest.