We recently welcomed two new attorneys dedicated to serving our community! Meet A Rand and Joseph Canner.

What inspires you to do this work?

A: I’m from a small town in Western North Carolina, where there’s only one civil legal services organization providing free legal services to the many residents of the mountains. No one in my family is a lawyer, and so I know firsthand how difficult it can be to navigate legal situations when you can’t afford an attorney. I went to law school to be a lawyer for folks like my family—people who can’t afford a lawyer, but really need one. 

There are too many lawyers already who serve paying clients, that’s why I decided to represent hard working people who need lawyers just as much as those who can afford to pay someone.

J: I went to law school after a long career in public health because I wanted to specifically focus on providing legal services to those who are marginalized by society and who cannot afford legal representation to address their problems. While in law school I also came to realize that my desire more generally was to work with individual clients, rather than large groups of people. My work at SLA fulfills both of those desires.

Tenants facing eviction are almost never in a position to hire their own attorney and are often facing eviction because of unforeseen circumstances that have caused financial stress in their lives. Although our legal solutions generally only delay the eviction, rather than eliminate the possibility entirely, it is often the case that time is all the tenants need: time to get their finances in order or time to find other accommodations. I enjoy the challenge of trying to find a solution that will accomplish that goal, whether it is a procedural defense or negotiating extra time with the landlord.

The thing I enjoy most about the job is the opportunity to talk through the options with clients and to help them understand what awaits them. Even though this is a stressful situation for tenants, they seem to appreciate the reassurance that the process is manageable and at least somewhat predictable. 

A: As far as I know, SLA is the only Maryland civil legal services organization that does home visits for home-bound clients. I’m a traveling rural lawyer for people who can’t afford legal representation—I’ve never heard of such a unique and fulfilling job opportunity even though the work is so desperately needed in rural areas like the Shore.

Also, while there are other organizations on the Shore providing free legal representation to low-income Marylanders, SLA’s approach is uniquely client-centered. If we can’t help, we probably know someone who can and will direct people to services even if they aren’t legal (e.g., food banks, shelters, etc.).

J: There are a number of legal aid organizations on the other side of the Bridge; I interned with one and applied for jobs with several others. However, SLA is unique in the geographical scope of its activities. Our dockets may not be as busy as those in and around Baltimore and Washington, but our ability to reach the entire Eastern Shore provides access to counsel to those who have few legal resources available in their communities, let alone the funds to access those resources. Our same-day representation services are particularly important because so many potential clients never even consider the possibility of legal representation.

SLA’s focus on outreach is also unique, because we can’t rely on word-of-mouth in a densely populated jurisdiction but rather need to let people know about our services so that they can make use of them. Once I get up to speed on representing tenants in District Court, I hope to get more involved in outreach activities. Not only do these outreach activities let people know about our services, but they give potential clients the opportunity to get better representation by getting in touch with us before their court date and helping us to prepare in advance.

Please join us in welcoming these two incredible attorneys to our team! If you’re interested in joining our team, please explore current employment opportunities.