Community Legal Aid

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 (America/New_York) | 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

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.

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!

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

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 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

Community Legal Aid Board Meeting
2021-11-15 17:15 - 18:30, 2021-09-13 17:15 - 18:30, 2021-07-26 17:15 - 18:30, 2021-05-24 17:15 - 18:30, 2021-03-15 17:15 - 18:30 | MA, United States
If interested in attending, please contact: klee@cla-ma.org or 508-425-2809

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

Senior Partners for Justice Luncheon with Fern Frolin
2021-10-26 13:00 - 14:30 | 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

Senior Partners for Justice - West Volunteer Appreciation Event
2021-10-14 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
Join us Thursday, October 14th at 1 PM via Zoom to present our Senior Partners for Justice–West (SPJ-W) Volunteer Appreciation Awards to four outstanding Hampden County volunteers. Congratulations to this year’s honorees: Attorney Helena Friedman, Attorney Marie Jablonski, Attorney Sheila Mulholland, and Attorney Mary Samberg.
Our guest speaker will be Attorney Laura Gal, Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission and Managing Attorney for Family Law at Greater Boston Legal Services, who will discuss ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has brought new opportunities and new obstacles to the challenge of providing access to justice for all in our Massachusetts court system.
Click HERE to register for this event.

Community Legal Aid's 70th Anniversary Event
2021-10-07 17:00 - 19:00 | Virtual
Join us Thursday, October 7th at 5 PM to recognize CLA’s 70th Anniversary Pro Bono Award Recipients. This prestigious award recognizes the long-standing commitment of two superstar pro bono attorneys: Attorney Rhonda Bachrach of Worcester, and Attorney Mary Samberg of West Springfield.
Click HERE to register for this event.

Community Legal Aid's 70th Anniversary Celebration
2021-10-07 17:00 - 18:00 | Virtual
This special celebration will commemorate Community Legal Aid’s 70th Anniversary of providing free legal assistance to low-income and elderly residents of Central and Western Massachusetts.
Our virtual event will celebrate the current and past achievements of the organization, and honor the staff, board members, volunteers, legal community and others who supported Community Legal Aid or one of its predecessor organizations. This will be a memorable evening that you will not want to miss!
Register today for CLA’s virtual event celebrating 70 Years of Fighting for Justice.
Event and speaker details will be added as the celebration approaches. Interested in being a corporate sponsor of CLA’s 70th Anniversary Celebration? Learn more.

Senior Partners for Justice Luncheon with Judge Amy Blake
2021-09-28 13:00 - 14:30 | Video conference (A link will emailed to participants upon registration), MA, United States
Stay Safe and Connect Over Lunch!
We are pleased to announce that Appeals Court Justice Amy Lyn Blake, will be joining us virtually for the luncheon. She will speak on a very important topic: Trends in Family Law.
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/senior-partners-for-justice-luncheon-with-judge-amy-blake-tickets-171213252447
A short biography of Justice Blake
Justice Amy Lyn Blake graduated from the University of Rochester, New York, in 1987. She attended New England Law School and graduated, cum laude, in 1992. While in law school she was named a New England Scholar and awarded the Amos L. Taylor Award for Excellence In Achievement.
Admitted to the bar in 1992, she served as an Assistant District Attorney until 1994, prosecuting cases in the District Court bench and six person jury sessions while supervising the District Attorney’s Office in two district courts. From 1994 to 2008 she focused her private practice on domestic relations law with the firms of White, Inker & Aronson, Yasi & Yasi and Casner & Edwards, rising from associate to partner. She represented parties in all aspects of domestic relations proceedings. As part of her practice, she filled the roles of Guardian ad Litem, discovery master, attorney for the child and conciliator. She also served on the compensation and long term planning committees. She currently serves on the Board of Editors of the Boston Bar Journal, and as an associate editor of the Massachusetts Law Review.
In 2008 Governor Deval Patrick appointed her to the Family & Probate Court, where she was named “Distinguished Jurist” in 2013 by the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers. In 2017, she received the Jurist of the Year Award by the Middlesex County Bar Association. Justice Blake is also a lecturer in Law at New England Law Boston.
Appointed to the Appeals Court by Governor Patrick, Justice Blake joined the Court on September 9, 2014.

