Johns Hopkins cohosted its 10th Expungement Clinic and Resource Fair with Maryland Legal Aid at Turner Concourse in East Baltimore on March 29, drawing a record crowd: 250 people received free legal services and advice at the clinic.
Due to the overwhelming attendance, approximately 50 attendees who arrived late in the day were referred to a nearby legal aid clinic on Sunday to minimize the wait time. Of the clients seen, 180 had cases eligible for expungement, and 462 expungement petitions were prepared for filing.
Maryland Legal Aid waived $8,040 in fees to provide free legal services. A team from the Johns Hopkins Office of Government, Community, and Economic Partnerships also coordinated a resource fair in conjunction with the expungement clinic, which attracted 20 vendors offering job and career resources, health education and screenings, vaccinations, housing assistance, insurance information, and community resources.
"It is always a pleasure to host events like this," said Michael Preston, director of community engagement for Johns Hopkins. "The free legal advice and expungement services provided by Maryland Legal Aid and the job, health, and community resources coordinated by Johns Hopkins may truly change a person's life.
"This was our 10th Expungement Clinic and Resource Fair, and it was the biggest one yet," he added. "The attendance shows that this is a much-needed service in the community. We are excited to meet the community's needs."
Since 2020, Johns Hopkins and its partners have hosted 10 expungement clinics, where 1,370 clients have had their cases expunged and 3,566 petitions have been filed, resulting in a total savings of $54,790 in legal fees for clients.
Image caption: From left: Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police Branville Bard, JHU President Ron Daniels, and Chair of the JHU Applied Physics Lab Board of Managers Heather Miller
Image credit: Jim Burger for Johns Hopkins University
Image caption: Maria Tildon, vice president for Government, Community and Economic Partnerships
Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
Image caption: Michael Preston, director of Community Engagement, and Chrystal Green, assistant director of Community Engagement
Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
Image caption: Nadir Yazid Abdullah, violence intervention specialist
Image credit: Jim Burger for Johns Hopkins University
Image credit: Jim Burger for Johns Hopkins University
Image credit: Jim Burger for Johns Hopkins University
Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
