Rachel Calanni has been with Miles & Stockbridge in Baltimore since September 2024 and became an MVLS volunteer in March 2025 after hearing about a case that seemed, on its face, to be a brief and relatively straightforward landlord-tenant dispute.

The case involved the wrongful retention of a security deposit, where the landlord was keeping nearly $1,500 from the tenant who had left the property early due to uninhabitable conditions and was also demanding additional payment for alleged damages to the property. The tenant had stayed in the property for six months, and it seemed highly unlikely that the tenant caused the damages for which the landlord was requesting money.

After extensive pre-trial settlement negotiations that were ultimately unsuccessful, the case went to trial.

Calanni had never done a trial for a landlord-tenant case, and it was only her second time in District Court. The case ended up taking seven months to resolve.

While she was the attorney in charge of the case, she was not in it alone. Not only did she have support from Susan DuMont, another attorney at Miles & Stockbridge and MVLS Board Member, but MVLS also connected Calanni with MVLS volunteer mentor Chelsea Ortega. Calanni says having support from these mentors and from MVLS was a reason why the case went so well.

At the end of the trial in November, a judge ruled in favor of the tenant, and Calanni’s client received his security deposit back just before Christmas.

Calanni’s advice to new MVLS volunteers is:

“You can do it. The hardest step is to just take the case, and everything comes easier after that. There’s lots of ways to fill your cup in this career, but don’t discount pro bono work. It’s a great way to get engaged with your community and know at the end of the day that you made a difference for someone.”

Calanni plans to take another case from MVLS soon, and having a trial under her belt makes her feel even more equipped for whatever case she chooses next.

Get Involved with MVLS

If you are curious about how to get involved with MVLS, email Volunteer Coordinator Etta Moen or check out MVLS’s online Pro Bono Portal.