Maryland Judiciary offers new self-help video series on child custody, child welfare, and expungement

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Maryland Judiciary is releasing 13 online videos that are available now to the public. The videos comprise three new series on child custody, child welfare, and expungement. The videos, which range from three to seven minutes in length, inform viewers about court processes and explain complex legal principles and procedures in plain, direct language.

The expungement series includes a six-part video tutorial on how to remove information from court and law enforcement records. New expungement laws go into effect today, Oct. 1. The videos explain which cases may be eligible for expungement, as well as when and how to file a petition for expungement with the court.

Other videos in the new child custody and child welfare series explain how court processes in family law cases work:

• A four-part series on child custody informs individuals about important terms, the steps in filing a custody case, legal proceedings, and contested trials.
• A three-part series on child welfare is intended for parents of children who have been removed from the family home. The videos review the court’s role in child welfare cases and introduce parents to the hearings and the people involved in those cases.

“The Judiciary is committed to providing equal access to justice for all Marylanders,” said Mary Ellen Barbera, Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals. “Although, ideally, all litigants would have access to legal representation, we know this is, unfortunately, not the case for many who come before Maryland’s courts. Our goal is to provide individuals representing themselves in court with useful legal information that will help them prepare for their court proceeding.”

The new self-help videos are part of the Judiciary’s online video library called My Laws, My Courts, My Maryland. Each video is closed-captioned in English and Spanish and has a tip sheet summarizing the video’s content. To find more links to resources, court forms, and services from the My Laws, My Courts, My Maryland video library, go to www.mdcourts.gov/videos.

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