SearchMVLS • 45th Anniversary
MVLS DEI Plan & Accountability
For 45 years, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service has worked to expand access to civil legal services for Marylanders who cannot afford an attorney. As we mark this milestone, we are also naming a truth that has long shaped our work: the civil legal system has not impacted all communities equally, and neutrality has never meant fairness.
Over time, our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism has deepened through learning, listening, and structural change—both within MVLS and in how we show up for the communities we serve.
45 Years of MVLS: Milestones That Brought Us Here
This anniversary is both a celebration and a responsibility. The milestones below reflect MVLS’s growth over time—and the foundation that makes it possible to publish our DEI Plan today.
1981
MVLS is founded to provide free civil legal services for Marylanders who cannot afford an attorney.
2015
Community engagement deepens with a focus on trust, accountability, and partnership.
2020
Organization-wide learning accelerates and MVLS becomes more public-facing in naming structural racism.
2022
Board adopts JEDI goals to guide governance, learning, and accountability through a justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion lens.
2025
Staff DEI Plan launches and implementation begins across MVLS teams.
2026
45th anniversary year and MVLS publishes this DEI Plan & Accountability page.
A Letter from Our Executive Director
As Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service marks its 45th year, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to reflect honestly on both our history and our responsibility moving forward.
“While optimism is the belief that the future will be better, hope is the belief that we have the power to make it so.”
Why we are sharing our DEI Plan
For 45 years, MVLS has worked to provide free civil legal services to Marylanders who cannot afford an attorney. Over that time, we have learned—sometimes slowly, sometimes uncomfortably—that the civil legal system has never impacted all people equally. As a result, laws and policies often described as “neutral” produce very different outcomes depending on race, wealth, and access to power.
What accountability looks like for MVLS
Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism did not emerge overnight. Instead, it has grown out of years of listening to our clients, learning from community partners, educating ourselves, and examining the ways our own structures and practices shape outcomes. Therefore, publishing our DEI Plan is not a statement of completion; rather, it is a framework that helps guide how we turn values into practice and how we hold ourselves accountable.
Although this work is ongoing, we believe meaningful progress is possible when values are paired with structure, transparency, and shared responsibility. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.
Susan Francis, Esq.
Executive Director
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
Our Commitment to Equity and Anti-Racism
MVLS works to challenge the racist structures and economic inequities embedded within the civil legal system that lead to disproportionate harm to Black Marylanders and other communities of color. At the same time, we examine and address the internal structures, policies, and practices within our own organization that impact staff, clients, volunteers, and partners.
In practice, this commitment is ongoing, measurable, and shared across our organization—from staff and leadership to our Board of Directors. Moreover, we aim to communicate our progress clearly so our community understands what we do, what we are learning, and what comes next.
How we show up
- We listen and partner with communities and organizations rooted in trust and accountability.
- We connect legal services to broader systems impacting financial, housing, and family stability.
- We build internal practices that reflect equity—not just in what we say, but in how we operate.
What this page is
- A public reflection of our progress
- A summary of current priorities
- A commitment to transparency and continuous learning
Our History of Anti-Racism and DEI Work
While MVLS has existed since 1981, our intentional commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization began over a decade ago. What follows is not an exhaustive list of activities; instead, it reflects how our understanding—and our responsibility—has deepened over time.
Timeline of growth (2015–present)
2015–2020 Laying the Groundwork
During this period, MVLS strengthened community-centered outreach grounded in earned trust. In addition, we began connecting civil legal issues to structural racism and wealth extraction.
- Community engagement: commitment to trust, accountability, and avoiding nonprofit harm.
- Expungement & workforce development: responding to the long-term impacts of overpolicing and incarceration.
- Tax sale prevention: confronting systems that disproportionately harm Black homeowners.
- Advance planning: addressing patterns of wealth extraction and instability.
- Internal groundwork: early equity-focused infrastructure to support sustained change.
2020–2025 Institutional Change
As MVLS became more public-facing in naming structural racism, we also embedded equity and anti-racism into organizational structures—mission, governance, hiring, compensation, staff learning, and external engagement.
