Partner Organization Guidelines

The Access to Justice Fellows Program

Thank you for your interest in the Access to Justice Fellows Program. Please read the following guidelines carefully before completing your Partner Organization Application.

Overview

The Access to Justice Fellows Program, a project of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission and the Lawyers Clearinghouse, enables senior lawyers and retired judges to partner with non-profit organizations, courts, and other public service entities to increase equal justice for all. Although lawyers are encouraged to provide pro bono services throughout their careers, they are not often offered a role to play after retirement. By matching lawyers who are retired or transitioning toward retirement with groups that need their help, the program allows these lawyers to use their specialized skills and experience to do engaging pro bono work, remain active members of the legal community, and help people and groups in need.

Fellows devote 10-20 hours per week to their projects, and commit to work for one academic year, from September through June.

Fellows come from diverse professional backgrounds and have had careers as judges, litigators, transactional attorneys, legal services attorneys, public servants, and public interest advocates.

Application Process

Please note that, while we welcome applications from potential partner organizations at any time during the year, we start recruiting each January. We encourage the early submission of applications so that we have ample time to match Fellows to partner organizations.

After we receive your application, we will confirm with you that it is complete. A two-step process will then occur:

a. First, we will review your application to determine whether your organization and project are eligible for the Access to Justice Fellows Program (see below for more information on eligibility). Thereafter, you will be notified as to whether you have been accepted as a potential partner organization for the next program year. Acceptance as a potential partner organization DOES NOT guarantee that you will be matched with a Fellow. Instead, your organizational profile and project description will be included on a list that Fellows will review. We will work with each Fellow to identify projects that fit his or her interests and skill set.

b. Second, if a Fellow is interested in working on your project, we will contact you to arrange a meeting with the interested Fellow. If you know a retired attorney or judge who might be interested in the Fellows Program and in working on your project, we encourage you to reach out directly to that person and ask them to fill out a Statement of Interest. Please notify us if you have a particular Fellow in mind so that we can contact that person with program information.

c. A final match is made if both you and the Fellow agree to work together. Once a match is made, each partner organization must agree to fully participate in the program year (see below for partner organization obligations).

If we are not able to find a Fellow to work on your project, we will notify you and reconsider your application for the following year (with your approval).

Eligibility

Organizational Types: Non-profit organizations, courts, and public service entities are eligible to apply to be partnered with an Access to Justice Fellow. You need not have a lawyer on staff to apply to the program. The Lawyers Clearinghouse will provide malpractice insurance to any Fellow unable to receive coverage from their partner organization. Additionally, we are happy to consider an application from two or more organizations or courts working together on a project or initiative.

To view a list of prior partner organizations, click here. If you have a question about whether your organization is eligible to apply, please contact Program Director Susan Gedrick at sgedrick@lawyersclearinghouse.org.

Project Types: We are most interested in projects aligned with the mission and strategies of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission (core strategies) and/or the Lawyers Clearinghouse (mission) but we will consider any project that is focused on increasing access to justice for persons in the Commonwealth or that increases a non-profit organization’s capacity to accomplish a social justice mission.

You may submit a proposal for a new project or one that is ongoing. We will also consider applications proposing that a Fellow work on more than one project.

Projects may entail litigation, be transactional in nature, involve public policy or advocacy work, or relate to other types of legal tasks. To review past fellowship projects, take a look at the Fellow profiles on our website.

We realize that sometimes the most effective project is one that is allowed to change and take shape over time. If this is the case with the project you have in mind, and you are not able to submit a comprehensive project proposal, please contact Program Director Susan Gedrick at sgedrick@lawyersclearinghouse.org to discuss how to complete your application.

Partner Organization Obligations

If you are matched with an Access to Justice Fellow, your organization will be recognized on our website, and in other media, as a partner with the Access to Justice Fellows Program. Your organization will also have opportunities to network with past, present, and future Access to Justice Fellows, and to learn and share best practices from other organizations participating in the program.

In addition to hosting a Fellow as a volunteer, the obligations of partner organizations are as follows:

a. Pay an administrative fee. Once a partner organization is matched with a Fellow, an administrative fee is due to the Lawyers Clearinghouse. The fee is $250 for organizations with a budget of less than $500,000, and $500 for organizations with a budget of $500,000 or more. The Fellows Program has discretion to waive the fee if it creates a hardship to the partner organization.

b. Attend our annual kick-off event and initial partner organization meeting in September.

c. In all media, such as printed materials, social media, annual reports, and any press releases or articles publicizing your Fellow’s work, make every effort to recognize the Lawyers Clearinghouse and the Access to Justice Fellows Program.

d. To the greatest extent possible, keep track of the impact of your Fellows’ work. Examples of useful information to record include: the number of clients served, the number of hours volunteered, the resulting benefit to your organization and/or your organization’s clients, and new programs or services launched.

e. At the end of the Program year, complete an impact survey in a timely manner.

Questions? Contact Program Director Susan Gedrick at sgedrick@lawyersclearinghouse.org.