Community Legal Aid

Senior Partners for Justice Luncheon with Fern Frolin
2021-10-26 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | MA, United States
Mark your calendars for our monthly luncheon. Attorney Fern Frolin, will be joining us. Don’t miss out!

About this event

Learn About The 2021 Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines!
We are pleased to announce that Attorney Fern Frolin, will be joining us virtually for our luncheon. She will speak on a very important topic: The 2021 Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines.
A short biography of Fern Frolin
Fern was most recently Of Counsel to Mirick O’Connell. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and an AAML trained Arbitrator and Mediator and court trained Conciliator. Fern was the appointed to both the 2009 committee charged with detailed evaluation and revision of the state’s Child Support Guidelines and the 2012 committee appointed to completely revise Massachusetts alimony law. In 2016 and 2020 she received reappointments to the state’s Child Support Guidelines review committees. She has conducted child support and alimony trainings for other lawyers in five counties and statewide. Fern has also worked on trial court drafting committees for Model Parenting Plans; Standards of Practice for Guardians ad Litem; Parenting Coordinator Standards and Representation of Children in High Conflict Custody Matters. She is a fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and a Louis D. Brandeis Life Fellow of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation. In 2017 the international lawyers’ publication, Lawyer Monthly (UK) named Fern the United States Child Custody and Child Support Lawyer of the Year. Fern will join the JAMS nationwide panel of legal dispute resolution neutrals in January 2022.

Senior Partners luncheons are a good place to learn something new, meet other members of the Pro Bono community, and get involved in interesting volunteer legal opportunities. We look forward to working with you to fulfill the promise of access to justice for all. We hope you can join us!
– Eddie Ginsburg, Barbara Siegel, & Emelia Andres

Date and time

Tue, October 26, 2021
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EDT

Location

Online event

United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts Pro Bono Awards Ceremony
2021-10-27 16:30 - 18:00 | Virtual
Join us on Friday, October 27th at 4:30 PM via Zoom to applaud this year’s bankruptcy pro bono attorneys, including spotlights of CLA volunteers Attorney Maegan Hurley and Attorney Wendy Mead.
*Registration details to follow

Community Legal Aid Board Meeting
2021-11-15 17:15 - 18:30 | MA, United States
If interested in attending, please contact: klee@cla-ma.org or 508-425-2809

Senior Partners for Justice Luncheon with Polly Crozier
2021-11-30 13:00 - 14:00 | MA, United States
Community Legal Aid and the Volunteer Lawyers Project present our November Senior Partners for Justice Luncheon with Polly Crozier!

About this event

Learn About Security for Children: MA Parentage & Adoption Bills!
We are pleased to announce that Senior Staff Attorney Polly Crozier, will be joining us virtually for our luncheon. She will speak on a very important topic: Security for Children: MA Parentage & Adoption Bills
A short biography of Polly Crozier
Patience “Polly” Crozier joined GLAD in October 2016 as Senior Staff Attorney. Polly came to GLAD from private practice where her work focused on LGBTQ probate and family law, including adoption, divorce, dissolution, guardianship, paternity, parentage, name changes, gender marker changes and assisted reproduction issues. Polly has engaged in cutting-edge trial court and appellate litigation involving assisted reproduction and parentage including Hunter v. Rose (2012), Adoption of a Minor (2015), and Partanen v. Gallagher (2016). At GLAD, Polly’s work focuses on youth and family issues, including parentage protections, adoption, transgender family law, juvenile justice, and child welfare. Most recently, she has successfully worked to help pass statutory family law reforms in Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Polly is a graduate of Yale University and Boston College Law School, and she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Irma S. Raker of the Maryland Court of Appeals and to the Justices of the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court.
Click HERE to attend this event

Worcester District Court Small Claims Session Remote Lawyer for the Day Program
2021-12-07 08:30 - 11:30 | Video conference (A link will emailed to participants upon registration), MA, United States
The Remote Lawyer For the Day program is a collaborative pro bono project with the Worcester County Bar Association (WCBA) that provides limited assistance to low-income debtors in the Worcester District Court, Small Claims Session. Held every Tuesday morning between 8:45 – 11:00 A.M. via Zoom.
Please use the link below to sign up for a specific session:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0444ACAB2CA0F58-worcester46
For more information about this program, please contact Pro Bono Coordinator Choyce McIntosh at cmcintosh@cla-ma.org

Senior Partners for Justice Mentoring Chat with Tracy Meyers
2021-12-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Join us for an important conversation with Tracey Meyers! Test Negative, Stay Positive; Learning to Cope with Stress in the age of Covid-19.

About this event

Test Negative, Stay Positive; Learning to Cope with Stress in the age of Covid 19.
What draws law professionals to the field is that they are often are helpers. They solve problems, come up with solutions, and guide others through major upheavals and challenges. However, the impact of the pandemic and now the return to a “new normal” has created feelings of helplessness, confusion, and emotional distress among the entire population and law professionals are not exempt from these stressors. As a profession, lawyers and legal professionals are even more vulnerable to mental health and substance abuse difficulties than the general population due to the challenging nature of their work and these preexisting issues are exacerbated during these extraordinary times.
This interactive webinar focuses on developing a toolkit for wellbeing in and out of the workplace to manage stress including:
How lawyers are coping during the age of covid-19.
Learn about the impact of stress on professional satisfaction
Recognize the signs and symptoms of distress in colleagues and oneself.
Develop a robust tool kit for wellbeing in and out of the workplace.
Create a compassionate workplace
Learn about resources that are available to help
A short bio of Tracey Meyers
Dr. Tracey Meyers a licensed clinical psychologist in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. She joined LCL in August of 2020 following her work for the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services where she spent over 15 years working as a clinical neuropsychologist and most recently as the director of behavioral intervention services for inpatient services.   Tracey has a strong commitment to integrative medicine for mental health and wellness and leads mindfulness and yoga programs for groups, individuals, and professionals in the workplace.
Click HERE to register for this event

Senior Partners for Justice Luncheon with Kristina Bordieri
2021-12-21 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
Mark your calendars for our monthly luncheon. Kristina Bordieri, will be joining us. Don’t miss out!
About this event
Learn about the Massachusetts Guardianship Association!
We are pleased to announce that, Attorney Kristina Bordieri will be joining us virtually for our luncheon. She will speak about The Massachusetts Guardianship Association.
A short biography of Kristina Bordieri
Kristina Bordieri, Esq. is an Assistant Judicial Case Manager at the Hampden Division, Probate and Family Court. She currently serves on the state – wide Guardianship Committee which focuses on improving the forms and procedures relating to guardianships of minors and guardianships of incapacitated persons. She is also the Hampden Division Probate and Family Court’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Co-Coordinator.
Attorney Bordieri previously worked in private practice at the Law Offices of James M. Smith where she focused her practice in all aspects of family law including divorce, paternity cases, child custody cases, guardianships and appellate matters. In her practice, she handled a wide variety of cases including high conflict divorce cases with business evaluation issues, many of which were resolved through attorney-assisted mediation.
Attorney Bordieri received her Juris Doctor and LL.M in elder law and estate planning from Western New England University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with a minor in Criminal Justice, from the University of Connecticut. She is admitted to practice in both Connecticut and Massachusetts. In addition to her duties as President of the Board of the Massachusetts Guardianship Association, she is also a member of the Hampden County Bar Association.
Click HERE to register for this virtual event!

SPJ-W Luncheon with Attorney Erin Bradbury
2022-01-25 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
Learn About Bonding Evidence in Custody Cases!
We are pleased to announce that attorney Erin Bradbury, will be joining us virtually for our luncheon. She will speak on a very important topic: Bonding Evidence in Custody Cases.
A short Biography of Erin Bradbury:
Erin Bradbury is a sole practitioner in Worcester County, where she has a litigation practice specializing in Guardianships of minors and adults, probate matters and appeals.
She is a graduate of Smith College and Suffolk University Law School and has been a member of the Massachusetts Bar since 1997. She is the past President of the Board of Directors for Elder Services of Worcester Area, Inc.
Click HERE to register for the event.

SPJ Mentoring Chat: The Many Faces of ZOOM: Consulting, Mediating and Litigating via ZOOM- How to Make it Work
2022-02-08 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
The Many Faces of Zoom: Consulting, Mediating and Litigating via Zoom-How to Make it work
Our panelists
Attorney Vickie Rothbaum is a family law practitioner. She is a founder of SERV, the Settlement and Early Resolution Volunteer Project established in the Suffolk Probate and Family Court in 2012 with the mission of providing on-site conciliation for pro se litigants to assist the Court with the high volume of these cases. Until COVID, SERV volunteers were present at the Court twice weekly to work with litigants resulting in a significant amount of settled cases. Since March 2020 SERV volunteers have attempted virtual conciliation.
The Honorable Joan Feeney (Ret.) served on the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts for over twenty-six years. Since her retirement, she participates as an arbitrator and mediator with JAMS, Judicial, Arbitration and Mediation Services in Boston. She is also an active volunteer with SERV.
Attorney John Fiske is a family law mediator with the law firm of Healy, Fiske and Richmond in Cambridge. He has been active in promoting family mediation in New England and nationally and has written extensively on the topic. He is a founder and director emeritus of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation and served as co-chair of the MCLE Family Law Conference from 2017-2019.
VLP Senior Staff Attorney Colin Harnsgate in VLP’s Consumer and Bankruptcy units since 2018. His practice focuses on debt collection, eviction defense, and affirmative consumer litigation. Colin graduated from Suffolk University Law School in 2016, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Suffolk Transnational Law Review.
Click HERE to register for this event

Senior Partners for Justice (SPJ) Monthly Meeting
2022-02-15 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
Hampden Probate and Family Court Assistant Judicial Case Manager Kelly Flynn Zawistowski in her role as the President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.

Worcester District Court Small Claims Session Remote Lawyer for the Day Program
2022-03-01 08:30 - 11:00 | Virtual
The Remote Lawyer For the Day program is a collaborative pro bono project with the Worcester County Bar Association (WCBA) that provides limited assistance to low-income debtors in the Worcester District Court, Small Claims Session. Held every Tuesday morning between 8:45 – 11:00 A.M. via Zoom.
Please use the following link to to sign up to volunteer in March, April, and May 2022. Thank you!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0444ACAB2CA0F58-worcester47
For information, please contact Pro Bono Coordinator, Choyce McIntosh at: cmcintosh@cla-ma.org

Worcester Probate and Family Court Remote Lawyer for the Day Program
2022-03-02 09:00 - 12:00 | Virtual
Community Legal Aid and the Worcester County Bar Association (WCBA) sponsor this Probate and Family Court Remote Lawyer for the Day Project in partnership with the Worcester Court Services Center.
This service coordinates a virtual session over Zoom every Wednesday morning between 9-12 PM. The project aims to connect financially-eligible litigants with volunteer attorneys to provide limited assistance in the form of counsel and advice and/or drafting assistance in family law matters.
Designed with convenience in mind, volunteers will sign up to appear for a one-time counsel and advice session for pro se litigants navigating the divorce process during one of our weekly sessions. The program will provide increased access to legal services for low income litigants in a remote environment.
Please use the link below to sign up to volunteer with this project:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0444ACAB2CA0F58-worcester50
Questions and additional information requests should be sent to Pro Bono Coordinator Brittany Raposa at braposa@cla-ma.org or Pro Bono Coordinator Colleen Brady at cbrady@cla-ma.org

Senior Partners for Justice Virtual Luncheon with Justice Elspeth B. Cypher
2022-03-29 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
Join us for Justice Elspeth B. Cypher’s talk on Language Matters: Femicide as a Case in Point.

