February 10, 2021

Community Legal Aid Names Rachel Shannon Brown Senior Supervising Attorney for Elder Unit and Disability Benefits Project

Community Legal Aid, a non-profit organization that provides free legal services to low-income and elderly residents of Central and Western Massachusetts, is pleased to announce that Rachel Shannon Brown has been named as Senior Supervising Attorney for its Elder Unit and Disability Benefits Project.

Attorney Brown earned her B.A. (magna cum laude) from Brandeis University, where she majored in Linguistics & Cognitive Science, and her J.D. from Boston College Law School. After graduating from law school, Brown joined Community Legal Aid’s predecessor organization, Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts, becoming a leader in helping elders with their most pressing civil legal needs. Over the last fifteen years, she has served as a Staff Attorney in Community Legal Aid’s Elder Unit, where she handled cases involving Medicare, housing, public benefits, and other issues. Brown regularly trains community partners, social workers, new advocates, and others on issues pertaining to Medicare eligibility and appeals. She has also been active in Community Legal Aid’s Diversity and Equity Committee.

A member of the Worcester County Bar Association (WCBA) since 2005, Brown has served on a number of its committees, including the Committee on Services to the Poor and Homeless, the Young Lawyers Section, and the Ad Hoc Committee on Race Relations. In 2007, she received the President’s Award from WCBA for her outstanding service and dedication to the Bar. In 2014, Brown was featured among Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s Top Women of Law.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Brown moved around the country in connection with her father’s military service before her family eventually settled in a suburb of Columbus. Now a resident of Worcester, Brown currently serves on the City of Worcester Citizens Advisory Council. She also served for nearly a decade on the City of Worcester Commission on Disability.

About Community Legal Aid:

Community Legal Aid provides free civil legal services to the low-income and elderly residents of the five counties of Western and Central Massachusetts (Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester), and maintains offices in Worcester, Fitchburg, Springfield, Northampton, and Pittsfield. CLA works to assure fairness for all in the justice system, protecting homes, livelihoods, health and families. For more information, please visit www.communitylegal.org.

Contact:  Laura Hancock Barry

Phone: (508) 425-2798

Email: lhbarry@cla-ma.org