Policy on the Delivery of Legal Information to the Public

The Law Library of the Circuit Court for Prince George's County is open to the public to provide access to legal materials and to the courts. Maryland law expressly prohibits the unauthorized practice of law by any court employee, as defined under Maryland Annotated Code, Business Occupations and Professions (10-603) (2000 Replacement Volume, as amended). No court employee is permitted to assist in case preparation and all employees are expected to obey the proscription against the unauthorized practice of law. The purpose of this policy is to spell out the types of assistance that users may expect to receive from the library staff.

No one on the Law Library staff is a practicing attorney. Only an attorney may provide legal advice, or provide advice on your rights. Law Library staff will serve the public by facilitating access to the materials.

The library has a small collection of materials designed for use by the lay person seeking legal information. The library does not circulate these materials, as they must be used within the Law Library at all times. Users are expected to return the materials undamaged to the law librarian at the desk after use. Photocopies can be made at $.20 per copy. Change is not provided at the desk, but the photocopy machines take $1.00 bills in addition to change. For large amounts of copies, Copy Cards are available for purchase at the Reference Desk. Copy Cards are available for a fee of $5.00. ($1.50 goes towards the cost of the card. The balance will be available for photocopy charges. Additional amounts may be added to the Copy Card at the photocopiers.)

Law Library staff may assist with instructions in the use of materials, and may guide users to indices, the online card catalog, digests, texts, or may explain the organization of these materials within the library. This instruction, by virtue of limitations on staff resources and demands from the needs of the trial community, will be limited to no more than 15-20 minutes, and will be solely directional and never involve interpretation of your legal problem and how to solve it.

Law Library staff will respond to telephone inquiries regarding the library's holdings on a particular subject, and may not interpret the text of a law or legal opinion over the telephone. Callers will be requested to come to the library to read the text.

Law Library staff may not conduct legal research, advise any user about the law on a particular subject, and may not interpret the text of a law or legal opinion as to its meaning. Staff may direct the public to court rules and texts describing the procedure, dictionaries for legal definitions, and legal encyclopedias. Although numerous books and legal research materials are available in the library, librarians cannot recommend or specifically endorse any particular publication for any particular purpose.

Consultation with an attorney is always advised in legal matters. An attorney is always the best type of professional with whom to consult on individual rights in all types of legal cases. Library Staff urges users to seek legal advice at all times in legal matters.

Below are telephone numbers to assist users in locating the services of an attorney:
Prince George's County Lawyer Referral (301) 952-1440
Maryland (Statewide) Lawyer Referral (800) 492-1993
Legal Aid Bureau, Inc. (Low Income) (301) 927-6800
Law Foundation for Prince George's County (301) 864-8353