A Short Biography of Justice Elspeth B. Cypher
Elspeth B. Cypher, Associate Justice, was appointed to the Supreme Judicial Court by Governor Charlie Baker. Justice Cypher was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 26, 1959. She received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Emerson College in 1980 and a J.D., cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School in 1986, where she served on the Suffolk University Law Review.
From 1986 to 1988, she was an associate at the Boston law firm of Grayer, Brown, and Dilday. In 1988 she became an Assistant District Attorney in Bristol County, where she served for the next twelve years. From 1993 to 2000, she was chief of the Appellate Division of that office and argued many cases before the Supreme Judicial Court and the Appeals Court. In 2000 Governor Paul Cellucci appointed her to the Appeals Court, and she took her seat as an Associate Justice on December 27, 2000.

For many years Justice Cypher was an adjunct professor at Southern New England School of Law (now the University of Massachusetts School of Law – Dartmouth), where she taught courses on legal writing; criminal procedure; criminal law; and women, law, and the legal system. She has participated in numerous educational programs for judges and lawyers and has written extensively about developments in criminal law in Massachusetts. Active in the Massachusetts Bar Association, Justice Cypher has served as co-chair of its criminal law section. She was the recipient of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s Lawyer of the Year Award in 2000 for her work in the long-running prosecutions of James M. Kater for the murder of Mary Lou Arruda.

In 2012, Justice Kent B. Smith asked her to co-author a fourth edition of his books in the Massachusetts Practice Series, Criminal Practice and Procedure. Before he passed away in October 2012, she assumed responsibility for the supplement in 2013, and the fourth edition was published in 2014.
Please click HERE to register for this event

Senior Partners for Justice Virtual Luncheon with Attorney David Hoffman
2022-04-20 13:00 - 14:30 | MA, United States
Join us for Attorney David Hoffman’s talk on “Should Mediators Draft Settlement Agreements? The Impact of Reid v. Kroll”.
A Short Biography of Attorney Hoffman:
David A. Hoffman Esq., is the founding member of Boston Law Collaborative, LLC, where he serves as a mediator, arbitrator, and Collaborative Law attorney. He also teaches three courses at Harvard Law School, where he is the John H. Watson, Jr. Lecturer on Law: Mediation; Diversity and Dispute Resolution; and Legal Profession: Collaborative Law.
David was named Boston’s “Lawyer of the Year” for 2022 in the field of Arbitration by the book Best Lawyers in America and U.S. News & World Report, and also Boston’s “Lawyer of the Year” in previous years, including 2021 (Collaborative Family Law) and 2020 (Mediation). In 2021, he was named in Boston Magazine’s inaugural list of “Top Lawyers.” David has also been selected for the Massachusetts “Super Lawyer” list published in Boston Magazine every year since 2004, when the listing began. In 2014, the American College of Civil Trial Mediators gave David its Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2015, the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution gave David its highest honor, the D’Alermberte-Raven award.
David’s practice is focused on resolving conflict in business, family, and employment cases. He has served as mediator and/or arbitrator in more than two thousand commercial, family, employment, construction, personal injury, insurance, and other business cases.
David has published three books on the subject of dispute resolution: Mediation: A Practice Guide for Mediators, Lawyers, and Other Professionals (Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, 2013); Bringing Peace into the Room: How the Personal Qualities of the Mediator Impact the Process of Conflict Resolution (with Daniel Bowling) (Jossey-Bass 2003); and Massachusetts Alternative Dispute Resolution (with Prof. David Matz) (Butterworth Legal Publishers 1994, 2d ed. 1996).
David is the past chair of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution and a founding member of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council. David is the former president of Kerem Shalom Congregation in Concord, Massachusetts, and a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators.
Before founding BLC, David was a litigation partner at Hill & Barlow where he practiced for seventeen years. Before that (in reverse chronological order), David clerked for then-Judge Stephen G. Breyer on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, graduated from Harvard Law School (while serving as a research assistant for Professor Larry Tribe and an editor on the Harvard Law Review), worked as a consultant for the U.S. Small Business Administration, established a woodworking business in upstate New York, and pursued American Studies as a graduate student at Cornell. David lives in a co-housing community in Acton, Massachusetts, with his wife Leslie Warner (a career coach at Tufts); they have five adult children, an adolescent cat, and a rescue Golden Retriever from Serbia.
SPJ Virtual Luncheon (Zoom) – Wednesday, April 20th, 1 pm – 2:30 pm
Please click HERE to register for this event. You will receive a confirmation email with the zoom link after registration.

