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News  Supreme Judicial Court Pro Bono Committee Presents Awards to Four Attorneys and a Law Student at 25th Anniversary Celebration

10/30/2024
  • Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Media Contact   for Supreme Judicial Court Pro Bono Committee Presents Awards to Four Attorneys and a Law Student at 25th Anniversary Celebration

Jennifer Donahue and Erika Gully-Santiago

BOSTON, MA — At a ceremony today in the John Adams Courthouse, Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Elizabeth N. Dewar presented awards to four attorneys and a law student selected by the Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services, in recognition of their exceptional dedication to providing volunteer services for persons who cannot afford an attorney.

The committee also celebrated 25 years of pro bono accomplishments since it was established by the Supreme Judicial Court in 1999.

Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly S. Budd spoke at the start of the program and thanked everyone who volunteered as pro bono counsel for their service.

“You stand up to speak for those who have no one else to speak for them. You seek to make the rights promised by the law a reality for those most in need of protection. And your example in turn inspires others to join in that good work. Thank you for all that you are doing,” Chief Justice Budd said.

Ariel Clemmer, Esq., Chair of the Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services, delivered opening and closing remarks. Committee Vice Chair Ilana Gelfman delivered remarks recognizing legal organizations, individual attorneys and law students on the Supreme Judicial Court Pro Bono Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, and member Gordon Shaw reviewed efforts by the committee and others to encourage pro bono service over the last 25 years.

Prior to presenting the Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards, Justice Dewar presented the Ralph D. Gants Award for Extraordinary Leadership in Pro Bono Service, named for the late Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, posthumously to Mary K. Ryan, a partner at Nutter and former longtime chair of the SJC Pro Bono Committee who died in June. The award recognizes Attorney Ryan’s truly exceptional dedication to pro bono service throughout her career, not only through providing volunteer legal assistance to those in need, but also by playing a key role in encouraging and supporting pro bono service by others. 

Justice Dewar presented the annual Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards, named in honor of John Adams and John Quincy Adams, to the following individuals for their outstanding pro bono work:

  • Akosua Agyepong, a family law attorney at Turco Legal, for her service with Community Legal Aid’s pro bono programs, including the Worcester Probate and Family Court lawyer for the day program and UMass Memorial Healthcare Medical-Legal Partnership, among other activities.    
  • Jeff Goldman, a civil litigator at Morgan Lewis, for his pro bono representation of a divorced mother through two trials and two appeals that resulted in a major decision by the Supreme Judicial Court concerning the determination of child support and alimony awards under the Alimony Reform Act of 2011.
  • Lisa Pirozzolo, an intellectual property litigator at WilmerHale, for her career-long dedication to pro bono service, including her leadership in a class action seeking accommodations for deaf and hard of hearing people in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Correction.
  • Miyuki Masuda, a student at New England Law | Boston, for providing hundreds of hours of pro bono assistance to survivors of domestic violence and severe trauma at the Greater Boston Legal Services Immigration Unit.

The SJC Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services works to promote volunteer legal service to assist people of limited means in need of legal representation, in accordance with Rule 6.1 of the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys. The awards ceremony is one of many activities celebrating and building support for pro bono legal work in Massachusetts during the month of October, a month officially proclaimed Pro Bono Month by Governor Maura Healey. 

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Media Contact   for Supreme Judicial Court Pro Bono Committee Presents Awards to Four Attorneys and a Law Student at 25th Anniversary Celebration

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