Senior Partners for Justice Luncheon with Attorney Annika Bockiues-Suwyn
2021-07-27 13:00 - 14:30 | Video conference (A link will emailed to participants upon registration), MA, United States
About this event:

Stay Safe and Connect Over Lunch!
We are pleased to announce that Attorney Annika Bockiues-Suwyn will be joining us virtually for the luncheon. She will speak on a very important topic: LGBTQ 101 – Creating a Welcoming Environment for LGBTQ Clients and Colleagues.
To view Attorney Bockiues-Suwyn’s biography and learn more about her work, visit https://dangerlaw.com/annika-bockius-suwyn/ .

Pro Bono Opportunities:
Answer and Discovery (“A&D”) Clinic: This clinic allows volunteer attorneys to help clients referred to VLP by the Eastern Regional Legal Intake Helpline. Clients have been served with a Notice to Quit and need help preparing an answer and request for discovery. CLICK TO SIGN UP FOR A&D CLINIC. For more information and to receive the required trainings for our A&D clinic email our Pro Bono Manager Emelia Andres eandres@vlpnet.org.
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Please note: This is a private event, please do not share the Zoom Invite information with others directly. If you know someone who would like to join, please have them email mvidal@vlpnet.org to be registered. This is to ensure cyber-security.
Please send any questions to mvidal@vlpnet.org.
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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!

Senior Partners for Justice Luncheon with Judge Richard Simons
2021-06-22 13:00 - 14:30 | Video conference (A link will emailed to participants upon registration), MA, United States
Stay Safe and Connect Over Lunch!
We are pleased to announce that Judge Richard Simons will be joining us virtually for the luncheon. He will speak on a very important topic: Enhancing Families Through Literature: An Innovative Way To Decrease Conflict.
Judge Simons currently serves as the First Justice of the Berkshire Division of the Probate and Family Court. He was appointed to the Court by Governor Deval L. Patrick in March 2008. He serves as Chair of the Court’s Education Committee and is a Trustee of the Flaschner Judicial Institute. He serves on the Advisory Committee for the J2J Mentor Program for the Trial Court. In 2014, he and his Chief Probation Officer conceived of and implemented a program, “Enhancing Families Through Literature” based on a successful alternate sentencing program, “Changing Lives Through Literature.” The program works with families caught up in litigation before the Probate and Family Court to develop parents’ communication skills in a non-adversarial environment while at the same time, promoting the value of reading to children. In 2017, Enhancing Families Through Literature was recognized with the Irwin Cantor Innovative Award given by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts for innovative court-connected programs.
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
Please note: This is a private event, please do not share the Zoom Invite information with others directly. If you know someone who would like to join, please have them email mvidal@vlpnet.org to be registered. This is to ensure cyber-security.
Please send any questions to mvidal@vlpnet.org.

Worcester Probate and Family Court Remote Lawyer for the Week Project
2021-04-26 08:00 - 17:00 | MA, United States
The Worcester Probate and Family Court Remote Lawyer for the Week Project Needs Volunteers!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0444ACAB2CA0F58-worcester45
Community Legal Aid and the Worcester County Bar Association (WCBA) have launched a Probate and Family Court Remote Lawyer for the Week Project in partnership with the Worcester Court Services Center. The project will connect eligible litigants remotely 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 on a weekly basis to accept referrals for a one-time counsel and advice session for pro se litigants navigating the divorce process. Volunteers can schedule a time to meet with the litigants remotely (via phone or Zoom) at a mutually agreed upon time. The program will provide increased access to legal services for low income litigants in a remote environment.
Questions and additional information should be sent to Pro Bono Coordinator Brittany Raposa at braposa@cla-ma.org

Community Legal Aid Board Meeting--Annual Meeting
2021-01-25 17:15 - 18:30 | MA, United States

Community Legal Aid Board Meeting
2020-11-09 17:15 - 18:30, 2020-09-14 17:15 - 18:45 | Community Legal Aid offices (all), MA, United States
If you are interested in attending this meeting, please contact Kebby Lee, Executive Assistant, at klee@cla-ma.org or 508-425-2809.

