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Campaign for Legal
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Home > How to Help > Campaign for Legal Services

Reason for a Campaign

In Massachusetts, approximately three out of five persons who request representation from a legal services provider are turned away due to lack of resources. While there is approximately one attorney for every 363 individuals in the SMLS service area, there is only one legal services lawyer for every 3,300 low income individuals in the same geographic area. SMLS relies on state and federal funding which is often very volatile. The program has aggressively pursued and acquired alternative sources of funding to make up for this loss, but still cannot come close to meeting the needs of eligible families in the service area.

Purpose and History of the Campaign

The Campaign for Legal Services was created by members of the bar and community leaders in the service area to raise additional funds on behalf of South Middlesex Legal Services. The Campaign is directed to the entire community, since everyone has a stake in guaranteeing access to the justice system. The primary focus, however, is the legal community because attorneys have a more complete understanding of the need that exists and of the importance of being represented when a legal problem arises. For every $10,000 raised, an additional 25 families can be helped. The goal of the campaign is to help fill the gap between the need and the current funding received by SMLS.

The Campaign committee was formed in October of 1999 and decided that they would start with a goal of raising $300,000 over the first 3 years of the Campaign. The Campaign reached that goal last year and now has begun its ninth year. The contributions are crucial representing approximately 15% of the total funding for SMLS. In addition to obtaining gifts from their business contacts, the committee members plan and support the annual SMLS GOLF TOURNAMENT and other fundraising events such as the The 2007 SMLS ONLINE AUCTION.

SMLS Campaign for Legal Services Committee Members

The Campaign Committee members working so hard on this fundraising endeavor are:

Co-chairs
Robert S. Molloy, Esq. (Casual Male Retail Group.)
Michael A. Leon, Esq. (Nutter, McClennen & Fish)

Committee Members
Jack Agnew (Manning, Selvage & Lee)
Lawrence Erickson, (Framingham Co-operative Bank)
Jill Hanchett, (Lexington)
Christopher Horblit, Esq., (Fidelity Investments)
Bruce Ledoux, Esq., (Marlboro)
Ralph Lepore (Holland & Knight)
George McCarthy, Esq., (Framingham)
James McLaughlin, Esq., (Natick)
Loretta O'Brien, Esq., (Norwood)
Michael Thornton, Esq., (Thornton & Naumes)
William Wise, Esq., (Analog Devices)

How to Donate (click here)

The funds raised by this Campaign are very important. They allow SMLS to come closer to providing access to justice to all eligible clients. Your donation will be greatly appreciated.

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