Loyola joins Maryland Legal Aid to hold expungement clinic on York Road
Loyola University Maryland will partner with Maryland Legal Aid to hold an expungement clinic to help people with criminal histories clear their records to attain housing and employment. The clinic will take place Saturday, Sept. 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 5104 York Road in Baltimore, the location of Loyola’s Govans Farmers’ Market.
“Community members with criminal records face real barriers to everyday opportunities, such as housing and work, but there’s help,” said Matt Beverlin, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of political science. “We can help reduce these barriers through record expungement, giving participants a chance to rebuild their lives, reach their goals and contribute to the community.”
Clinic volunteers—including Loyola students and attorneys who are alumni and friends of Loyola—will offer one-on-one assistance to participants, advising them on legal matters and preparing petitions on-site. Supported by Loyola’s Center for Community, Service, and Justice, the clinic provides students an opportunity for service learning, a critical part of Loyola’s mission and Jesuit liberal arts education.
“This program is a great example of how university resources can be mobilized to provide mutual benefit to community members and students, while upholding our university’s values of service and justice,” said Gia Grier McGinnis, Dr.PH., executive director of the Center for Community, Service, and Justice. “Hosting this event along the York Road corridor is in line with Loyola’s role as an anchor institution in Baltimore, providing space for partnerships that support our immediate community.”
Loyola’s Center for Community, Service, and Justice partners with community organizations and provides academic courses, community development, scholarship, service experiences and social justice programming. The center leads Loyola’s York Road Initiative, a community development effort in the York Road neighborhoods of Baltimore, where the expungement clinic will take place.
“Loyola’s work at the expungement clinic follows a deep commitment to service,” Beverlin said. “It’s not only a way to build our community by assisting real clients who need real legal help, but it extends our students’ learning beyond the classroom, gives them experience working side-by-side with practicing attorneys and exposes them to public interest law.”
Clinic volunteers will help participants on a first-come, first-served basis. No appointment needed. Attendees must wear masks and practice social distancing.
For more information about the clinic, contact Angus Derbyshire at aderbyshire@mdlab.org. To volunteer, reach out to Charlie Hiebler at chiebler@loyola.edu.