Press Release  Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee Announces New Pro Bono Honor Roll for Individual Attorneys, Solicits Nominations for Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards

BOSTON, MA — The SJC Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services today announced the creation of a new Pro Bono Honor Roll for individual attorneys. The Committee is also accepting nominations for the annual Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards.

To be eligible for the Honor Roll for Individual Attorneys, attorneys must certify that they have provided at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services during calendar year 2019. Attorneys who completed at least 100 hours of pro bono legal services during calendar year 2019 are eligible for the High Honor Roll for Individual Attorneys.

"This new Pro Bono Honor Roll will recognize the crucial contributions of the many attorneys who volunteer each year to provide free legal services for individuals who cannot afford a lawyer for their essential legal needs," said Elizabeth Ennen, Chair of the SJC Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services.

In addition to the new Pro Bono Honor Roll for Individual Attorneys, the Committee will also continue to administer the existing Pro Bono Honor Rolls for law firms and other legal organizations and for law students. New online certification forms have also been created for all of the Honor Rolls to make it easier to apply. More information about the new Pro Bono Honor Roll for Individual Attorneys, as well as the Pro Bono Honor Rolls for Legal Organizations and the Pro Bono Honor Roll for Law Students, is available on the About the Pro Bono Honor Roll webpage. Applications for the Pro Bono Honor Rolls should be submitted by September 30, 2020.

The Committee is also seeking nominations for the 2020 Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards. Named for attorneys John Adams and John Quincy Adams, the Adams Awards honor Massachusetts lawyers, law students, law firms, and legal organizations that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to providing pro bono services for the benefit of individuals of limited means. Service worthy of an Adams Award may include, but is not limited to:

• The creation of or participation in an activity or pro bono program that expands legal services to underserved segments of the population or fills a previously unmet need;
• Significant work on litigation, the outcome of which benefits persons of limited means; or
• Significant work on the adoption of legislation or policies that benefit individuals of limited means.

More information about award criteria and nomination guidelines can be found on the About the Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards webpage. The deadline for nominations is August 21, 2020.

Established in 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 Rule 6.1 of the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct.

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