More than 8,000 questions have now been answered by over 300 volunteer attorneys on Mass Legal Answers Online (MLAO), the Massachusetts home of the American Bar Association’s Free Legal Answers project. This milestone was hit just as lawyers from across the country celebrate October as Pro Bono month to shine a light on important pro bono work.

Through MLAO (www.masslao.org), low-income Massachusetts residents can post questions on a range of civil legal issues. Volunteer attorneys answer these questions through the secure MLAO website, providing targeted information and advice based on the needs of the client. MLAO expands 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.

MLAO volunteers have received 41 ABA Pro Bono Leader Awards for their extraordinary service. Volunteers are also appreciated every day by the people they serve. As one MLAO client shared, “The volunteer not only answered my questions promptly, she educated and empowered me from fearing a case. She gave me hope and confidence to go to court alone and defend myself. I am so thankful to her.”

MLRI, with additional assistance from the Volunteer Lawyers Project, has managed MLAO since it launched in November 2016 . In addition to in-kind support from the ABA, MLAO is supported by the Boston Bar Foundation, the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation.

As Pro Bono Month draws to a close, we want to thank every one of the volunteers who have supported Mass Legal Answers Online over the past six years. Thanks to their willingness to share their time and expertise, more than 7,000 people across Massachusetts have learned about their rights, received legal advice, and been able to approach their civil legal issues armed with reliable information.