Mass Legal Answers Online Marks Five Years of Providing Free Legal Advice
Over 6,000 low-income Massachusetts residents have been helped
This month marks five years since the launch of Mass Legal Answers Online (MLAO), a virtual legal advice clinic that enables low-income Massachusetts residents to obtain free legal advice from volunteer attorneys. Since MLAO’s launch in November 2016, 485 attorneys from across the Commonwealth have signed up to answer more than 6,600 questions on civil legal topics such as housing, family, consumer debt, and employment. We here at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute administer MLAO, with the assistance of the Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association.
The goal of MLAO is to expand access to justice by providing both clients and volunteers a platform to obtain and give free legal advice at a time and place of their choosing. Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when many in-person opportunities for help were unavailable, MLAO has provided a unique, vital resource for thousands of low-income individuals. (more…)
MLRI Will Honor Mintz’s Brent Henry with Catalyst for Change Award
Organization to recognize Henry in April 2022 for his work on behalf of vulnerable communities
Boston, Mass. (November 4, 2021) – The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) will honor Brent Henry, a leading health care attorney at Mintz, as the latest recipient of the organization’s prestigious Catalyst for Change Award. MLRI is a nonprofit poverty law and policy center that advocates to advance policies and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income communities. Henry will be honored for his work promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, advocating for more funding for legal aid programs, and supporting health and housing equity at an event on April 28, 2022.
“Now more than ever, MLRI’s mission to fight for policies that benefit low-income people in Massachusetts and that advance racial equity justice is important to the future of our Commonwealth and our nation,” said MLRI’s Executive Director, Georgia Katsoulomitis. “Brent Henry knows what it is like to stand in the trenches to help those in need of support and to address both economic and racial injustice. His career is defined by promoting equity and inclusion, from the legal profession to health care to housing. We are honored to celebrate his work.” (more…)
MLRI Signs Race Equity Statement on House ARPA Plan
The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute has joined a number of organizations in signing a statement regarding the plan by the Massachusetts House of Representative to distribute American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in relation to promoting racial equity in the Commonwealth. Below, please find the text of the statement, which can also be found here.
Statement on House ARPA Plan
Federal pandemic relief funds are an unprecedented opportunity for Massachusetts. This is the time to address structural barriers and oppression laid bare by the pandemic. This is the time to right some wrongs by investing in our Black, Latino, Asian, and Native American communities who have been hit hardest by the pandemic and who have not historically received equitable funding. Our leaders must rise to this challenge; while the House debate led to some notable wins in these areas, there’s still a lot of work needed to meet the moment. (more…)