Worcester Probate and Family Court Lawyer for the Day Program
2022-05-04 09:00 - 12:00 | Court Service Center (Worcester District Court), 225 Main Street, Worcester, MA, 01608, United States
Community Legal Aid (CLA) and the Worcester County Bar Association (WCBA) sponsor this Probate and Family Court Lawyer for the Day Project in partnership with the Worcester Court Services Center.
The project aims to connect financially eligible litigants with volunteer attorneys to provide brief counsel and advice and/or drafting assistance in family law matters. This program uses a hybrid model, offering a simultaneous in-person and virtual option for litigants to access a lawyer. The program takes place at the Worcester Court Service Center, 225 Main St., 1st Floor, Worcester, MA 01608 every Wednesday morning between 9AM -12 PM. A laptop is provided on-site to offer Zoom sessions to remote participants. Designed with convenience in mind, volunteers will sign up to appear for a one-time counsel and advice session for pro se litigants navigating the divorce process during one of our weekly sessions. The program will provide increased access to legal services for low income litigants in a remote environment.
Please use the link below to sign up to volunteer with this project:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0444ACAB2CA0F58-worcester51
Questions and additional information requests should be sent to Pro Bono Coordinator Brittany Raposa at braposa@cla-ma.org

Basic Estate Planning Training with Attorney Tracy Craig of Mirick O'Connell
2022-05-06 10:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Please join us on Friday, May 6th at 10 AM for a virtual training session on estate planning matters with Attorney Tracy Craig of Mirick O’Connell.
Simple Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Healthcare Proxies will be covered in preparation for our upcoming Veteran Estate Planning Clinic in partnership with Hanover Insurance Group, however all of our volunteers are welcome to come and learn with us. Registration is required to attend.
Please click HERE in order to register.

Veterans Estate Planning Clinic
2022-05-16 13:00 - 16:00 | MA, United States
Community Legal Aid Pro Bono will host an Estate Planning Clinic for Veterans on Monday May 16, 2022 from 1 to 4 p.m. The clinic, held in collaboration with The Hanover Insurance Group Office of General Counsel, will offer basic wills, powers of attorney, and health care proxies for free to eligible Veterans. Space is limited, and advance registration is required by contacting Colleen Brady at cbrady@cla-ma.org or (508) 425-2831.
In connection with the clinic, CLA Pro Bono is offering a free training to attorneys who may be interested in providing pro bono legal services. The training on Basic Estate Planning will be offered on Friday, May 6 from 10 – 11 AM. The clinic is open to any attorney interested in volunteering with Community Legal Aid. Please register in advance by clicking HERE.

Senior Partners for Justice Virtual Luncheon with Attorney Joseph Makalusky
2022-05-18 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
Join us for Attorney Joseph Makalusky’s talk on “A Look Inside the Mysterious Disciplinary Process Through the Lens of Social Media”.
A Short Biography of Attorney Makalusky:
Attorney Joseph Makalusky joined the Office of Bar Counsel as an Assistant Bar Counsel after practicing complex civil litigation for nearly two decades as a partner in the Boston firm Ellis & Rapacki LLP. His diverse legal background also includes experience as an insurance defense attorney with a large law firm, an Assistant District Attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and a law clerk to Justice Raya Dreben of the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Mr. Makalusky is also an Adjunct Professor teaching Ethics and the Law of Lawyering at his alma mater, New England Law.
SPJ Virtual Luncheon (Zoom) – Wednesday, May 18th, 1 PM – 2:30 PM
Click HERE to register for this event.

Senior Partners for Justice Mentoring Chat
2022-06-08 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
The Mentor-Mentee Relationship of Mentorship
Join us on Wednesday, June 8th from 1-2:15 PM for a panel discussion about the value of mentorship
Panelists include members of the MBA Young Lawyers Division who will discuss their experience with promoting, engaging, and sustaining mentoring relationships. There will be opportunities for Q&A during the presentation. Don’t miss this Chat and the chance to connect with peers and potential mentors and mentees!
Moderator:
Batool Raza
Panelists:
Jordan Belliveau | Taylor Callahan | Peter Chandler | Shylah Maloney
Andrew Weissenberg | Nicole Cocozza
Click HERE to register for this event.

Expungement of Marijuana Convictions and CORI Sealing
2022-06-16 14:00 - 15:00 | Franklin County Courthouse, 43 Hope Street, 2nd Floor, Jury Selection Room, Greenfield, 01301
DOWNLOAD Expungement of Marijuana Convictions and CORI Sealing Flyer
Are you having trouble finding or keeping housing or employment because of your Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI)?
Join Community Legal Aid Staff Attorney Alyssa Golden as she walks through the steps to seal or expunge marijuana and other offenses.
Participants will learn:

How the CORI system works
How to obtain a copy of your CORI records
The steps to seal or expunge records
About your rights under the law

This event is a collaboration between Community Legal Aid, The Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region, and Flower Power Growers, LLC.
This event is happening in-person AND virtually. Register to attend on ZOOM.

Guardianship of Incapacitated Persons Training with Attorney Erin Bradbury
2022-06-23 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
Please join Community Legal Aid (CLA) Pro Bono for our upcoming training on the Guardianship of Incapacitated Persons on Thursday, June 23rd from 1-2:30 PM presented by Attorney Erin Bradbury of the Law Offices of Attorney Erin Bradbury in Holden. Please register in advance to attend this training.
Attorney Bradbury is the founder and principal attorney with the Law Offices of Erin Bradbury in Holden, Mass. Bradbury’s practice focuses on Probate Court matters, including guardianships and conservatorship for incapacitated individuals. She has handled more than 450 guardianship cases in her career and is considered an expert in the field of guardianships.
Attorney Bradbury will share her professional experience and insights on:
• How to petition the court for guardianship
• Types of guardianships
• Necessary court documents including medical certificates and clinical team reports
• Associated filing timelines
• Hearing procedures
• Alternatives to guardianship
Please click HERE to register in advance for this training.

Gender Identity and the Law Workshop for Western Mass LGBTQIA+ Advocates
2022-06-24 12:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
The need for social and legal support for the LGBTQIA+ community in Western Massachusetts remains great. Come learn from local experts about the legal landscape affecting this community and how YOU can make a difference in assisting individuals in accessing gender-affirming care and services.
Community Legal Aid (CLA) is collaborating with statewide and local legal services providers to expand a network of attorneys trained to provide support in legal name changes. Partners of this initiative include GLAD, Gender Identity Validation Services (GIVS) based in Northampton, and the Gender Affirming Identification Project (GAIP), a project of the Center for Social Justice at the Western New England School of Law. Your involvement and support can provide a lifetime of gender affirming access for individuals in our community.
This 2-hour workshop will be comprised of two parts. First, a member of Transhealth Northampton (https://transhealth.org/) will explore family case studies of gender journeys to better understand the perspectives, experiences, and needs of this community. Attorney Jennifer Levi of GLAD will also provide a national political overview of pending and recent litigation and legislation which impact access to gender affirming care and services. During the second part of the workshop, experienced attorneys will provide a substantive training of the legal name change process and connect you to resources where YOU can make a difference.

Time

Jun 24, 2022 12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

REGISTER: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqc-qvqTspHdGB6MvquhOiWgtvwAhBV-bL

Worcester Open House
2022-06-28 16:00 - 18:00 | Community Legal Aid: Worcester, 370 Main Street, Worcester, 01608
Please join us for an Open House at Community Legal Aid’s NEW Worcester Offices.
Community Legal Aid has moved its Worcester operations to the downtown Guaranty Building. This new location is in close proximity to the Worcester District Courthouse and remains easily accessible by public transit, but it will better accommodate our growing team.
Please join us for a celebration of this new chapter in our history!
What: An Open House at Community Legal Aid’s new Worcester Offices
Where: Guaranty Building, 370 Main Street, 1st Floor Event Space, Worcester, MA 01608
When: June 28, 2022 from 4:00 to 6:00 P.M.
Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeMMzYX7qNaUXqGc4I7yODcR7hL8YQiO47WUIKMLJgv5LfTUg/viewform

Help paying for food / Ayuda para pagar la Comida
2022-09-14 18:30 - 19:30 | Virtual
Do you need help paying for food? Learn how to get help.
Get information on how to apply for money to help pay for food and learn about other food resources in the area.
When: September 14, 2022 from 6:30PM – 7:30PM
Where: On Zoom:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88312666619?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 883 1266 6619
Passcode: [REDACTED]
This event will be held with English/Spanish interpretation
¿Necesita ayuda para pagar la comida? Obtén información sobre cómo obtener ayuda.
Obtenga información sobre cómo solicitar dinero para ayudar a pagar los alimentos y aprenda sobre otros recursos alimenticios en el área.
Cuando: 14 de septiembre de 2022 de 6:30PM a 7:30PM
Dónde: En Zoom:
Únase a la reunión de Zoom
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88312666619?pwd=[REDACTED]
ID de reunión: 883 1266 6619
Código de acceso: [REDACTED]
Este evento se llevará a cabo con interpretación en inglés/español

Worcester Probate and Family Court Lawyer for the Day
2022-09-21 09:00 - 12:00 | Court Service Center (Worcester District Court), 225 Main Street, Worcester, MA, 01608, United States
A volunteer attorney is available every Wednesday between 9 AM – 12 PM to participate in our Probate and Family Court Remote Lawyer for the Day Program over Zoom (https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84383342916) or in person (Court Service Center, 225 Main St, Worcester, MA 01608).
This project aims to connect eligible litigants with volunteer attorneys to provide limited assistance through counsel and advice and/or drafting assistance in family law matters. Community Legal Aid (CLA) and the Worcester County Bar Association (WCBA) sponsor this Probate and Family Court Remote Lawyer for the Day Project in partnership with the Worcester Court Services Center.

Help paying for food / Ayuda para pagar la Comida
2022-09-23 10:30 - 12:00 | The Gray House, 22 Sheldon Street, Springfield, 01107
Help paying for food / Ayuda para pagar la Comida
Presented by the Central West justice Center*
Do you need help paying for food? Learn how to get help. ¿Necesita ayuda para pagar la comida? Obtén información sobre cómo obtener ayuda.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2022 / 23 de septiembre de 2022
10:30 AM to 12:00 PM / de 10:30 AM a 6:30 PM
The Gray House, Inc.
22 Sheldon Street
Springfield, MA 01107
www.GrayHouse.org
Get information on how to apply for money to help pay for food and learn about other food resources in the area. This event will be held with English and Spanish interpretation. Obtenga información sobre cómo solicitar dinero para ayudar a pagar los alimentos y aprenda sobre otros recursos alimenticios en el área.
Este evento se llevará a cabo con interpretación en inglés y español
*The Central West Justice Center, a subsidiary of Community Legal Aid, provides free legal help to low-income and elderly residents of central and western Massachusetts. Our advocates focus on cases involving humanitarian-based immigration law, employment rights, housing and homelessness issues, and access to public benefits. El Central West Justice Center, una subsidiaria de propiedad total de Community Legal Aid, brinda ayuda legal gratuita a los residentes de bajos ingresos y de edad avanzada del centro y oeste de Massachusetts. Nuestros defensores se enfocan en casos que involucran leyes de inmigración con base humanitaria, derechos laborales, problemas de vivienda y personas sin hogar, y acceso a beneficios públicos.

