For more information on how to get involved in the BBA Lawyer for the Day in the Boston Housing Court Program and how to get involved, please contact Katie D'Angelo, Public Service Programs Coordinator at 617-778-1914 or kdangelo@bostonbar.org.
"The Lawyer for the Day Program allows lawyers who might otherwise not have the chance to give back to the community and serve the Commonwealth's system of justice" – Hon. Robert Foster, Land Court, Former Co-Chair of the Real Estate Pro Bono Committee.
Over the past decade, volunteer lawyers and law students have passed through the Boston Housing Court offering their assistance to unrepresented tenants and landlords on Eviction Day. As a volunteer attorney for this program, you will get out from behind your desk and provide access to justice to pro se litigants through advice, mediation and litigating cases.
As a volunteer, you may:
- Staff an advice and information table (one-day commitment).
- Accompany parties into mediation sessions (time commitments vary).
- Provide full representation to individuals during eviction trials (time commitments vary; the Court aims to process matters quickly where possible).
All lawyers are welcome to participate! Volunteer lawyers are provided plenty of support as they learn the procedures of the Housing Court. The BBA’s Real Estate Section and the Volunteer Lawyers Project conduct training sessions for new volunteers interested in limited representation and full representation in an eviction trial. Also, while you are in court, staff attorneys from the Volunteer Lawyer Project, Greater Boston Legal Services and Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School offer administrative and technical support to answer any questions you may have.
This program is supported by the Boston Bar Foundation’s Herbert W. Vaughan Fund, which is dedicated to supporting real estate-related pro bono, public service, and civic programs of the Boston Bar Association.