The Maryland Association for Justice, Inc., provides support, training, and education to its members which include more than 1,300 plaintiff attorneys across the state. From its headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, the MAJ works to preserve individual rights within the civil justice system.
The mission of the MAJ is "improving the civil justice system through legislative advocacy and the professional development of attorneys who represent the injured."
The roots of the MAJ can be traced to 1954 when the organization was known as the Maryland Plaintiff's Bar Association. The non-profit organization was incorporated as the Maryland Trial Lawyer Association. On October 29, 2008, the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association became the Maryland Association for Justice, Inc.
The Maryland Association for Justice, Inc., was formally known as the Maryland Plaintiff's Bar Association and the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association. Today, many of the top personal injury attorneys in Maryland belong to this organization.
Regular and sustaining members in the MAJ must be duly admitted to the practice of law and actively practicing law. The attorney must pay dues, be of good moral character, must not be primarily devoted to the defense of personal injury or negligence actions.
The member must adhere to the objectives of the association and be "committed and devoted to the concept of a fair trial, the adversary system, and a just result for the injured, the accused, and those whose rights are jeopardized."
If the attorney's personal injury and/or workers' compensation insurance defense work, or that of the attorney's law firm, exceeds 50%, then the attorney is not eligible for regular membership. Instead, the attorney can join as a subscribing member. Scribing members do not vote, or have access to the list servers, document bank or "members only" sections of MAJ's website.
Other types of member categories include honorary members, paralegal members, student members, and subscribing members.
The Maryland Association for Justice has the following sections which its members can join: