May 11, 2017

Worcester Legal Aid Attorney Named “Rising Star” by Massachusetts Bar Association

CLA’s Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies awarded for helping
doctors connect low-income clients with life-altering legal advocacy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – MAY 11, 2017

Contact: Steven Taviner, CLA
Phone: (508) 425-2798
Email: staviner [at] cla-ma.org 

[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:”662″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”200″,”style”:”font-size: 13.008px;”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”300″}}]]

WORCESTER—The Massachusetts Bar Association named Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies an “Access to Justice Rising Star” on May 4, 2017, at a reception in Boston. The honor was given this year to only seven attorneys and one law firm statewide, with Nelson-Davies the only Worcester-based recipient. She was awarded for her work leading Community Legal Aid’s Medical-Legal Partnership with UMass Memorial Healthcare.

“In legal aid, as attorneys, we understand that we are sometimes the lifeline of our clients,” she says. “If we cannot win an eviction case, or negotiate for more time, or secure alternative housing for our client, they could be homeless.”

The partnership was formed because families often ask their healthcare providers for help with issues that cannot be resolved in an exam room or with a prescription.

A specialist in public benefits, housing and family law, Nelson-Davies serves as a staff attorney with Community Legal Aid in Worcester. She oversees Community Legal Aid’s medical-legal partnership with UMass Memorial Health Care, working with clinical partners and medical providers to help represent low-income clients seeking pro bono assistance with special education needs, disability and public benefits, guardianship, and housing. In this role, she trains providers on how to screen for various legal issues that contribute to an individual’s overall personal health.

Community Legal Aid envisions a community where all low-income and elderly people have ready access to legal services to meet their basic needs and where everyone can vindicate their rights and be treated fairly in their pursuit of justice. The organization helps low-income and elderly residents of Central and Western Massachusetts defend their most fundamental civil legal rights by providing free, quality legal representation to those who cannot afford it.

###