About
Mission
Lawyers Clearinghouse improves the lives of people facing social and economic hardship by engaging the legal community in pro bono service to nonprofit organizations and their homeless and low-income clients.
How We Help
Through our connections to a network of lawyers from top Massachusetts law firms and corporations, we:
- Connect people in need with free civil legal assistance.
- Provide critical legal support to nonprofits.
- Engage senior and retired attorneys and judges in pro bono projects.
- Make it easier for lawyers to do pro bono work.
- Facilitate over $13 million in donated legal services annually.
History
The Lawyers Clearinghouse on Affordable Housing and Homelessness was founded in 1988 by the Boston Bar Association and Massachusetts Bar Association. It grew out of a common belief that the resources of the private bar could be used to fight homelessness.
The creation of the Clearinghouse also reflected the enormous economic pressures placed on low and moderate-income families in Massachusetts, and on the limited capabilities of the nonprofit groups assisting them with their housing needs.
The Clearinghouse has served as the model used by bar sponsored pro bono groups throughout the country in establishing similar programs, including the District of Columbia, Rhode Island, and Maryland. In 1991, the Clearinghouse received the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Partnership Award.