Equal Justice Reception at Tuckerman Hall – Wednesday, June 6th at 5:45 p.m., Keynote Speaker: Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

June 4, 2007 

 

Contact: 

Jonathan L. Mannina, Esq. 

(508) 752-3722, ext. 3009 

Alan S. Ells, Esq. 

(413) 533-2660, ext.112 

 

The sixth annual Equal Justice Reception honoring advocates who provide free legal services to low-income residents of Worcester County will be held at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, June 6, 2007 at Tuckerman Hall in Worcester. This year’s reception will feature keynote speaker Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Justice Project and its Volunteer Lawyers Project, and the Worcester County Bar Association, the event is designed to recognize the efforts of members of the private bar as well as staff members of legal services organizations in Worcester County. 

 

According to Jonathan L. Mannina, Executive Director of the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts, “The annual event is an opportunity for the legal community to come together and recognize the high level of volunteerism of the members of the private bar as well as the commitment of the staff of Worcester’s legal aid programs to ensure equal access to the judicial system for low-income people.” Together, the county’s two legal services programs provided legal assistance in more than 6000 cases last year. Alan S. Ells, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Justice Project, noted that, “since its inception in 1997, MJP Worcester has provided prompt, effective legal advice and representation to over 30,000 low income families in Worcester County. The private bar has been a vital component in that work and has itself served more than 2000 families. However, even with this effort, only one of every two clients who seek assistance receives help.” 

 

While commending the efforts of the private bar and the staff members of local legal services organizations, both Mr. Mannina and Mr. Ells acknowledged the need for additional legal services for the poor. “Those individuals we cannot help are left to navigate the legal system without a lawyer, and in many cases, will be unable to obtain necessities like stable housing, financial security, healthcare access and physical safety,” Mannina said. 

 

This year awards will be presented by members of the judiciary to: Janice J. Chiaretto, Esq.; Thomas A. Donahue, Jr., Esq.; Janice G. Marsh, Esq.; Ray Mestre, Esq.; and Mary W. Olsson, Esq.