At its May Annual Meeting, the Shore Legal Access Board of Directors adopted its new 2026-2029 strategic plan. Building on the progress of the previous strategic plan, this roadmap outlines ambitious yet achievable goals, positioning Shore Legal Access for sustained success by balancing responsive legal services with a strong and resilient organization.
More than a planning document, the strategy reflects our commitment to meeting the evolving needs of Eastern Shore communities and ensuring every individual has greater access to the civil legal support and resources they need to build stable, secure futures.
Within the strategic plan, there are four pillars:
- Strengthen financial sustainability by diversifying revenue and creating a stronger financial foundation.
- Enhance governance and leadership recruitment, mentorship, training, and operations to ensure our leadership model is aligned with community needs.
- Expand innovation and community impact to reach more residents and respond to changing legal needs.
- Continue fostering an inclusive culture by advancing inclusion, diversion, equity, and accessibility (IDEA).
We identified several strengths of the organization, as well as opportunities for growth. We articulated ideal outcomes for each of the strategic pillars along with action items to undertake in support of our goals.
To better serve Eastern Shore residents, Shore Legal Access plans to:
- Increase access to free and low-cost legal services in areas such as housing, family law, life planning, and consumer debt.
- Conduct at least 10 legal clinics and workshops annually.
- Meet 25% of the region’s legal aid need by 2036.
- Conduct annual community needs assessments.
- Respond to emerging legal issues with innovative service models.
- Expand volunteer attorney recruitment, remote clinics, and Community Justice Worker initiatives.
Guiding our strategic plan remains a vision of advancing systemic solutions to closing the justice gap. Success will be measured through clear benchmarks, regular evaluation, and accountability across governance, program delivery, finance, and IDEA initiatives.
If you’d like to support Shore Legal Access, there are multiple ways to do so! Volunteer as an attorney, partner with us, or make a gift. Together, we can continue increasing access to justice for Eastern Shore communities.