A Panel Discussion on Racial Justice and Health Inequities during National Pro Bono Week
2020-10-28 12:00 - 13:30 | Video conference (A link will emailed to participants upon registration), MA, United States
During this year’s National Pro Bono Week (October 25-31), we would like to celebrate and honor pro bono attorneys and supporters for upholding the access to justice mission. Community Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Programs recognizes the commitment, dedication, and expertise of its volunteer pro bono attorneys to address and meet the needs of low-income communities. This year’s celebration will feature a panel discussion on racial justice and health inequities. We hope to see you there! Register Now
We are honored to announce that ABA President, Patricia Lee Refo, will be joining our 2020 National Pro Bono Celebration.
Hear from:
Attorney Katherine Bolland Eshghi
Senior Vice President & General Counsel, UMass Memorial Health Care
Dr. Erik Garcia
Medical Director, Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Project, UMass Memorial Medical Center
Attorney AiVi Nguyen
Partner, Bowditch & Dewey, LLP
Jessica Collins, MS
Executive Director, Public Health Institute of Western MA

Family Law Training: Basics and Beyond
2020-10-26 09:30 - 12:30 | Video-conference (A link will emailed to participants upon registration, MA, United States
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant instability to our most vulnerable community members. In addition to unemployment, loss of income, inadequate childcare, and housing and food insecurities, many people are also navigating the breakdown of their marriages and families. Incidents of domestic violence are on the rise, and there is a critical need for legal advocacy for these individuals.
To help meet this need, Community Legal Aid and Northeast Legal Aid are offering a FREE Family Law Basics and Beyond training. Whether you are new to family law or looking to sharpen your skills, this training will help deepen your practice and enhance your ability to provide quality legal representation to our most vulnerable community members.
WHEN: October 26, 2020 (9:30 AM-12:30PM), October 27, 2020 (9:30AM-12:15PM), October 28, 2020 (9:30AM-11:45PM; 3:00PM-4:30PM), and October 29, 2020 (9:30AM-12:00PM)
WHERE: Zoom (a link will be emailed to registered participants)
PANELISTS: Tina Paradiso, Senior Supervising Attorney Family Law, CLA; Laura Gal, Senior Supervising Attorney Family Law, NLA; Margery Kennard, Staff Attorney, CLA; Lauren De Oliveira, Staff Attorney, CLA; and Amalia Jorns, Staff Attorney, NLA
COST OF TRAINING: Your commitment to accept at least two (2) Pro Bono Family Law cases for low-income clients.
RSVP to Choyce McIntosh: claproponoprograms@gmail.com

Community Legal Aid Board Meeting
2020-07-13 17:15 - 18:45 | Publick House, 277 Main Street, Sturbridge, MA, 01566, United States

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Basics Training sponsored by CLA and MWLS
2020-06-23 15:30 - 17:00, 2020-06-22 15:30 - 17:00 | Video conference (A link will emailed to participants upon registration), MA, United States
During these unprecedented times, your skills as an attorney are needed more than ever. Although Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on everyone’s lives, those who live below the poverty level have been hit the hardest, particularly for those who have suffered a loss of income and increased debt. It is anticipated by experts that the number of bankruptcy filings will substantially increase in the wake of the pandemic, so your volunteerism is especially crucial now.
To help meet this need, MetroWest Legal Services (MWLS) and Community Legal Aid (CLA) have teamed together to offer a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Basics Training for volunteer attorneys. This two-part training will provide you with the building blocks of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy laws and procedures, and allow you to deepen your skills for your private practice and pro bono cases. Please join us and become part of the response effort to help lessen the financial impact of the pandemic on our most vulnerable community members.
COST OF TRAINING: Your COMMITMENT to accept at least two (2) Pro Bono Chapter 7 cases for low income clients of CLA or MWLS in the coming year.

Community Legal Aid Board Meeting
2020-05-18 17:15 - 18:45 | Community Legal Aid offices (all), MA, United States
Agenda and call in information for those who cannot come to one of our offices will be posted in advance of this meeting.

Senior Partners Conciliation Project
2020-04-17 10:00 - 16:00 | Hampden Family & Probate Court, 50 State Street, Springfield, MA, 01103, United States
Location: Hampden Probate and Family Court
A lawyer for the day project in the Hampden Probate and Family Court in which lawyers serve as volunteer conciliators in family law cases referred by a justice of the court.
For more information contact: Carmen Gonzalez, cgonzalez@cla-ma.org.
