Boston, MA — In
recognition of distinguished service and outstanding
commitment in providing volunteer legal services for
poor and disadvantaged citizens in Massachusetts, the
Supreme Judicial Court’s Standing Committee on Pro
Bono Legal Services has selected three recipients to
receive the prestigious John Adams and John Quincy
Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards.
Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall and Justice
Francis X. Spina will present the awards to Attorney John A. Burdick, Jr., a
sole practitioner in Worcester; Attorney Anna E. Dodson, an associate at Goodwin
Procter LLP in Boston; and the Bankruptcy Law Section of the Boston Bar Association.
The presentation will
take place on Thursday, May 6, 2004 at 4:30 p.m. at
Boston College Law School in Room 120 in the East Wing
building. A reception will follow at the Barat House
on the law school campus.
Chief Justice Marshall said, “It is a pleasure to honor these
outstanding attorneys who volunteer their legal services to help people in need. By
assisting some of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable residents, they have immeasurably
enhanced the quality of fair and balanced justice for us all. I commend all
of the nominees who serve as an inspiration to the entire bar through their efforts
to promote access to justice.”
John A Burdick, Jr., a sole practitioner in Worcester, has provided
countless hours of pro bono legal services to indigent clients, particularly
in consumer bankruptcy cases, through the Volunteer Lawyer Service of Massachusetts. Commended
for his advocacy skills, dedication, professionalism and compassion, Mr. Burdick
also helps to train and mentor new recruits to the Volunteer Legal Services organization. He
is often cited by clients, attorneys, and judges as a lawyer who provides exceptional
care and skill to all his pro bono legal work. A resident of Paxton, Mr. Burdick
received a J.D. degree from Ohio Northern University College of Law and a B.A.
degree from Keene State College in New Hampshire.
Anna E. Dodson, an associate
at Goodwin Procter LLP, has a busy corporate practice,
a young family, and yet manages to dedicate many hours
of pro bono service to clients who need legal assistance
through the Economic Justice Project (EJP), an initiative
of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Ms.
Dodson was among EJP’s first volunteer attorneys and
is considered one of its finest in providing business
legal services and education to low income entrepreneurs. She
has successfully recruited more than 75 lawyers within
her law firm to participate in EJP pro bono legal activities
over the last three years. An energetic leader, she
also is credited with innovative leadership ideas for
EJP and their implementation to benefit low income
clients. In February, Ms. Dodson developed and organized
a program, “Open for Business: A Workshop on Representing
Inner City Entrepreneurs,” which was co-sponsored by
Goodwin Procter and the Pro Bono Subsection of the
Boston Bar Association Business Law Section. A resident
of Dorchester, Ms. Dodson has a J.D. degree from Duke
University School of Law, a M.A.L.D. from Tuft University
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a B.A. degree
from Wellesley College.
The Bankruptcy Law Section
of the Boston Bar Association has made substantial
contributions to the administration of justice by obtaining
volunteer lawyers and coordinating pro bono services
to assist hundreds of clients who were unable to afford
legal representation in bankruptcy cases. Working
with the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) of the Boston
Bar Association, the Bankruptcy Law Section has helped
to increase the pool of lawyer volunteers by asking
banks to grant conflict of interest waivers for pro
bono bankruptcy cases involving $25,000 or less that
are handled by VLP. With its outstanding commitment
to provide effective representation to individuals
facing bankruptcy, the Section has also convened numerous
free educational sessions to bar members in an effort
to equip them with the training and advocacy skills
necessary to handle consumer bankruptcy cases.
Established in 1999,
the Supreme Judicial Court’s Standing Committee on
Pro Bono Legal Services works to promote volunteer
legal work in Massachusetts to help people of limited
means in need of legal representation, in accordance
with SJC Rule 6.1. Attorney Mary Ryan of Nutter, McClennen & Fish
LLP is the chairperson of the Committee.