Criminal Record Expungement and Sealing Clinic
2022-10-03 14:30 - 17:00 | 2nd Street, 264 Second Street, Pittsfield, 01201
Despite the fact that you may never have been found guilty of a charge, or that you fulfilled any requirements of a guilty plea or verdict, you might be having trouble finding or keeping housing or employment because of your Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI).
If you want help understanding what is on your CORI and attempting to seal eligible charges, we are here to help.
WHAT: FREE Expungement and Sealing Clinic. Learn how to seal your criminal record. Private consultations available.
WHERE: 2nd Street, 264 Second Street, Pittsfield, MA, 01201
WHEN: Monday, October 3, 2022 at 2:30 P.M.
Sponsored by: Community Legal Aid, 2nd Street Second Chances, & Committee for Public Counsel Services

FREE Estate Planning Clinic
2022-11-18 13:00 - 16:00 | Community Legal Aid: Worcester, 370 Main Street, Worcester, 01608
Community Legal Aid, in collaboration with Hanover Insurance Group and Saint-Gobain, will host a one-day Estate Planning Clinic. Volunteer attorneys will prepare wills, powers of attorney, and health care proxies, free for veterans, seniors, & others who financially qualify. Friday, November 18, 2022 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
370 Main St, 1st Fl Conference Rm, Worcester, MA 01608
Space is limited. Advanced registration is required. To register, contact Colleen Brady at cbrady@cla-ma.org
Estate Planning Clinic 2022 Flyer

Housing Court Training for Pro Bono Volunteers
2023-03-22 13:00 - 16:30 | MA, United States
The Hampden County Bar Association Legal Clinic in partnership with the New Lawyers Section
and Community Legal Aid will be hosting a Housing Court Training to train volunteers for our
lawyer for the day programs.
The training will be held on March 22, 2023, from 1:00 – 4:30 PM at the Roderick L. Ireland
Courthouse in the Commissioners Room. The training will prepare volunteers to assist both
landlords and tenants in a “lawyer for the day” capacity. The training will cover an overview of
Massachusetts residential tenancy laws, summary process law and procedure, and the purpose
of LFD/Role of the Volunteer Lawyer.
PANEL
Honorable Jonathan J. Kane, Western Division Housing Court
Clerk Magistrate Michael J. Doherty, Western Division Housing Court
Chief Housing Specialist Jenni Pothier, Western Division Housing Court
Gordon P. Shaw, Esq., Community Legal Aid
Ryan K. O’Hara, Esq., Bacon/Wilson
Thomas N. Wilson, Esq., Dunn & Wilson
A certificate of attendance will be given to those in attendance.
Lunch will be provided!
REGISTER TODAY!
www.members.hcbar.org/eventcalendar
For questions please call 413-733-6500 or
email Sadie Reynolds, Esq. at sadie@hcbar.org

PRO BONO SEMINAR: Bridging the access to justice gap with pro bono
2023-04-26 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Discussion will include multiple perspectives on how pro bono work promotes a justice system that is fair and accessible to everyone, regardless of income. Learn about pro bono opportunities at Community Legal Aid (CLA), and how pro bono work can enhance your legal skills and practice. There will be time for Q & A at the end of the program
Please log into the member area of the Worcester County Bar Association website to participate, zoom link is posted on the “Seminar Material” page.
Panelists:

Assistant Clerk-Magistrate Michael D. Prosser,
Worcester District Court

Akosua Agyepong, Esq.
Sequel Law, LLC

Pavel Y. Bespalko, Esq.
Tricorne & Co., P.C.

Matthew Blouin, Esq.
Worcester Court Service Center Manager

Kathryn A. Calo, Esq.
Bowditch & Dewey

Meredith Palmer, Esq.
Community Legal Aid Pro Bono Director

Moderators:
Kathryn O’Leary, Esq. and Leigh Woodruff, Esq.
Co-Chairs of the WCBA Civil Litigation Committee
