Lawyers Clearinghouse

CORI: What Nonprofits Need to Know to Help Their Clients (Virtual)
2022-06-15 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom Video Conferencing
*Note: This training is not designed to help advise nonprofits on their hiring practices. It is solely focused on assisting clients with criminal records.*
Registration: Sign up here. You will receive a Zoom link upon registration.
This criminal records training is intended for nonprofits whose staff are involved with counseling or offering services in the community to individuals who may have criminal records. It will address the following:

What exactly is a criminal record in Massachusetts? Who has the data? Who gets access to the data?
How can a nonprofit help a client reduce the barriers posed by criminal records?
What can be done if a client of a nonprofit wishes to seal a CORI? What crimes can be sealed? What resources are available?
What rights do individuals with a sealed CORI have when they are applying for a job? Housing?
What is the process for the new expungement laws for CORIs?
What are the concerns for an individual with a CORI who has an immigration issue?

Presenter: Crispin Birnbaum, Access to Justice Fellow

Maintaining Nonprofit Status (Virtual)
2022-06-14 10:00 - 11:30
Registration: Click here. This workshop is free, with a suggested donation of $15.
This virtual workshop will offer an overview of compliance requirements for various government agencies and practical tips for nascent nonprofits, including the IRS rules on fundraising and annual filings.
Presenter: Brittany Besler, AAFCPAs

Nonprofit Office Hours (Virtual)
2022-06-10 10:00 - 12:00, 2022-06-03 10:00 - 12:00, 2022-05-27 10:00 - 12:00, 2022-05-20 10:00 - 12:00, 2022-05-13 10:00 - 14:00
Introducing Nonprofit Office Hours! Fridays, from 10:00 am-12:00 pm.
Have a question about operating your nonprofit? Want to discuss a potential legal issue or other matter? Book a 15-minute Zoom chat with our Nonprofit Assistance Manager Russell Paul.
Sign up: Sign up for a 15-minute timeslot here.
Questions? Contact Russell by email or at 617-544-3434 ext. 108.

Where is the Line? Nonprofit Board Duties and Management Responsibilities (Virtual)
2022-06-09 09:00 - 10:30
Registration: Click here. You will receive a Zoom link upon sign up.
Payment: This program is free, with a suggested donation of $15.
Managing a nonprofit can be complicated and sometimes it may not be apparent who is responsible for certain duties: The board? The executive director?
This workshop will provide an overview of nonprofit governance and compliance issues, with a focus on the respective responsibilities of nonprofit boards and senior management.
Presenter: Teresa Santalucia, Klein Hornig

CORI Sealing Clinic (Virtual)
2022-06-02 16:00 - 18:00, 2022-05-19 16:00 - 18:00, 2022-05-05 16:00 - 18:00
Do you need your CORI (criminal record) sealed or expunged? You may be eligible for free assistance from a volunteer attorney, conducted via Zoom video conferencing. Please note, this service is intended for people with Massachusetts-based criminal records.
Sign up here and someone will follow up with you.
We are accepting registrations on a rolling basis, so once you sign up we will work with you to schedule a final meeting date and time.
Questions? Contact Sean by email or at 617-544-3434 ext. 110.
How it Works:

To get started, fill out the online sign up form. Within one week, Lawyers Clearinghouse will email you to confirm your registration.
When you get to the top of the waitlist, Lawyers Clearinghouse will call you to schedule your clinic date and get your consent to pull a copy of your CORI. Note: It may take some time to receive a date depending on the length of the waitlist.
On your clinic date, you will meet with volunteer attorneys for 30-60 minutes over video conferencing or by phone. They will share your CORI with you and discuss the eligibility of your record for sealing and/or expungement.
If you are eligible, the attorneys will work with you on filing a petition to request sealing and/or expungement and discuss next steps. If you are not currently eligible, they will discuss your timeline for eligibility. Note: It will take a few months to receive a final sealing and/or expungement decision from Probation or the court.

This program is offered in partnership with Codman Square NDC, Urban Edge, and the City of Boston.

Nonprofit Incorporation Workshop (Virtual)
2022-05-19 16:00 - 18:30
Registration: Click here. You will receive Zoom information upon sign up.
Payment: This program is free, with a suggested donation of $25.
Learn more about the complicated processes of formalizing a nonprofit in Massachusetts. Presenters will address topics such as:
• For-Profit or Not-for-Profit?
• What is a Not-for-Profit?
• Incorporating & Structuring the Not-for-Profit
• Option of Fiscal Sponsorship
• State Reporting & Regulation
• Federal Tax Exemption
• Ongoing IRS Reporting & Regulation
Presenters: Luke Blackadar, Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston; Lisa McChesney, Goodwin.
This pro bono workshop is a joint project of Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, Goodwin, and Lawyers Clearinghouse.

