There is a Maryland Legal Services Corporation. The Corporation is a nonstock corporation. The purpose of the Corporation is to receive and distribute funds to grantees that provide legal assistance to eligible clients in civil proceedings or matters.

The Corporation shall maintain: its principal office in the State; and a designated agent to accept service of process. The Corporation shall file the name and address of the designated agent with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. The Corporation is exempt from any special tax, property tax, recordation tax, or transfer tax imposed by the State or a political subdivision of the State. Except as otherwise provided in this title, the Corporation is not a unit or instrumentality of the State.

The Board shall appoint an executive director of the Corporation. The executive director is the chief executive officer of the Corporation. Subject to this title and policies established by the Board, the executive director has the authority and responsibility for: administering the affairs of the Corporation; appointing and removing employees as necessary to carry out the purposes of this title; making grants; entering into contracts; exercising powers incident to the office of the executive director; and performing other duties that the Board prescribes. The executive director is entitled to a salary as provided in the budget of the Corporation. The executive director may be removed by a majority of the Board.

A political test or political qualification may not be used in selecting, appointing, promoting, or taking any other personnel action with respect to an officer, agent, or employee of the Corporation. Employees of the Corporation are entitled to salaries as provided in the budget of the Corporation. Employees of the Corporation are not employees of the State.

To the extent consistent with this title, the Corporation shall exercise the powers granted to a nonstock corporation under Title 5, Subtitle 2 of the Corporations and Associations Article.

The Corporation shall indemnify the members of the Board and the officers, agents, and employees of the Corporation to the extent authorized under the Maryland General Corporation Law.

The Corporation shall publish an annual report. The Corporation shall submit the annual report to the Governor and, subject to § 2-1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly. The report shall include a description of services provided.

The executive director shall prepare an annual budget for the Corporation. For informational purposes only, the Corporation shall submit its budget to the General Assembly in conjunction with the budget request of the Judicial Branch of the State government on November 1 of each year. The informational budget required under this subsection shall include 3 years of data, including the most recently completed fiscal year, an estimate for the current fiscal year, and an estimate for the next fiscal year, including: a summary of total expenditures and the sources of revenue that support that spending; line item expenditure detail for personnel, operating expenses, and grants, including individual grantees; narrative explanation of all revenue and spending changes between the current fiscal year and the next fiscal year; performance measurement data that details the use of funds; and detail on the Corporation’s reserve fund, including actual and estimated end of fiscal year balances, transfers to and from the reserve fund, and the policies governing the reserve fund.