Civil Justice

What Civil Justice does

Civil Justice, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal services organization incorporated in Maryland in 1998 and headquartered at 120 E. Baltimore Street in Baltimore. The organization addresses the civil justice gap for low and moderate income Marylanders by combining direct in-house legal programs with the only statewide lawyer referral service in Maryland, executed through a curated network of 100 attorneys that spans the state's counties and a broad range of practice areas. Active programs include the Lawyer Referral Service, the Economic Justice Program (consumer protection, since 2014), Foreclosure Assistance with its Foreclosure Legal Advice and Foreclosure Mediation components, the Maryland Justice Passport digital case-portfolio, the Access to Counsel in Evictions (ACE) Program, and a Legal Clinic for Small Businesses offered jointly with the Maryland State Bar Association. Since 2014 the Economic Justice Program has reported preserving more than $1.4 million in assets and recovering more than $3 million in damages for clients, and network attorneys have represented over 200 homeowners at foreclosure mediations.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally light. The Maryland Justice Passport is the only proprietary digital product — a client-facing portfolio for tracking applications, storing documents, and sharing case information with service providers — and it is grant-funded by Maryland Judiciary's AOC Access to Justice Grants Department. Distribution is primarily community-led: phone intake, a 24/7 online application portal, partner referrals from housing counselors and legal services organizations, and co-branded programs with the Maryland State Bar Association, Maryland Legal Services Corporation, and United Way of Central Maryland. Client services are delivered free or at reduced cost; the ACE Program restricts eligibility to households at or below 50% of Maryland median income, and network attorneys in the Lawyer Referral Service set their own affordable fees (none free).

The revenue model is that of a traditional legal-aid nonprofit. Operating funds come from individual and organizational donations, government grants (notably the Maryland Judiciary AOC), cy pres awards from class action settlements, and planned giving/bequests. Civil Justice is not investor-backed, has no funding rounds, no parent company, no M&A activity, and is governed by a board of directors under Executive Director Sarah Coffey Bowes. Geographic scope is strictly Maryland, and the organization explicitly does not claim a global footprint.

Name

Civil Justice

Legal name

Civil Justice, Inc.

Website

https://civiljusticeinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Civil Justice, Inc. is a Maryland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal services organization, founded in 1998, that connects low and moderate income Marylanders with affordable legal representation through a statewide network of 100 attorneys and programs spanning foreclosure, eviction, consumer protection, and small business clinics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC), Litigation Support & Civil Investigations (Witness/Asset/Skip Tracing) (BPAKAEAE)

Keywords

• Legal aid services
• Civil legal services
• Lawyer referral service
• Nonprofit legal services
• Consumer protection law

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1998, Civil Justice relies on charitable donations from individuals and organizations. The organization encourages donations to support its mission of bridging the justice gap.
2. Government Grants: Civil Justice receives grant funding from government entities, including a grant from Maryland Judiciary's AOC Access to Justice Grants Department to support the Maryland Justice Passport project.
3. Cy Pres Awards: Civil Justice accepts cy pres awards as a recipient, which are funds from class action settlements that cannot be distributed to individual class members.
4. Planned Giving: The organization accepts planned gifts and bequests from donors as part of legacy giving programs to ensure future sustainability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Civil Justice, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free or affordable civil legal services to low and moderate income Marylanders through a statewide network of 100 attorneys. Its portfolio includes a lawyer referral service, foreclosure defense and mediation, an Economic Justice Program addressing consumer protection violations, the ACE Program for eviction defense, a Legal Clinic for Small Businesses, and the Maryland Justice Passport digital case-management tool.

Product overview

Civil Justice is a nonprofit legal services organization that operates a multi-program portfolio serving low and moderate income Marylanders. The core offerings include the Lawyer Referral Service (statewide attorney directory), the Economic Justice Program (consumer protection), Foreclosure Assistance with its associated Foreclosure Legal Advice Program and Foreclosure Mediation services, the Maryland Justice Passport (digital case management tool), the Access to Counsel in Evictions (ACE) Program for tenants, and the Legal Clinic for Small Businesses. These programs work together through a network of 100 attorneys to provide affordable legal representation, advice, and referrals across Maryland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACE Program (Access to Counsel in Evictions): Program connecting eligible tenants with free legal help to fight evictions or subsidy termination cases, administered by Maryland Legal Services Corporation.
• Foreclosure Legal Advice Program
• Legal Clinic for Small Businesses
• Maryland Justice Passport

Products and services

• Lawyer Referral Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Preserved more than $1.4 million in assets and recovered more than $3 million in damages for violations of consumer protection laws since 2014
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Maryland State Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Legal Clinic for Small Businesses is offered jointly by the Maryland State Bar Association and Civil Justice, Inc. This partnership provides qualifying small businesses with free, one-hour consultations with experienced attorneys.
• Maryland Legal Services CorporationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Access to Counsel in Evictions (ACE) Program is administered by the Maryland Legal Services Corporation. The program connects eligible tenants with free legal help to fight evictions or subsidy termination cases.
• United Way of Central MarylandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Way of Central Maryland is referenced as a partner on the Evictions program page, appearing alongside Civil Justice branding.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• LawHelp.org / Pro Bono Net: National nonprofit that builds technology and resource platforms connecting low-income Americans with legal aid, including the LawHelp.org state portal network. Comparable as a national access-to-justice technology/infrastructure provider that overlaps with the Maryland Justice Passport concept, but operates nationally rather than as a single-state referral service.
• Legal Services Corporation (LSC): Federally funded nonprofit that distributes funding to civil legal aid programs across the United States. Comparable as the federal backbone of the U.S. civil legal aid sector that Civil Justice indirectly participates in, but operates at a national funding/policy level rather than as a state-level direct service or referral provider.

Others

• Maryland State Bar Association: The statewide professional bar association in Maryland and Civil Justice's joint partner on the Legal Clinic for Small Businesses. Comparable as an institutional partner rather than a competitor - the MSBA provides the attorney-recruitment pipeline and professional legitimacy that makes Civil Justice's network model viable, and the Legal Clinic co-delivery model is a structural feature of Civil Justice's small business program.

Regional players

• Disability Rights Maryland: Maryland's federally mandated Protection & Advocacy organization serving people with disabilities. Comparable as a Maryland-specific legal aid and advocacy nonprofit with similar funding mix (federal grants, donations, cy pres), but focused on a single client population (people with disabilities) rather than the broad low-income civil justice population Civil Justice serves.

Direct peers

• Public Justice Center: Maryland-based public interest law organization that uses impact litigation and advocacy to address systemic civil justice issues for low-income communities. Directly comparable as a Maryland civil justice nonprofit with similar funding model, but operates through systemic advocacy and litigation rather than direct client service and referral.
• Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland: Maryland nonprofit that recruits, trains, and supports pro bono attorneys and connects them with low-income clients. Comparable as a Maryland-based legal aid infrastructure nonprofit that channels volunteer attorneys, but focuses on pro bono program support rather than a referral directory for paid-but-affordable services.
• Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS): Baltimore-based nonprofit that recruits pro bono attorneys to serve low-income Marylanders on civil legal matters. Comparable because both organizations channel volunteer/network attorneys to low-income clients in Maryland and depend on donations and grants, but MVLS uses pure pro bono (free) representation while Civil Justice uses paid-but-affordable referrals.
• Legal Aid Bureau: Maryland's largest provider of free civil legal services to low-income residents, with statewide offices and direct staff attorneys. Directly comparable because both organizations serve the same Maryland low-income population on civil matters (housing, consumer, family) but Legal Aid Bureau uses an in-house staff model versus Civil Justice's network-attorney referral model.
• Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC): State-funded independent agency that administers funding for civil legal aid to low-income Marylanders, including administering the ACE Program for Civil Justice. Comparable as the central funding and policy hub for Maryland legal aid, but operates as a funder/policy body rather than a direct service provider.

Emerging players

• House of Ruth Maryland: Maryland nonprofit providing legal services, advocacy, and shelter for victims of domestic violence. Comparable because both serve low-income Marylanders on civil legal matters with partial overlap in family and housing law, but House of Ruth is single-issue focused on domestic violence rather than a multi-practice-area referral service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CivilJusticeInc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Civil Justice