Nonprofit Bylaws Consultation (Virtual)
2022-05-17 13:30 - 16:30
Apply*: Click here. Zoom link provided upon approval.
*You will also be asked to provide a copy of your bylaws, if applicable. This will help the volunteers better tailor their advice to your organization.
Bylaws serve as the main governing document of your organization; the bedrock upon which its foundation rests. When bylaws are not carefully created and maintained in accordance with the best practices outlined in your Articles of Organization, cracks may start to appear in this foundation, hampering your work and taking away from your organization’s mission and resources.
Join us for a consultation program on nonprofit bylaws. This 90-minute consultation session will be staffed by lawyers from Weil. They will review your current bylaws or assist you in creating a new policy and make recommendations as necessary.
This is designed for any nonprofit looking to change, update, or create bylaws, from established longstanding nonprofits to those who have just incorporated and want to make sure they have legally-sound bylaws.

Nonprofit WISP Consultation (VIRTUAL)
2022-04-28 09:00 - 12:00
Application: This event is at capacity, but we encourage you to sign up for the waitlist here. *Please note this consultation is intended for
organizations with 501c3 status.*
Massachusetts law requires any corporate entity operating in MA which handles personal information (PI) to develop and enforce a Written Information Security Program (WISP). Each WISP should be tailored to the manner and scope of operation of each corporate entity.
Join us for a two-part WISP training and consultation program. The 60-minute training will focus on how to implement and maintain WISP at the operational level. The subsequent 75- minute consultation session will be staffed by lawyers from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and Bank of America. They will review your current WISP and make recommendations as necessary or discuss with you how to develop a new WISP for your nonprofit if you don’t have one.

CORI: What Nonprofits Need to Know to Help Their Clients (Virtual)
2022-04-14 10:00 - 11:30
*Note: This training is not designed to help advise nonprofits on their hiring practices. It is solely focused on assisting clients with criminal records.*
Registration: This event is at capacity but you can sign up for the June 15 training here.
This criminal records training is intended for nonprofits whose staff are involved with counseling or offering services in the community to individuals who may have criminal records. It will address the following:

What exactly is a criminal record in Massachusetts? Who has the data? Who gets access to the data?
How can a nonprofit help a client reduce the barriers posed by criminal records?
What can be done if a client of a nonprofit wishes to seal a CORI? What crimes can be sealed? What resources are available?
What rights do individuals with a sealed CORI have when they are applying for a job? Housing?
What is the process for the new expungement laws for CORIs?
What are the concerns for an individual with a CORI who has an immigration issue?

Presenter: Crispin Birnbaum, Access to Justice Fellow

Intellectual Property Law Consultation (Virtual)
2022-03-29 13:00 - 16:00
Apply here. Please note that space is not guaranteed for this event. Registrants will be notified of their status after their applications are reviewed.
Apply to join us for an Intellectual Property Law Consultation, staffed by volunteer attorneys from McCarter & English, LLP!
This two-part virtual program will start with a training on the basics of intellectual property (IP) law for nonprofits, followed by one-on-one consultations where volunteers will answer IP questions and assist you in updating or creating IP-related documents.
Topics of discussion will include: terms of use, trademarks, and non-disclosure agreements.
Presenters: Attorneys from McCarter & English, LLP

Legal Clinic (Virtual)
2022-03-25 09:30 - 12:00, 2022-03-11 09:30 - 12:00
Do you need assistance with a civil legal matter in Massachusetts, related to housing (eviction, landlord/tenant issues, etc.); benefits (SSI/SSDI, unemployment, etc.); or immigration? You may be eligible for free assistance from volunteer attorneys.
To get started, please contact our Clinic Manager, Sean Thekkeparayil, to discuss your legal concerns in more detail:
sthekkeparayil@lawyersclearinghouse.org or 617-544-3434 ext. 110.
If you are eligible for this clinic, we will provide you with additional information about how to attend virtually.

Nonprofit Incorporation Workshop (Virtual)
2022-03-24 16:00 - 18:30
Registration: Click here. You will receive Zoom information upon sign up.
Payment: This program is free, with a suggested donation of $25.
Learn more about the complicated processes of formalizing a nonprofit in Massachusetts. Presenters will address topics such as:
• For-Profit or Not-for-Profit?
• What is a Not-for-Profit?
• Incorporating & Structuring the Not-for-Profit
• Option of Fiscal Sponsorship
• State Reporting & Regulation
• Federal Tax Exemption
• Ongoing IRS Reporting & Regulation
Presenters: Sue Abbott, Goodwin; Luke Blackadar, Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston.
This pro bono workshop is a joint project of Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, Goodwin, and Lawyers Clearinghouse.

