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Dear Commissioners and Friends of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission,
There’s a lot going on in the A2J space this month, including programs featuring ATJC Commissioners and committee members at the Boston Bar Association and MCLE on topics such as consumer debt and language access. More details below!
We’re also excited to share that the Massachusetts Trial Court has released a new consumer debt dashboard, offering a clearer picture of filing trends across the state and helping to illuminate who is most affected by rising debt cases.
Finally, a couple of important deadlines are also on the horizon. Nominations are now open for the Adams Pro Bono Publico Award, which honors outstanding pro bono service, and applications are due soon for the Access to Justice Fellows Program—a great opportunity for those who are nearing retirement and are interested in deepening their engagement in this work
Read on for more details about all of these exciting updates!
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Join us for our Next Full Commission Meeting on May 20th for a Presentation on Heirs’ Property and “Tangled Titles”
As a reminder, our next full Commission meeting will take place on May 20th from 3:00 pm until 4:30 pm at the John Adams Courthouse Conference Suite. The May meeting will feature Judge Dina Fein (ret.), Assistant Attorney General Amber Villa, and Boston College Law School’s Robert F. Drinan, SJ, Chair, Professor Thomas Mitchell, who will present on the topic of Heirs’ Property and Tangled Titles. A 2020 MacArthur Fellow, Professor Mitchell will discuss the ways in which land, single-family homes, and intergenerational wealth are too often lost, disproportionately though not exclusively, in Black and Brown communities, when multiple heirs in common inherit through intestacy. Assistant Attorney General Villa, Chief of the AGO’s Neighborhood Renewal Division, will discuss the relationship between heirs’ property and Vacant, Abandoned, and Deteriorated (VAD) properties, and the challenge this causes for municipalities engaged in neighborhood revitalization efforts. A retired housing court judge and longstanding member of the Commission, Judge Fein will highlight the range of programmatic initiatives that operate across the country to prevent or redress the legal problems associated with heirs’ property and tangled titles, and, together with Professor Mitchell and Assistant Attorney General Villa, will offer a framework for moving forward in Massachusetts. The presentation will include ample opportunity for discussion, and individuals interested in these issues are encouraged to attend. Click here to RSVP!
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April 28th MCLE Seminar: The Rise in Debt Collection Cases in the Trial Court: Race, Equity, and Access to Justice
It’s not too late to register for this upcoming MCLE conference organized by the Racial Equity and Justice Committee and the Consumer Debt Committee of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission and the Flaschner Judicial Institute! The conference, which will take place NEXT WEEK on April 28th from 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm, will highlight the rapid increase in consumer debt cases in Massachusetts and its impact on court users and our courts. The program will document the demographic disparities that have been reported in consumer debt cases, and best practices that have been developed to increase equity and access to justice in consumer debt cases. Attendees will learn the history of small claims proceedings in Massachusetts, how consumer debt cases are treated in these courts, and some of the special challenges and court rules in consumer debt cases.
The program will feature a keynote address from Professor Frederick Wherry. Professor Wherry serves as Princeton University’s Townsend Martin Class of 1917 Professor of Sociology and Vice Dean for Development and Inclusion. He founded the Debt Collection Lab (debtcollectionlab.org) and the Dignity + Debt Network (dignityanddebt.org) where he works on issues of economic justice. He is also writing a book, “What Debtors Deserve” (under contract at Crown Publishing), that examines the rise of mass debt, which now rivals mass incarceration in scale, and exposes predatory tactics. The program will be held in-person, with virtual access as well. For those who attend in person, we will also have the option to continue the conversation and network offsite after the program concludes. For more information and to register, click here.
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Trial Court Releases New Consumer Debt Dashboard!
Speaking of consumer debt, the Massachusetts Tral Court’s Department of Research and Planning (DRAP) recently released a new dashboard with important information about the rise in consumer debt case filings. Filings reached about 146,000 in 2025—an increase of more than 60% since 2023—with most cases brought by a small number of private debt collection companies. The data also shows that 56% of cases end in default judgments. The dashboard also allows users to view cases by zip code, offering insight into the communities most affected. Advocates point to medical debt and the use of credit cards for basic necessities as key drivers of the increase. We are extremely grateful to the Trial Court for all of the work that went into creating this dashboard and for making this information available to the public. As we like to say, “data drives justice” and making more data publicly available is one of the Commission’s ongoing priorities.
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Nominations for the 2026 Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards Due by June 30th!
The Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services is seeking nominations for the 2026 Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards. Named for attorneys John Adams and John Quincy Adams, the Adams Awards honor Massachusetts lawyers, law students, law firms, and legal organizations that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to providing pro bono services for the benefit of individuals of limited means. Recipients may be honored for exceptional pro bono service during the year prior to the award ceremony or over a longer period, including service performed across multiple pro bono cases or activities. Service worthy of an Adams Award may include, but is not limited to:
- The creation of or participation in an activity or pro bono program that expands legal services to underserved segments of the population or fills a previously unmet need;
- Significant work on litigation, the outcome of which benefits persons of limited means; or
- Significant work on the adoption of legislation or policies that benefit individuals of limited means.
