September 20, 2021

FEATURED Berkshires: Community Legal Aid’s Re-Entry Project assists those with criminal records

BY Jeannie MaschinoThe Berkshire Eagle

Community Legal Aid, Berkshire County’s free legal aid organization with offices in Pittsfield and North Adams, announces the creation of the Berkshire Legal Re-Entry Project to assist Berkshire residents who have been incarcerated, have prior justice system involvement or a substance use disorder, with housing and employment legal services.

The project is funded by grants from the Black Rock Foundation, led by philanthropist Robin McGraw, and from Pittsfield attorney Mark S. Gold, a member of the CLA board of directors.

The project will be led by CLA Attorney Alyssa Golden who has extensive experience representing formerly incarcerated individuals and those with substance use disorder.

The award has also allowed CLA to hire Attorney Annie Maurer to staff the Berkshire County project.

Maurer earned her law degree from New York University Law School in 2009. She has served as a public defender in both New Jersey and Pittsfield and worked for six years in the Criminal Defense Division of the Legal Aid Society of New York. She joined CLA on June 1.

CLA will conduct extensive outreach to formerly incarcerated individuals and those with substance use disorder, and collaborate with local agencies and organizations that serve them.

CLA provides free civil legal services to the low-income and elderly residents of the five counties of Central and Western Massachusetts. For more information, visit communitylegal.org.