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| 2009 News Archive |
Boston Globe: Zero-Tolerance Can Mean Zero Due Process 12/24/2009 - This Op-Ed describes a federal court victory challenging a Massachusetts school's zero-tolerance weapons policy.
It was co-authored by John Baraniak, a partner at Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP in Boston, and Jenny Chou, an attorney at the Center for Law and Education. EJC Press Release: Equal Justice Coalition Honors Six Legislators with Beacon of Justice Awards 11/19/2009 - At the 6th Legislative Recognition Reception, the Equal Justice Coalition recognized six state legislators who demonstrated outstanding commitment to civil legal aid in 2009. The awards were presented by former legal aid clients and community representatives from the legislators' districts, and Hon. John M. Greaney, retired associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, served as the master of ceremonies. View photographs from the event by clicking here. Boston Herald: Survey... Bullies Prey on Autistic Kids 11/13/2009 - A Boston Herald exclusive announced results of a survey conducted by Massachusetts Advocates for Children, which found that 90 percent of autistic children in the Bay State have been targeted by bullying. About 400 Massachusetts parents responded to the online survey between Sept. 23 and Oct. 12. The survey was prepared as part of an effort to pass legislation requiring that autistic children be taught bullying coping tactics as part of their individual educational plans. Boston Globe: Strength in Numbers to Fight Foreclosure Bind 11/12/2009 - This article highlights the work of the Merrimack Valley Project in combating the area's foreclosure crisis. It profiles Methuen resident Danny Nunez, who nearly lost his home before the Project connected him with attorney Michael Raabe of Neighborhood Legal Services. Raabe was able to help him negotiate a payment plan through the federal Making Home Affordable program. MetroWest Daily News: Mogul... How Public Education Changed 11/8/2009 - Jerry Mogul, the executive director of Massachusetts Advocates for Children, describes the inadequacies of the public education system that led to the organization's creation 40 years ago along with the issues they continue to confront today in advocating on behalf of children with disabilities. November 2009 marks MAC's 40th anniversary. Telegram & Gazette: Rental Co. Settles Lawsuit with Feds 11/4/2009 - A Worcester realty company settled a lawsuit alleging they discriminated against prospective renters because they have children. Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts (LACCM) represented the plaintiffs, all parents of minor children. LACCM's litigation director, Patti Prunhuber, was quoted in the story. Boston Globe Editorial: Amid Epidemic of Foreclosures, a Crying Need for Legal Aid Lowell Sun: A Younger Generation of Cambodians Confronts What Parents Endured 10/28/2009 - Kanya Hak, a paralegal with Merrimack Valley-North Shore Legal Services, was featured in an article on second-generation Cambodian immigrants living in Lowell. According to Hak, who conducts outreach in Cambodian communities, "We are Americans by choice, but our roots are still in Cambodia. And we cannot ignore our roots." New York Times: Working for Their Clients and Another Kind of Foreclosure Crisis 10/7/2009 - "Working for their Clients" reiterates the position of the New York Times' editorial board that restrictions should be lifted from Legal Services Corporation (LSC) funding, and that the House recommendation for LSC hould be included in the final appropriations bill. 10/8/2009 - "Another Kind of Foreclosure Crisis" is about the lack of legal representation for homeowners in foreclosure, in response to a report released this week by the Brennan Center, “Foreclosures: A Crisis in Legal Representation.” Boston Globe: Juvenile Life-Without-Parole Too Harsh, Report Says 9/30/2009 - Children's Law Center of Massachusetts (CLCM) released a report examining the Massachusetts law that mandates life without parole for juveniles convicted of first-degree murder, regardless of circumstances. CLCM wants the law changed so that juveniles convicted of first-degree murder are eligible for parole after 15 years. San Francisco Chronicle: Foreclosure-Mediation Laws Not Much Help 9/23/2009 - A report by the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) reveals that laws requiring mortgage companies to negotiate with homeowners prior to foreclosure are ineffective. NCLC attorney Geoff Walsh is quoted as saying, "While these programs could provide significant help to homeowners, they suffer from the same lack of industry accountability that has plagued the voluntary federal programs that have sought to encourage large-scale modifications over the past two years." Mass Lawyers Weekly: Fundraisers Inc. - Legal Services Groups Turn Creative to Help Bridge Funding Shortfalls Sept. /Oct. 2009 - This article highlights the creative ways that local legal services programs - like the Legal Assistance Corp. of Central Mass., MetroWest Legal Services, and Neighborhood Legal Services - are working to raise funds to fill the gap caused by a drastic drop in funding from MLAC and other sources. "We are in very dire times for legal services, so people are trying whatever they can to raise a little money," said Lonnie A. Powers, MLAC's executive director. Equal Justice Works Blog: Two Summer Corps Standout Winners at Massachusetts Legal Aid Programs 9/1/2009 - Both Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS) and South Coastal Counties Legal Services (SCCLS) hosted Equal Justice