The Committee encourages the submission of nominations that reflect the diversity of the Commonwealth’s residents. The Committee welcomes nominations by members of the bar, law firms, law schools, or other organizations, and the public, including self-nominations and nominations of colleagues whose work has had a meaningful impact.
More information about award criteria and nomination guidelines can be found on the About the Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards webpage. The deadline for nominations is Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
The Committee is also seeking submissions by lawyers, law students, law firms and other legal organizations who qualify for the Pro Bono Honor Roll.
- To be eligible for the Honor Roll for Individual Attorneys, attorneys must certify that they have provided at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services during calendar year 2025. Attorneys who completed at least 100 hours of pro bono legal services during calendar year 2025 are eligible for the High Honor Roll for Individual Attorneys.
- The Honor Roll for Law Students recognizes students who have completed at least 50 hours of law-related pro bono services over the course of their law school careers.
- The Honor Roll for Legal Organizations recognizes law firms, solo practitioners, in-house corporate counsel offices, government attorney offices, non-profit organizations, and law schools who meet certain criteria for the number of hours of pro bono legal services provided by their attorneys and firm policies concerning pro bono service.
More information and links to online application forms are available at the About the Pro Bono Honor Roll webpage. Applications for the Pro Bono Honor Roll should be submitted by Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Please note that, due to the volume of submissions received, applications will not be accepted after the September 30th deadline.
A ceremony honoring Adams Award recipients and Pro Bono Honor Roll participants will be held on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., at the John Adams Courthouse in Boston.
Established in 1999, the Committee works to promote volunteer legal work in Massachusetts to help people of limited means who are in need of legal representation, in accordance with Rule 6.1 of the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct.
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The Access to Justice Fellows Program: Pro Bono in Retirement
Speaking of pro bono, if you’re winding down your legal practice and are interested in volunteering in retirement, please consider becoming an Access to Justice Fellow!
“This program gives people a whole new way to engage. I get to sit down with other Fellows, talk about these problems, try to unravel them, and do something good about them; it’s a great thing.” – John Bowman, 2015-2016 Access to Justice Fellow, Jobs Not Jails
The Access to Justice Fellows Program, a project of the Access to Justice Commission and Lawyers Clearinghouse, offers senior attorneys and judges the opportunity to take on meaningful pro bono projects as they wind down or retire from day-to-day practice.
The A2J Program matches senior attorneys and judges (the Access to Justice Fellows) with nonprofits, legal services organizations, and courts for a year-long project in an area of interest to the Fellow. Current Fellows are working on immigration, civil rights, housing and homelessness, consumer rights, and other areas within the access to justice umbrella. Their work ranges from creating and expanding programs to mentoring junior attorneys, representing clients, and advocacy work.
Since 2012, 230 Fellows have provided an estimated 300,000 hours of pro bono service to over 100 Massachusetts nonprofit organizations, courts, and other public interest entities, and 80% of past Fellows continue to volunteer once their Fellowship year has ended.
Being an Access to Justice Fellow is a great way to put your skills and experience into engaging pro bono work, remain an active member of the legal community, and help people and groups in need. For most projects, no prior subject-area expertise is required.
Interested in becoming an Access to Justice Fellow? Lawyers Clearinghouse is currently recruiting for the 2026-27 Fellows Class! Check out the Lawyers Clearinghouse website or contact Fellows Program Manager Chris City for more information.
(If you represent a public interest organization that works on access to justice issues and might benefit from having a Fellow to help with or expand your work, we’d also love to hear from you! The Fellows Program accepts new partner organizations every year. Please reach out to Chris or visit the Lawyers Clearinghouse website for more information.)
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Access to Justice at the Boston Bar Association and MCLE!
Be sure to check out a recent BBA webinar featuring the Commission’s co-chair, Judge Valerie Yarashus, alongside her co-panelists, Judge Richard McMahon and retired Appeals Court Justice Cynthia Cohen. The program, Meaningful Access for Self-Represented Litigants: Roles for Judges and Practitioners, was originally held on April 15, but a recording is available here—free for BBA members and accessible to non-members for a fee.
The panelists all served on the SJC Committee responsible for the most recent update to the SRL Guidelines, issued in 2025. As many of you know, the majority of cases in the Massachusetts Trial Courts involve at least one self-represented party. This webinar offers valuable insight into the scope of the Guidelines and how they can be used to promote greater fairness in the courts.
Also, on Tuesday, May 5th from 12:00 pm -1:00 pm, the BBA’s Delivery of Legal Services section will be hosting a “lunch and learn” on the topic of language access. This lunch will focus on strategies, best practices, and resources for providing effective legal services to clients with limited English proficiency. Attendees will hear from experienced legal services providers who have navigated challenges in multilingual advocacy and will have the opportunity to share insights and practical solutions. Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) also hosted a language access conference this month and you can access the recording to that program here.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading and hope to see you on April 28th and May 20th!
Warm regards,
Deb
Deb Silva
Director, Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission
617-391-5659 | massa2j.org
dsilva@massa2j.org
Pronouns: she/her/hers