Jeffrey Petrucelly

In January 2016, Attorney Jeffrey Petrucelly retired after practicing law for 43 years. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1972, Jeff worked in two legal service programs, in Cambridge and in Lynn. After practicing privately for a few years, he founded a small law firm with Burt Nadler in 1983, Petrucelly & Nadler, P.C. Their goal was to provide quality legal services at affordable rates, and to focus on public interest cases. Throughout his career, Jeff steadfastly advocated for civil and human rights, successfully representing many individuals and community organizations in the struggle for social and economic justice.  In retirement, he is continuing to work for these principles as a pro bono attorney with the National Lawyers Guild, Massachusetts Chapter. Further, Jeff is continuing his work as Treasurer of the National Lawyers Guild Foundation, the NLG’s fiscal sponsor.

One of Jeff’s first public interest cases was to expose and remedy Boston Water & Sewer Commission’s racially discriminatory billing and shut-off practices on behalf of minority homeowners and owners of properties who had their water and sewer services threatened or shut off by excessively high estimated bills. Next, Jeff spearheaded the litigation on behalf of children who were institutionalized at state schools during the 1950s and who were used as research subjects without their knowledge or consent in radioactive isotope experiments by MIT scientists. He demonstrated the inhumane treatment and won vindication and compensation for the victims. Jeff also has represented many employees who were discriminated against due to their race, national origin, gender, age, and disability, including staff and professors at state universities. In addition, he worked with many nonprofit organizations, including affordable housing groups who owned and/or maintained their housing units affordably and habitably for low and moderate income tenants in the Greater Boston area.

As an Access to Justice Fellow, Jeff will work with the National Lawyers Guild in Boston. He has begun to work with the Chapter’s Litigation Committee, in which he will consult on and act as co-counsel in several cases, including but not limited to, public records requests, and as lead counsel on a class action involving medical records privacy issues. In addition, he will continue his work as the Chapter’s Co-Chief Financial Officer and as a member of its Finance Committee, to help the Chapter fulfill its legal support and services to community organizations and unrepresented individuals who face evictions, foreclosures of their homes, loss of jobs and/or benefits, and violations of their civil rights and/or liberties.