Access to Justice Fellows Program kicks off fourth year

The Lawyers Clearinghouse and the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission welcomed over 100 guests from area law firms, nonprofit organizations, and the Court to a kick-off event at the Adams Courthouse to mark the start of the fourth year of the Access to Justice Fellows Program.

Created to address the need for more legal assistance for the poor, the Fellows Program recognizes the potential for retired lawyers and judges to contribute their expertise to a variety of pro bono efforts. This year’s class of twenty Fellows will work on volunteer projects related to immigration, child and family welfare, veterans’ issues, nonprofit governance, and criminal justice reform.

Guests first heard remarks from the Honorable Geraldine Hines, Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and co-chair of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission, who spoke about the importance of making justice accessible to all.

“What we are doing here today represents part of the effort to close the justice gap and, more accurately, the justice chasm, as many have described it,” she said.

Justice Hines also acknowledged the work of the 34 past Fellows who took part in the program in its first three years. So far, Fellows have provided approximately 30,000 hours of pro bono service to people and organizations in need. This year’s class is expected to contribute another 15,000 pro bono hours to the cause.

Each new Fellow in attendance was then asked to stand as Justice Hines announced their projects.

Justice Hines welcomed John Montgomery, a retired partner at Ropes & Gray and a former Fellow, to the podium. Montgomery spent the past year volunteering with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to help address the growing problem of internet sex trafficking of children. Although Montgomery is now an alumnus of the Fellows Program, he continues to volunteer with NCMEC.

Montgomery highlighted the ability Fellows have to “make a real difference” and recognized the mixed feelings that come with retirement.

“It’s no secret that lawyers approaching retirement are sometimes anxious and filled with questions about what comes next,” he said. “I would suggest to you that each of last year’s Fellows now have a breadth of exposure, through this program and through the work of all of the other Fellows, to provide more informed answers to those types of questions, and that I think is valuable all by itself. I hope that this year’s exceptional group will enjoy the program just as much as we all did.”

The Fellows Program has had a great impact on the lives of many, but beyond that it is an incredible resource for nonprofits, according to Elizabeth Soule, Executive Director of MetroWest Legal Services, one of the organizations that has partnered with the program.

Soule thanked former Fellow Bancroft “Bats” Wheeler, who used his knowledge of trusts and estates to draft over 250 wills, healthcare proxies, and durable powers of attorney for over 100 MetroWest clients during his Fellowship.

Like Montgomery, Wheeler continues to work with his partner organization, traveling around the state visiting disabled and elderly clients as part of a project dubbed “Wills on Wheels.”

Soule wrapped up her remarks by reminding the newest class of Fellows that what they are doing matters.

“As this class of Access to Justice Fellows starts your year of volunteerism, do not doubt for a minute that volunteering your time has a significant and profound effect on the ability of our organizations to serve the many clients that ask for our help,” Soule said. “You are part of the solution to help serve more vulnerable clients than we could do without you.”

You can read more about past and present Fellows and their projects here.