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SUPREME JUDICIAL
COURT STANDING COMMITTEE
ON PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICES SEEKS NOMINATIONS
FOR ADAMS PRO
BONO PUBLICO AWARDS
Boston, MA--To
recognize outstanding commitment to volunteer legal services
for the poor and disadvantaged, the Standing Committee on
Pro Bono Legal Services
of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is inviting nominations
for the second annual Adams
Pro Bono Publico Awards.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, March
21, 2003.
Nominations (five copies) should be submitted to:
Richard McMahon, Esq., Chairperson of the Adams Awards,
The 2003 Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards, c/o New
Center for Legal Advocacy, Inc., 257 Union Street, New Bedford,
MA 02740. Telephone:
(508) 979-7160, ext. 3010; Email:
rmcmahon@ncla.net.
Named in honor of Attorneys John Adams and John
Quincy Adams, the Adams
Pro Bono Publico Awards recognize individual lawyers,
law firms, government attorneys, corporate law departments,
and other institutions in the legal profession across the
state that have “demonstrated outstanding commitment to volunteer
legal services for the poor and disadvantaged, including the
Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), legal services
or similar providers who conduct non-program pro
bono work.”
Last year, awards were presented to Henry B. Raphaelson,
a private practitioner in Worcester, S. Stephen Rosenfeld
of the Boston firm of Rosenfeld & Rafik, P.C., and the
Boston firm of Foley Hoag LLP for its organizational commitment
to pro bono services. Supreme Judicial
Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall, Justice Francis
X. Spina, a committee member, and Justice Martha B. Sosman
participated in the awards ceremony held at the Supreme Judicial
Court.
Mr. McMahon said, “The volume of pro
bono work contributed by Massachusetts lawyers is substantial
in all areas of the state.
What is especially gratifying, and impressive, is to
learn about the new and creative ways that lawyers strive
to meet the great demand for legal assistance for the poor.
There are countless opportunities across Massachusetts for
attorneys to become active in rendering pro bono legal assistance,
and the awards highlight a few of the remarkable efforts.”
The Standing Committee on Pro
Bono Legal Services will select awardees from among those
who have excelled in one or more of the following ways:
demonstrated dedication in development and delivery
of legal services to the poor through a pro bono program; contributed significant
work toward developing innovative approaches to delivery of
voluntary legal services; participated in an activity which
resulted in satisfying previously unmet needs or in extending
services to underserved segments of the population; successfully
litigated pro bono cases that favorably
affected the provision of other services to the poor; and,
successfully achieved legislation that contributed substantially
to legal services for the poor.
The awards will be presented in May.
Established in August 1999, the Standing Committee
on Pro Bono Legal
Services works to promote volunteer legal work in Massachusetts
to help people of limited means who are in need of legal representation,
in accordance with SJC Rule 6.1, Voluntary Pro Bono Publico
Service (“for the public good”).
Attorney Mary Ryan of Nutter, McClennen & Fish
LLP chairs the Committee.
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