This is why I wanted to become a lawyer.

At age 14, I read Gideon’s Trumpet, the account of Gideon v. Wainwright, where the Supreme Court decided that the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to a lawyer if you’re accused of a felony.

I wanted to be a lawyer who protected people’s constitutional rights.

When the state seeks to deny your liberty, Gideon held, you are entitled to an attorney.

When the state seeks to deny you custody of your children, however, you are not.

House Bill 348 would change that.

The product of a task force that I served on, the bill would require the state to fund legal representation in contested child custody cases and in protective order proceedings in domestic violence cases.

In my testimony, I cited statistics that in these cases only 20% of the people involved had a lawyer.

The case for my bill was best made by someone who did not testify today.

Deborah Frase had conditions imposed on her custody of her son at the trial level. She did not have an attorney.

When she won on appeal, she was represented by Steve Sachs, former Attorney General of Maryland.

He told us today what Ms. Frase said after her case was heard by Maryland’s highest court.

“Mr. Sachs spoke for me.”