Works Summer Corps Standout winners. Jeffrey Schneidman, a student at Boston University School of Law, participated in NLS' Housing Mediation Project, as well as a Civil Gideon project to measure the effectiveness of full representation in housing cases. Heather O'Connor, a Roger Williams University law student, spent her summer with SCCLS working to assist tenants in foreclosed multi-family apartment buildings. MLAC Statement on the Passing of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy 8/29/2009 - The Massachusetts legal aid community reacts to the loss of one of its greatest supporters. Springfield Republican: Justice Hard to Find for Bay State's Poor 8/9/2009 - The Springfield Republican editors voice their support for legal aid while outlining its struggles. Boston Globe: Cuts in Legal Aid Hit Poorest 8/6/2009 - Front page Boston Globe article discusses the devastating impact the drop in funding from Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) has had on legal aid programs in Massachusetts. Interviews with MLAC Executive Director Lonnie Powers and several legal aid program directors detail the effect layoffs, furloughs and unfilled positions will have on client services. WWLP-22 News: Legal Aid Advocates Face Budget Cuts 8/6/2009 - Short news clip from the NBC-affiliate in Western Massachusetts about the budget cuts and increased demand at legal aid programs. Worcester Telegram: Raising the Bar 8/3/2009 - The financially strapped Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts (LACCM, an MLAC grantee) is reaching out to lawyers in Worcester County, asking them to each donate the equivalent of two billable hours. Hopefully, these lawyers' donations can help LACCM make up for the large expected drop in income. Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly: Leaders of Civil Legal Aid Groups Thank Supporters 7/13/2009 - MLAC Executive Director Lonnie Powers and Equal Justice Coalition Chair Julia Huston thank the many supporters – law firms, bar associations, private attorneys and others – who advocated so ardently for legal aid funding. Greater Boston Legal Services: New Board Members Elected 7/28/2009 - Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) elected new board officers, with Julia Huston re-appointed as Board President, Daryl Lapp and Myrnairis Cepeda as co-Vice Presidents, and Thomas DeSimone as Treasurer. GBLS also welcomes 13 new board members, including five client-eligible members. Bay State Banner: Through Soros Grant, Hub Defender Aims to Improve Aid for Low-income Clients 7/9/2009 - A Banner article describes one of the great innovative projects underway in the Massachusetts legal aid community. Renay Frankel, a public defender and Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) housing attorney, received one of 17 2009 Soros Justice Fellowships to implement an innovative partnership between criminal and civil legal aid programs. The partnership's two goals are to provide "a more holistic representation" and to reduce recidivism. Bay State Banner: Top Firm Donates Time to Advocate for Kids 7/9/2009 - A Banner article outlines an innovative partnership between DLA Piper, an internation law firm with offices in Boston, and Massachusetts Advocates for Children. Piper will donate a base 1,000 hours of its lawyers’ time for MAC's Education Rights Project, an initiative to tackle the challenges facing low-income children with disabilities. MLAC Press Release: MLAC Names New Board Members 7/8/2009 - The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court appointed Rahsaan D. Hall of Stoughton and William C. Newman of Northampton each to a five-year term on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC), while Judith Martinez of Mattapoisett was re-appointed to a second five-year term. Chronicle on Philanthropy: State Programs May Help Some Strapped Charities Save Jobs 7/2/2009 - Tina Poulter, executive director of Western Massachusetts Legal Services, discusses the work-sharing program adopted in January, which has saved $75,000 in wages and taxes. WMLS staff, who had their hours cut by 10 percent, are paid 90 percent of their salaries and can collect partial unemployment pay for the time they are not working. The work-share program was adopted to help close a $900,000 budget shortfall. Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly: A Proud Day for Supporters of Legal Aid 6/30/2009 - A Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly editoral praises the efforts of the Massachusetts legal community in helping prevent a drastic decline in the state appropriation for civil legal aid funding through in-person visits, calls, letters, and emails. Those efforts bore fruit on June 29, when the Governor signed the FY10 budget with $9.5 million for MLAC's line item. MetroWest Daily News: Free Legal Services Suffering as Demand Rises 6/29/2009 - MLAC Executive Director Lonnie Powers and legal services program directors Betsy Soule (MetroWest Legal Services) and Bob Sable (Greater Boston Legal Services) describe the negative impact on client services caused by reduced Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts revenue and the likely cut to the legal aid state appropriation in FY10. The state budget cut alone could result in 2,000 fewer cases handled in the coming year. Boston Globe and NECN: Two Flagship Hospitals to Upgrade Accessibility 6/29/2009 - A front-page Boston Globe story and New England Cable News (NECN) news clip describe the advocacy effort led by Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) on behalf of people with disabilities to negotiate accessibility improvements with two major