Volunteers

The Lawyers Clearinghouse relies on its volunteer attorneys to provide pro bono legal services. We could not achieve our mission to promote the development of affordable housing, reduce homelessness, and strengthen communities without the support and hard work of our volunteer attorneys. We are truly grateful for their generous donation of time and legal skills.

Volunteer Spotlight – Rachel Brodin, Esq.

In November, 2007, lawyers from Goulston & Storrs volunteered to assist shelter guests at the Lawyers Clearinghouse’s Massachusetts Legal Clinic for the Homeless at Pine Street Inn. One of the clients was a man who had filed an application for disability benefits with the Social Security Administration due to his inability to work. It had been denied and he needed assistance. The SSA had found that he was capable of doing sedentary work and could stand and walk for 2 hours and sit for 6 hours in a workday.

When G & S attorneys Rachel Brodin and Tim Sullivan met him at the clinic, it was apparent to them that he was not capable of work, even sedentary work. Rachel recalls that she thought it was “clear that he was well-deserving of social security benefits”. During the interview itself, the client fell asleep several times, awakening with a start.  He talked about his many medical issues, including back, shoulder, and knee injuries, depression and obesity, and trouble walking or sitting for prolonged periods. Soon after the interview, they notified the client that they would take his case.

For months, Rachel and Tim worked with their client to build a case for the Review by a Federal Official stage of the appeals process. They were able to convince his physicians to send the SSA letters on his behalf and submitted an updated disability report laying out the specifics of his condition. Rachel recalls that their client was “incredibly diligent and cooperative” throughout the process, “always keeping in touch and on top of his case”. In August, 2008, his application was granted by the Federal Official.

Rachel said of her time working the case: “I greatly enjoyed working with this client. He is a caring, wonderful person who had been hit with bad circumstances in life, but still constantly persevered to make the best of his situation. Like the other clients that I have worked with through the legal clinic, he was always exceedingly appreciative of my work and very forthcoming with praise.” When asked about working with Rachel, the client replied that “she was the best lawyer and nicest person that he had known” and expressed his gratitude for her representation.

Rachel has volunteered at the Lawyers Clearinghouse legal clinics and taken several clients since she started with Goulston & Storrs in the fall of 2007. Since November, 2007, she and Tim have been working with an immigration client who has an adjustment hearing in the Boston Immigration Court in June. The client received an approved I-360 self-petition as a battered spouse (authorized by the Violence Against Women Act), but because he had already been in a removal proceeding prior to that, an immigrant judge must now grant him a green card following an evidentiary hearing (where Rachel will represent him). Rachel has worked on other social security cases, as well as a variety of tax, housing, and debt-related issues.

During law school, Rachel worked for the Homelessness Advocacy Project in Philadelphia, and in college she worked in homelessness services as a director of the St. James Summer Shelter (a summer transitional shelter affiliated with Harvard University).

“I have found this work to be among the most meaningful work that I have participated in during my legal career.  Doing this type of work has provided me with a broader perspective of my community and the practice of law and has benefited me just as much, if not more, than it has benefited the clients that I have worked with.”

Rachel client’s situation is unfortunately similar to many of the clients served by the lawyers volunteering with the Lawyers Clearinghouse. Between January and March of this year, 55 clients have come to the clinic looking for legal services, more than doubling the increase in clients between 2007 and 2008 for the same time period. In all, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of legal aid are donated by lawyers like Rachel every year.

The Lawyer’s Clearinghouse and its clients owe a large debt of gratitude to Rachel, Goulston & Storrs, and all of the attorneys who volunteer to serve the less fortunate through the Massachusetts Legal Clinic for the Homeless.