A2J In The Real World
Access to Lawyers for Crime Victims
Massachusetts has assembled a state-wide Civil Legal Aid for Victims of Crime (CLAVC) team providing free assistance on civil legal issues arising out of violence.
Access to Justice Fellows
Retired attorney “Bats” Wheeler, while working as an Access to Justice Fellow, has made hundreds of “Wills On Wheels” house calls to elderly, disabled and/or low income clients in 41 cities and towns.
Innovative Legal Aid Funding
The voluntary “add-on opt-out” fee to a lawyer’s yearly attorney registration has already generated $7.5 million for civil legal aid for low income people.
Civil Appellate Pro Bono Program
The weekly program assists low income, self-represented litigants who are looking for both professional advice and an attorney to take on their appeal pro bono.
What is A2J?
We are all entitled to justice.
But poverty, physical disability and language barriers are just some of the obstacles that prevent people from gaining full access to all the remedies and relief – in a word, Justice – that our Courts and Government Agencies can provide. The Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission is working to ensure that everyone in Massachusetts has access to the Justice they deserve.
The Commissioners & Team at Massachusetts Access to Justice
Sue Finegan, Esq.
Chair, Access to Justice Commission
Sue is a nationally recognized pro bono pioneer with a passion for helping underserved populations and exceptional litigation skills. In her position as chair of Mintz’s Pro Bono Committee, she leads groundbreaking cases and manages pro bono matters for the firm. She has helped to defeat President Trump’s first immigration travel ban in early 2017, engineer the passage of a Massachusetts restraining order law for sexual assault survivors, and create several innovative statewide model pro bono programs in Massachusetts.
Access to Justice Commissioners
Current Members
The goal of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission is to achieve equal justice for all persons in the Commonwealth. It strives to accomplish this goal by providing leadership and vision to, and coordination with, the many organizations and interested persons involved in providing and improving access to justice for those unable to afford counsel.
It takes many resources and the hands of so many amazing people to make the kind of progress we seek.
Click to see a full list of the Access to Justice current Commissioners.
Carol Goodwin, Esq.
Director, Access to Justice Commission
Attorney Goodwin joins the Commission from Boston University School of Law, where she most recently served as Director of Public Service and Pro Bono. She is also the incoming co-chair of the Boston Bar Association’s Delivery of Legal Services Steering Committee, a previous member of the National Advisory Committee for Equal Justice Works, and formerly chaired the Public Service and Pro Bono Section of the American Association of Law Schools. Atty Goodwin has also held positions as an assistant attorney general for the State of New York; as an attorney in private practice representing plaintiffs in employment discrimination and civil rights litigation, and tenants in landlord-tenant matters; and as a pro se staff attorney for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.