PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT
210 New Courthouse
Boston, Massachusetts 02108

SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT STANDING COMMITTEE
 ON PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICES TO PRESENT 
ADAMS PRO BONO PUBLICO AWARDS

Boston, MA—In recognition of 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 will present the second annual Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards to three recipients.  The ceremony will take place in the Supreme Judicial Court Courtroom on Wednesday, June 4, 2003 at 4:30 p.m.

             Supreme Judicial Court Justice Francis X. Spina will present the awards to Attorney Michael G. Paris of Newton, the New Bedford law firm of Stanford & Schall, and the Women’s Bar Foundation.   

            “All of the nominees deserve recognition, but the recipients of the Adams Awards serve as models of inspiration for the entire bar to further increase access to justice for the poor and low income residents of the Commonwealth,” said Richard McMahon, Chair of the Awards Subcommittee.        

            Michael G. Paris, a partner in the Boston law firm of Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP, practices civil and criminal litigation.  Commended for his commitment to the public interest and his leadership in advancing the delivery of legal services to the poor and disenfranchised, he has represented hundreds of indigent individuals on a pro bono basis, devoting more than 1900 hours to pro bono legal work over the past twelve years.  Mr. Paris serves as Chair of the Pro Bono Committee of Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP, and is credited with being largely responsible for the establishment of the Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, and has acted as pro bono counsel to the Independent Patient Advisory Council and the Brady Center To Prevent Gun Violence. 

            A two-person law firm, Stanford & Schall is a general practice firm with bankruptcy, domestic relations, estate planning, taxes and real estate as principal areas of practice.  Partners Roger Stanford and Irene Schall, a husband and wife team, are credited with making an exceptional commitment to pro bono activities.      

            Attorney Schall served on the Supreme Judicial Court Pro Bono Committee, assisting in the development of SJC Rule 6.1, Voluntary Pro Bono Publico Service.  She has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, and served as Chairperson for three years.  Attorney Schall’s pro bono activities include participating in the Bristol County “Lawyer for the Day” program and the New Bedford Bar Association Law Day clinic program, and counseling low income taxpayers and securing tax exempt status for a number of charitable institutions on a pro bono basis.

            Attorney Stanford became a member of the Private Bar Involvement Panel of the Southeastern Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (SMLAC) in 1983.  When SMLAC established a bankruptcy clinic, he was the first attorney in private practice to volunteer to meet with clients in a clinic setting, providing free legal assistance in bankruptcy cases.  He has continued his pro bono activities at the New Center for Legal Advocacy, as the Center assumed responsibility for the pro bono program in Southeastern Massachusetts in 1997.

            The Women’s Bar Foundation, the charitable and educational affiliate of the Women’s Bar Association, recruits, trains, and mentors volunteer attorneys.  Established in 1993, the Foundation administers four pro bono projects:   the Family Law Project for Battered Women, which, since 1995, has provided pro bono legal assistance to more than 300 indigent and low income victims of domestic violence; the Elder Law Project, which has provided free legal assistance to more than 200 low-income seniors since its inception in 2000; the Women’s Lunch Place Project, which provides free legal assistance to homeless women; and the Framingham Project for Incarcerated Women, which offers pro bono legal representation to inmates at MCI-Framingham. 

             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.   The awards are named in honor of Attorneys John Adams and John Quincy Adams.