Ask for Legal Help

If your issue or incident occurred outside Maryland, please contact the local ACLU affiliate where your incident occurred and ask for legal help.

We strategically select lawsuits and advocacy to strengthen civil liberties and protections. We narrow our focus for periods of time on specific areas to create lasting change in those areas.

Our current strategic priority issue areas are:

• Voting Rights
• Immigrants’ Rights
• Government Accountability
• Legal Justice System
• Individual Autonomy
• Education

We carefully consider all legal help requests through the lens of our Mission, Vision, and Values. Still, we typically do not represent people in cases involving:

• Denial of government benefits and supplemental income
• Land, inheritance, rental, or tax issues
• Complaints against lawyers
• Divorce, child custody, or neglect cases
• Criminal defense

1. By Phone:
   The Civil Rights Complaint Line is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1–3 p.m by phone to (443) 524-2558.
    
2. By Mail:
   Please write a brief description (1-2 pages) with the following:
   – Name, mailing/email address, and phone number;
   – The date, time, and location of incident;
   – Which constitutional rights were violated (if you know);
   – List of any supporting documents you have (no copies!);
   – Dates of any due dates; and
   – What legal action you hope our office will take.
   
   Our mailing address is: ACLU of Maryland, Legal Intake, 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Ste. 350, Baltimore, Maryland 21211
    
3. Online:
   Please complete our online legal help form.

We aim to respond to every request. If you haven’t heard from us but you completed the process, we are still processing your request. We do not accept or respond to legal help requests by email, fax, or voicemail.

If you need legal advice quickly, please use one of the following resources. We cannot guarantee or vouch for any services outside our office.

For non-criminal legal matters:

– The Maryland Volunteer Legal Service (MVLS) offers free income-based legal services: (800) 510-0050.
– Maryland Legal Aid offers free income-based legal services: (888) 465-2468.
– The People’s Law Library provides self-help information.
– Civil Justice’s Lawyer Referral Network offers private attorney referrals: (443) 853-1011.
– JUSTIS Connection offers private attorney referrals.
– The Maryland State Bar Association referral services offer private attorney referrals.

For criminal legal matters:

– Maryland Office of the Public Defender
– Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys’ Association

For police-related matters:

– ACLU of Maryland Policing Self-Advocacy Toolkit

From 2015 to 2022, 123 people in Maryland were killed by the police. This number is too great and doesn’t even count the people, families, and whole communities who survive so much physical and mental harm from needless – often racist – run-ins with police. This institutional failure is made worse by flawed “accountability” structures designed to protect police and bypass justice.

The ACLU of Maryland Police Accountability Self-Advocacy toolkit describes ways a person may use existing, though inadequate, accountability structures. We also hope this self-kit will highlight the flaws of the system and encourage you to change it.

GET THE TOOLKIT

When someone you love passes away inside a Maryland prison or jail, it can feel impossible to find out what happened. While the process for seeking death-related information can differ depending on the facility, this guide hopes to shed some light on where to start.

Learn more about the estate process