hospitals. In an agreement that will surely influence health care facilties throughout the state, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital have both committed millions to making their facilities accessible. Boston Globe Editorial: A Crisis in Budget Form 6/23/2009 - A Boston Globe editorial addresses the tough choices lawmakers had to make recently, as the FY10 budget awaits the Governor's signature. The editorial notes "two particularly galling cuts [that] go to the heart of why government exists," one of which is the likely reduction in civil legal aid funding. New York Times Editorials: A Test for Equal Justice 6/23/2009 -This week, editorials in both The New York Times and The Washington Post urged the Senate to follow President Obama's lead and lift restrictions on the use of federal Legal Services Corporation funding. The House financing bill kept two of the three restrictions in place. The Herald News: Know Your Rights, Law Students Help Tenants Protect Themselves 6/23/2009 - Six Roger Williams University School of Law students are working this summer at South Coastal Counties Legal Services through a new program to help tenants in Fall River, Taunton, Brockton and New Bedford know their rights in cases where landlords lose properties to foreclosure. MLAC Press Release: Conference Committee Supports Civil Legal Aid, Recommends $9.5 Million 6/19/2009 - Yesterday, the conference committee of the House and Senate recommended $9.5 million for MLAC. The Governor now has 10 days to consider the budget. WBUR FM: Legal Services At Risk Under Mass. Senate Budget Plan 5/15/2009 - Bob Sable, Executive Director of Greater Boston Legal Services, comments on the Senate Ways & Means Committee's proposed 46 percent reduction for civil legal aid in the FY10 budget. MLAC Press Release: Senate Ways and Means Recommends Slashing Civil Legal Aid Budget by 46 Percent 5/14/2009 - Yesterday, the Senate Ways and Means Committee recommended a 46 percent, or $5 million, reduction for MLAC. Last month, the House recommended level funding, $11,070,424, for MLAC, so the line item will be negotiated by a conference committee. Boston Business Journal: CLSACC and MWLS Receive BBF Grants for Homelessness Prevention 4/29/2009 - The Community Legal Services and Counseling Center’s Homelessness Prevention Project and Metrowest Legal Services’ Post-foreclosure Eviction Defense Project each received $20,000 from the Boston Bar Foundation. Op-Ed: Massachusetts Bar Leadership Urges Legislators to Maintain Funding for Civil Legal Aid 4/2009 - Massachusetts Bar Association President Edward W. McIntyre and Boston Bar Association President Kathy B. Weinman co-authored an Op-Ed outlining the funding crisis facing civil legal aid in Massachusetts and urging legislators to maintain funding for MLAC in the FY10 state budget. Marketplace: Who Wins in a Cash for Keys Deal? 4/10/2009 - American Public Media's radio show "Marketplace" examines the "cash for keys" practice, where banks offer occupants in foreclosed buildings money to move out by a certain date. Zoe Cronin at Greater Boston Legal Services explains that cash for keys does not make sense for either the occupants or the banks. MBA Lawyers Journal: Neighborhood Legal Services Strives to Meet Increased Demand in Downturned Economy 4/8/2009 - At the same time Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS) experienced a 40 percent increase in demand for its services, it was forced to decrease its staff from 33 to 25 due to a 29 percent cut in funding. In order to minimize the cut's impact on clients and to try to meet the overwhelming demand, NLS relies on private attorneys who volunteer their time to help low-income people. Good Morning America: Mass Advocates for Children Featured in World Autism Day Segment 4/2/2009 - For April 2, World Autism Day, Good Morning America aired a segment that highlighted MAC's Autism Special Education Legal Support Center, focusing on the Autism Center's work with parents who face language and cultural barriers in obtaining treatment for their children. The segment included an interview with MAC's Policy Analyst Ann Guay. Boston Bar Journal: Deep Impact: The Economic Crisis and Legal Services Funding March/April 2009 - Manisha Bhatt, senior attorney in the Family Law Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services, writes about the funding crisis facing legal aid and the impact on her clients - many of whom are seeking out services for the first time due to the recession. New York Times Magazine: Letter to the Editor 3/17/2009 - Judith Liben, housing attorney with Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, co-authored a letter to the editor with Amy Marx of New Haven Legal Assistance Association in response to a March 8 article in the New York Times Magazine, "All Boarded Up," about the foreclosure crisis in Cleveland. Liben and Marx call on banks to soften automatic-eviction policies by allowing eligible tenants and homeowners to pay rent and live in foreclosed properties until they are sold to new owners. EJC Press Release: Legal Community Joins Together to Urge Lawmakers to Maintain Funding for Civil Legal Aid 3/13/2009 - In the only initiative of its kind in the country, some of the most prominent representatives of the Massachusetts legal community have joined together to urge Governor Patrick and the legislature to maintain funding for civil legal aid in the Commonwealth’s FY10 budget. A letter was delivered on behalf of each of the following groups: eight law school deans, 24 retired judges, general counsel from 107 corporations and institutions and 38 managing partners of Massachusetts law