CORI Sealing Clinic (Virtual)
2022-03-24 16:00 - 18:00, 2022-03-10 16:00 - 18:00, 2022-02-24 16:00 - 18:00, 2022-02-10 15:30 - 18:00, 2022-01-13 16:00 - 18:00
Do you need your CORI (criminal record) sealed or expunged? You may be eligible for free assistance from a volunteer attorney, conducted via Zoom video conferencing. Please note, this service is intended for people with Massachusetts-based criminal records.
Sign up here and someone will follow up with you.
We are accepting registrations on a rolling basis, so once you sign up we will work with you to schedule a final meeting date and time.
This program is offered in partnership with Codman Square NDC, Urban Edge, and the City of Boston.

Corporate Governance & Bylaws Basics (Virtual)
2022-03-22 12:00 - 13:30
Registration: Click here. You will receive a Zoom link upon sign up. This workshop will be recorded and distributed to all registrants.
Payment: This program is free to all attendees, but you may make an optional donation. The suggested amount is $15. Donate here.
This presentation will focus on the basics of nonprofit corporate governance and the mechanics of nonprofit bylaws and will give you practical tips for how to use related documents in your operation.
Presenter: Russell Paul, Lawyers Clearinghouse

Clinic in a Box®: Bylaws and Navigating COVID as a Nonprofit (Virtual)
2022-03-17 11:45 - 14:00
Registration: Apply here. You will be notified about the status of your application soon.
Apply to join us for this year’s virtual Clinic in a Box®: Bylaws and Navigating COVID as a Nonprofit. If your organization is selected for participation, experienced attorneys will assist you in updating your nonprofit bylaws and creating or updating your COVID protocols.
Please note: Your executive director, board chair, or other senior staff or board member responsible for governing or managing your organization must be able to participate in the clinic.

Access to Justice Fellows Information Session (Virtual)
2022-03-01 15:00 - 16:00
Interested in becoming an Access to Justice Fellow? Join us for a virtual Access to Justice Fellows Program Information Session! Meet current and past Fellows.
Register: Click here. You will receive a video conferencing link the day of the event.
Panelists:
John Bowman Jr., 2015-2016 Fellow
Hon. Cynthia Cohen (Ret.), 2017-2018 Fellow
Michael Felsen, 2018-2019 Fellow
Karen Quandt, 2018-2019 Fellow
Hon. Wilbur P. Edwards Jr. (Ret.), 2019-2020 Fellow
Moderators:
Janet Donovan, Fellow, Lawyers Clearinghouse
Susan Gedrick, Executive Director, Lawyers Clearinghouse
Martha Koster, Mintz, Co-Founder of the Fellows Program

Nonprofit Incorporation Workshop (Virtual)
2022-02-17 16:00 - 18:30
Registration: Click here. You will receive Zoom information upon sign up.
Payment: This program is free, with a suggested donation of $25.
Learn more about the complicated processes of formalizing a nonprofit in Massachusetts. Presenters will address topics such as:
• For-Profit or Not-for-Profit?
• What is a Not-for-Profit?
• Incorporating & Structuring the Not-for-Profit
• Option of Fiscal Sponsorship
• State Reporting & Regulation
• Federal Tax Exemption
• Ongoing IRS Reporting & Regulation
Presenters: Luke Blackadar, Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston; Alyssa Fitzgerald, Goodwin
This pro bono workshop is a joint project of Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, Goodwin, and Lawyers Clearinghouse.

CORI: What Nonprofits Need to Know to Help Their Clients (Virtual)
2022-02-09 10:00 - 11:30
*Note: This training is not designed to help advise nonprofits on their hiring practices. It is solely focused on assisting clients with criminal records.*
Registration: Click here. You will receive a Zoom link upon sign up.

This criminal records training is intended for nonprofits whose staff are involved with counseling or offering services in the community to individuals who may have criminal records. It will address the following:

What exactly is a criminal record in Massachusetts? Who has the data? Who gets access to the data?
How can a nonprofit help a client reduce the barriers posed by criminal records?
What can be done if a client of a nonprofit wishes to seal a CORI? What crimes can be sealed? What resources are available?
What rights do individuals with a sealed CORI have when they are applying for a job? Housing?
What is the process for the new expungement laws for CORIs?
What are the concerns for an individual with a CORI who has an immigration issue?

Presenter: Crispin Birnbaum, Access to Justice Fellow

Nonprofit Charitable Giving Strategies (Virtual)
2022-02-01 09:00 - 10:30
Registration: Click here. You will receive a Zoom link upon sign up.

This workshop will cover ways to enhance your conversations with donors regarding their charitable gifts and diversifying charitable giving options.
Presenter: Elizabeth Manchester, Partridge Snow & Hahn
