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Introducing the Access to Justice Fellows Program

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We are excited to announce that the Clearinghouse will be taking on the administration of the Access to Justice Fellows Program for the 2014 session.

The Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission launched the Access to Justice Fellows Program in the fall of 2012, in response to the growing need for more legal services for the poor and the organizations that serve them.

The Honorable Ralph D. Gants [third from left] and the Honorable Margaret H. Marshall, justices of the Supreme Judicial Court, with the first class of Fellows at the Kickoff Event in September 2012. From left: Robert A. Sable, Esq.; Martha J. Koster, Esq.; Hon. Ralph D. Gants; Robert Tuchmann, Esq.; Richard A. Soden, Esq.; William Patten, Esq.; Hon. Patrick A. Fox; and Hon. Margaret H. Marshall.
The Honorable Ralph D. Gants [third from left] and the Honorable Margaret H. Marshall, justices of the Supreme Judicial Court, with the first class of Fellows at the Kickoff Event in September 2012. From left: Robert A. Sable, Esq.; Martha J. Koster, Esq.; Hon. Ralph D. Gants; Robert Tuchmann, Esq.; Richard A. Soden, Esq.; William Patten, Esq.; Hon. Patrick A. Fox; and Hon. Margaret H. Marshall.
The program matches senior lawyers and judges with various partner organizations and nonprofits in need of legal assistance. They volunteer 10 to 20 hours of pro bono work per week for a year, applying knowledge from their long and storied careers to mentor other volunteers, improve resources for foster families, prepare wills, and so much more. 

Seven lawyers and judges joined the pilot program in the fall of 2012, and they were matched with organizations such as Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS), the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project (PAIR), and the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP)/Senior Partners for Justice. One Fellow even helped the Clearinghouse develop the Legal Assessment Program, created to help other nonprofits complete an in-depth evaluation of their operations.

Eleven of the twelve 2013 Access to Justice Fellows, with the Honorable Ralph D. Gants. From left: Richard W. Renehan, Esq.; Carl E. Axelrod, Esq.; Rosemary M. Allen, Esq.; Bancroft R. Wheeler, Esq.; Russell K. Dunning, Esq.; Marilyn Ray Smith, Esq.; Paula B. Mackin, Esq.; Jeffrey F. Jones, Esq.; Ruth Ellen Fitch, Esq.; Hon. Ralph D. Gants; Thomas H. Hannigan, Jr., Esq.; and Gary A. Spiess, Esq.
Eleven of the twelve 2013 Access to Justice Fellows, with the Honorable Ralph D. Gants. From left: Richard W. Renehan, Esq.; Carl E. Axelrod, Esq.; Rosemary M. Allen, Esq.; Bancroft R. Wheeler, Esq.; Russell K. Dunning, Esq.; Marilyn Ray Smith, Esq.; Paula B. Mackin, Esq.; Jeffrey F. Jones, Esq.; Ruth Ellen Fitch, Esq.; Hon. Ralph D. Gants; Thomas H. Hannigan, Jr., Esq.; and Gary A. Spiess, Esq.

After a successful first year, the program expanded, taking on twelve new volunteers for the 2013 session. These volunteers have continued to participate in projects designed to strengthen partner organizations and aid their constituents.

The Fellows Program will host an End-of-Year event on Thursday, June 19, and will announce the fifteen new Fellows who have signed on for the 2014 session.

Click here to learn more about the program, click here to read more about each Fellow, or take a look at this profile of Fellow Paula Mackin.