The Gregory L. Countess Fellowship

After an inspiring 46-year career at Maryland Legal Aid, Gregory L. Countess, Advocacy Director for Housing and Community Development, retired in December 2024. Greg Countess left a legacy of fierce advocacy, compassion, and justice and an abiding commitment to our clients and communities. Maryland Legal Aid is profoundly grateful for his service and the example he has set.

Upon his retirement, friends, family, and supporters established a fellowship in his honor, the Gregory L. Countess Fellowship. This endowed position will fund a two-year fellowship for a recent law school graduate who has completed a judicial clerkship. This fellowship will support talented early-career attorneys committed to furthering equity and justice and ensure that Greg’s legacy continues to uplift and strengthen communities for years to come.

For the inaugural fellowship year, beginning in summer 2025, Maryland Legal Aid is seeking a fellow to play an important role in working toward systemic change within the Maryland legal system by focusing on appellate and impact litigation. MLA’s work in appellate and impact litigation work emerges from, complements, and enhances the critical on-the-ground advocacy that our staff do as legal service providers, seeking to remove recurrent barriers our clients face. The fellow will be supervised by an experienced attorney.

About MLA:

Maryland Legal Aid advocates with and for Marylanders experiencing poverty to achieve equity and social justice through free civil legal services, community collaboration, and systemic change.

Since 1911, Maryland Legal Aid has provided high-quality legal aid to vulnerable, low-income people and communities – helping to remedy their civil legal issues and become empowered to overcome challenges, achieve stability and independence, and reach their goals. MLA also identifies and seeks to remedy systemic barriers. MLA’s core work includes eviction and foreclosure prevention, family law, children’s rights, consumer protection, and securing public benefits, access to healthcare, MLA advocates operate primarily through the courts, via individual representation of indigent clients, but also engage in impact litigation, public communication and outreach, and policy advocacy.

Through this holistic approach, Maryland Legal Aid serves to amplify the voices of tens of thousands of economically disadvantaged and vulnerable Marylanders each year and seeks to be a leader in the legal services field nationwide.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Providing legal services that address civil legal issues and meet MLA’s case acceptance priorities and impact systemic problems faced by people living in poverty in Maryland.
• Maintaining an active caseload of both appellate and trial level impact cases.
• Serving as counsel or co-counsel, as trial counsel or on appeal, on behalf of plaintiffs.
• Engaging in complex discovery and motions practices that may require the involvement of experts.
• Strategizing and participating in complex settlement negotiations and the pursuit of creative forms of relief.
• Submitting amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs that explain to the court the implications of the case on access to justice and people living in poverty.
• Researching and submitting comments on proposed rules, laws and policies.
• Referring cases to private law firms for briefing and argument.
• Working with other counsel at the trial stage to guide the development of important issues for appeal.
• Helping appellate counsel through strategizing, editing appellate briefs, and mooting for appellate arguments.
• Contributing to required programmatic reporting and overall program evaluation.

Qualifications:

• Licensed to practice law in Maryland.
• A desire and a commitment to further social justice.
• Excellent writing, communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with diverse populations.
• Strong oral and negotiation skills and a demonstrated ability to collaborate and work as a team member.
• Prior experience in managing independent projects or assignments.
• Work with diverse economic, social, and cultural populations, including having worked in a law school clinic, externship, summer program, or other relevant practice experience.
• An ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary setting to facilitate a coordinated community response and provide holistic services to clients.
• Creativity and flexibility in solving problems and meeting challenges.