- Mission, vision, and values: refreshed with staff and board collaboration.
- ARC evolution: Race Equity Committee transitioned to the Anti-Racism Committee.
- Hiring improvements: standardized tools and processes to reduce bias and increase consistency.
- Evaluation & work plans: added equity-focused expectations and rubrics to reduce bias.
- Compensation structure: implemented salary scales to support fairness and consistency.
- Education & learning: sustained staff and board learning tied to MVLS practice areas and structural racism.
- External engagement: more direct communication with volunteers, donors, and the legal community about inequitable outcomes.
2025–Present Accountability & Implementation
Today, MVLS is focused on implementation—turning plans into practice and maintaining shared ownership across teams. Consequently, we prioritize systems that can endure over time.
- DEI Plan implementation: priorities are active across teams and leadership practices.
- Decision-making equity lens: a decision-making matrix is used to evaluate major decisions and policies.
- Monthly DEI sessions: continuous learning includes sessions led by ARC and MVLS teams.
- Team roadmaps: teams develop learning milestones, resources, and goals tied to their work.
- Feedback & surveys: anonymous feedback and twice-annual DEI surveys (Jan/July) inform priorities and progress.
- ARC sustainability: committee structure is strengthened through chartering, recruitment, and onboarding improvements.
What We’re Working On Now
These priorities reflect MVLS’s active DEI Plan. We share them publicly to promote transparency and accountability—so our community can see how equity and anti-racism are being embedded into how we operate.
Current priorities in practice
Organizational Policies & Decision-Making
We are increasing transparency and applying an equity lens to major policies and decisions using a decision-making matrix.
Institutionalizing Anti-Racism & DEI
We are embedding DEI practices through shared definitions, cross-cultural learning opportunities, and team learning roadmaps.
Sustaining the Anti-Racism Committee
We are strengthening ARC’s long-term role through chartering, clearer recruitment processes, and improved onboarding supports.
Staff Support, Training, & Education
We are institutionalizing continuous learning through monthly sessions led by both ARC and MVLS teams.
Peer Support & Belonging
We are building peer support structures, including employee resource groups, a culture-building approach, and ARC liaisons.
Feedback & Continuous Improvement
We are strengthening accountability through an anonymous feedback system and twice-annual DEI surveys with timely results-sharing.
Implementation cadence: MVLS teams continue this work throughout the year; additionally, we use regular learning and feedback cycles to guide improvements.
Transparency: What We Do—and What We’re Still Working Toward
How we approach accountability
We are transparent about the fact that this work is ongoing. We do not claim to have dismantled all inequities within our organization or the systems we operate in. However, we commit to listening, learning, measuring, and adjusting—alongside the communities most impacted by injustice.
- Progress updates: when appropriate, we share what we’re learning and what we’re improving.
- Feedback-informed action: input helps shape priorities and strengthens our practices over time.
- Durable systems: we continue building structures that support equity internally and externally.
In other words, this page is both an invitation and a commitment: we welcome engagement, and we also expect to keep learning.
Looking Ahead: The Levers We’re Pulling (2026 & Beyond)
Systems change requires sustained, practical action. Below are examples of “levers” MVLS is focused on pulling—what that action looks like, and why it matters.
Examples of actions and intended impact
Lever: Decision-Making & Policy
Action: Use an equity-based decision-making matrix for major decisions and policy revisions.
Impact: More consistent, transparent, and equitable organizational choices.
Lever: Cross-Cultural Learning
Action: Build structured learning into retreats, team meetings, and shared definitions of key concepts.
Impact: Stronger shared understanding and a healthier culture of accountability.
Lever: Sustainable Internal Infrastructure
Action: Strengthen ARC systems, onboarding, and shared ownership across teams.
Impact: DEI work remains durable even as staffing and priorities change.
Lever: Feedback & Measurement
Action: Maintain anonymous feedback pathways and twice-annual DEI surveys with timely results-sharing.
Impact: Continuous improvement informed by staff experience and measurable trends.