firms. Mass Lawyers Weekly: The Importance of Pro Bono in a Troubled Time 2/23/2009 - MLAC board member Martha J. Koster authored an Opinion piece stating that lawyers are uniquely positioned to offer substantial help to low-income people who are facing foreclosure, loss of income, domestic violence, and other civil legal problems in the midst of the financial crisis. According to Koster, "In our profession, pro bono is not a rarity or a sideline or a wink and a nod. It goes to the heart of who we are and what we do as lawyers. And we do this work whether the world knows it or not." MBA Lawyers Journal: President's Letter for Legal Aid, IOLTA Decrease, and Walk to the Hill Success 2/13/2009 - The February Issue of the Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyers Journal contained a trio of items about MLAC. MBA President Ed McIntyre wrote a letter driving home the critical importance of maintained state funding for legal aid during the economic crisis. A related article details the sharp decrease in IOLTA funding for legal aid that has led to cuts in legal services when they are needed the most. On a positive note, the third article includes highlights and photos from the record-breaking success for the 10th annual Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid, held on January 22 at the State House. Boston Globe: Forgotten in Foreclosures, Renters Forced to Live in Decaying Homes 2/3/2009 - This article details the plight of tenants, like Greater Boston Legal Services client Nadia Toussaint of Roxbury, whose apartments have fallen into disrepair after landlords have lost the properties to foreclosure. In these cases, it is often difficult to determine who the actual owner is of the property and who is responsible for repairs. "It gets to be a complete, complete nightmare," said Zoe Cronin, the GBLS attorney who represents Toussaint. The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel: "Send Lawyers, Guns and Money" 2/1/2009 - The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel published a letter by Kathy B. Weinman, president of the Boston Bar Association, in its February issue in which she outlines the funding crisis facing legal aid in Massachusetts. She urges her fellow attorneys to contact their legislators and ask them to protect funding for civil legal aid in the state budget. She also encourages attorneys to donate money to legal aid programs and volunteer to represent low-income individuals on a pro bono basis. Mass Lawyers Weekly: Firms Urge Governor to Maintain Funding for MLAC 1/26/2009 - Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly printed the letter that 38 managing partners of Boston firms sent to Governor Patrick urging him to maintain funding for civil legal aid in the FY '10 state budget. Milford Daily News: Legal Services Needed for Immigrants in Milford 1/24/2009 - This article profiles the work of Nina Sá, a Bart Gordon Fellow who is reaching out to Ecuadorean and Brazilian immigrants in Worcester County. MetroWest Daily News / Milford Daily News: Free Lawyers Helped Couple Stay in Home 1/23/2009 - This article features legal aid client Lisa Damon, featured speaker at the 10th annual Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid. Lisa shared her family's emotional foreclosure story with the 800 attorneys who gathered at the State House on January 22 to ask their legislators to protect funding for civil legal aid. The story was also covered by the Worcester Telegram. EJC Press Release: Record Turnout at 10th Annual Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid 1/22/2009 - Nearly 800 attorneys from some of the most prestigious law firms in Boston and Massachusetts gathered at the State House today to urge legislators to maintain funding for civil legal aid programs. New York Times: Interest Rate Drop Has Dire Results for Legal Aid 1/19/2009 -The article describes how the Federal Interest Rate drop has had dire consequences for legal aid programs across the country, which rely on funds from the Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program. Representatives from Connecticut Legal Services, New York City’s Legal Aid Society, Lone Star Legal Aid, and the Legal Services Corporation all offer their perspectives. MLAC Executive Director Lonnie Powers also is quoted, along with Neighborhood Legal Services Executive Director Sheila Casey and Zoe Cronin, a housing attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services. Press Release: Report Finds 90 Percent of African-Americans and Latinos are Isolated in the Lowest “Opportunity” Neighborhoods in Massachusetts 1/12/2009 - On January 12, Massachusetts legal aid programs, together with the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University and the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School, announced findings of the report “The Geography of Opportunity: Building Communities of Opportunity in Massachusetts” at a public launch at the State House featuring representatives of the Patrick administration and the legislature, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and Harvard School of Public Health. An article highlighting findings of the report appeared in the Boston Metro on January 14. Boston Business Journal: Profile of GBLS Director Bob Sable 1/1/2009 - Boston Business Journal's final "Executive Profile" of 2008 features Bob Sable, the executive director of Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS). The profile highlights the $2 million budget shortfall confronting Sable and GBLS while demand for legal services is on the rise. Sable talks about how he hopes to get GBLS through the tough financial times. |