Pro Bono Spotlight: Attorney Reid Wakefield

Attorney Reid Wakefield, an associate at Mirick O’Connell, recently accepted a pro bono case referred through Community Legal Aid’s Medical-Legal Partnership with UMass Memorial. The case involved a patient and her family who needed help with a housing situation.

After the patient and her family were displaced by a fire, the landlord moved the family to another apartment in Worcester. The new apartment, however, had several bad conditions. The client’s child suffered from asthma which was exacerbated by a pest infestation. Among other problems, the apartment had limited heat and light fixtures, and broken windows let in cold air. Despite these issues, the landlord had charged the client for damages to the unit. Due to unforeseen circumstances and hardship, the client faced eviction, and under the law was entitled to a rent waiver because of the bad conditions.

Attorney Wakefield negotiated the case in court and obtained an extremely positive outcome for the client. Not only did the landlord agree to make all repairs within two weeks and hire an exterminator to treat the pest infestation, he agreed to waive all back rent and penalties and dismiss the case.

On behalf of the client and her family, Community Legal Aid thanks Attorney Wakefield for his tremendous work and dedication to this pro bono case.