News and Events

Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Servives
Presents 2008 Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards

"In recognition of outstanding commitment to providing volunteer legal services for the poor and disadvantaged in Massachusetts, Supreme Judicial Court Justice Francis X. Spina, on behalf of the Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services, presented the seventh annual Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards to five recipients at a special ceremony in the John Adams Courthouse on Wednesday, June 4. The 2008 awardees are as follows:

Attorney John G. Dugan, of Millis, a principal in the law firm of Doherty Ciechanowski, Dugan & Cannon, P.C. in Franklin and Medfield, and Attorney Edward Notis-McConarty, of Newton, a partner in the Boston law firm of Hemenway & Barnes LLP, for their work in the development and implementation of three Limited Assistance Representation pilot projects in the Probate and Family Court Department to expand access to justice;

Francis J. (Jay) Lynch III, of North Easton, managing partner in Lynch & Lynch Attorneys of Boston and South Easton, for his volunteer legal services at MainSpring House;

Attorneys Christine J. Wichers, of Cambridge, and Lisa M. Gaulin, of South Boston, of Choate Hall & Stewart, LLP in Boston, for their tireless efforts on behalf of an abandoned Pakistani mother forcibly separated from her four children. [...continued]"

(added: 6-06-08)

Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance
Elimination of Food Stamp Asset Test

"[The] DTA has just issued guidance to expand the use of the 'categorical eligibility rule' to ELIMINATE the Food Stamp asset test most FS households with income below 200% FPL, unless the household has a work or IPV sanction. (The 130% gross income tests will still apply to FS applicants age 18 - 60, if no children and no disability.)

Elimination of the asset requirement was a recommendation of MLRI and the Food Stamp Improvement Coalition. This policy change brings Massachusetts in line with a growing number of states that have used the categorical eligibility rules to eliminate asset requirements. Elimination of the asset test is also consistent with many of the asset exclusion provisions (non-countable retirement and pension accounts) included in the 2008 Farm Bill recently passed by Congress.

[Click the above link for a] Field Operations Memo 2008-27 announcing this policy, effective Monday, June 9th. For a number of years there has been NO asset test in Food Stamps for families with children (or pregnant women) with income is below 200% of the FPL. This has not changed. The NEW policy directs DTA workers to NOT ask questions about assets or ask for verification of assets for any households with an elder (age 60 +) or person with disabilities if the household income is below 200% of the FPL. For elder/disabled households with income above 200% FPL, DTA will ask about assets. Note: for any household seeking "expedited" (fast) food stamps, DTA will continue to ask about assets (less than $150) to determine expedited issuance, but this will not affect ongoing eligibility if the household fails to provide the information."

Patricia Baker
Mass Law Reform Institute

(added: 6-04-08)

Nancy King, known in the legal community as a tireless advocate for providing vulnerable individuals with equal access to the law, was honored posthumously by the Massachusetts Bar Association with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 Access to Justice Awards Luncheon, held March 6 at the JFK Library and Museum. Nancy served as executive director of South Middlesex Legal Services for nearly 30 years. Sadly, she lost her long battle with breast cancer in December 2007.