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Economic Justice

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diversityHealth DisparitiesConstitution

Disparate Outcomes

School-to-Prison Pipelinecollaboration

Legislative Advocacy

Estudiantes

School Closings

Voto

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equality

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Dorchester

Retaliation

Workers’ Rights

ComunidadImpact Litigation

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Teacher Diversity

Massachusetts

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Justice

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Morgan v. Hennigan

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2014 annual report

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LCCRE1-44499_AR2014_REVISED.indd 1 6/5/15 3:29 PM

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2014 Annual Report

Mission & History

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justiceis a non-profit, non-partisan organization formed to marshal theresources of the legal community to address racial and national origindiscrimination throughout Massachusetts. For four decades, theLawyers’ Committee has worked to safeguard the civil, social, andeconomic rights of our constituencies. We handle impact litigation aswell as legal actions on behalf of individuals. We also engage in communityeconomic development, community education, and policy advocacy.

Founded in 1968, the Lawyers’ Committee was the first of eight localaffiliates of the Washington, D.C.-based Lawyers’ Committee forCivil Rights Under Law, a national organization formed at the requestof President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providinglegal representation to address racial discrimination. In 1973, theLawyers’ Committee became the first pro bono project of the Boston BarAssociation and was the only Lawyers’ Committee in the nation affiliatedwith a major bar association. Although the organization is now separatelyincorporated with its own 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, the Lawyers’Committee continues to maintain strong ties to the private bar.Membership by private law firms in the Lawyers’ Committee still formsthe working foundation of the organization. These member firmsfund a significant part of our annual operating expenses and providemillion of dollars in pro bono legal services by co-counseling with theorganization. In this way, the Lawyers’ Committee has for decadesharnessed the resources and legal talent of Boston’s law firms to securethe civil rights of area residents.The Lawyers’ Committee has also grown, adding new projects andinitiatives to fit the changing face of discrimination. While workingclosely with an ever-increasing number of community partners, it hasalways remained true to its core mission to challenge discrimination.

“Action without vision is onlypassing time, vision without action ismerely day dreaming, but vision with

action can change the world.”- Nelson Mandela

Table of Contents

3 Mission & History

4 Message from theExecutive Director

5 Who Seeks Our Help: TheLawyers’ Committee’s Intakes

6-9 Belin Economic Justice Project

10-11 Education Project

12 Lawyers' Committee Report:Not Measuring Up: The State ofSchool Discipline in Massachusetts

13 Equal EmploymentOpportunity Project

14 Employment Litigation at theIntersection of Racial Justiceand Policing

15 Medical Legal Partnership

16 Voting Rights

17 Police and Community Relations

18 Collaborations & CommunityPartners

19 Co-Counsel & Pro Bono Volunteers

20 2014 Board MembersMember Firms & Organizatizations

21 Interns, Volunteer Spotlight,A Special Thanks, Fellow

22 2014 Staff


Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Economic Justice

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Lawyers' Committee Staff (left to right): Laura Maslow-Armand, Gerald Glover III,Sarah Gautier, Matt Cregor, Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Rahsaan Hall, Bryn Sfetsios,and Priya Lane.

Message fromthe ExecutiveDirector

At the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights andEconomic Justice, our mission is the completeelimination of discrimination. We dream of asociety where every person – regardless of race,color, creed, age, national origin, immigrationstatus, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation,and disability – can contribute their skills andtalents to make Massachusetts a better place forall of us. This struggle does not belong to one orsome of us – it belongs to all of us.From our role in desegregating Boston’s publicschools and public housing projects to ourongoing efforts to eradicate discrimination inthe workplace, we are a catalyst for justice andequality. In 2014, we continued building onour rich legacy, expanding our work to makeit even more diverse, inclusive, visible, andimpactful. Our success is largely attributableto our unique partnerships. Our Medical LegalPartnership facilitates access to legal services

for eligible patients from Massachusetts GeneralHospital. Our partnership with the private barthrough the Belin Economic Justice Projectprovides business law advice to entrepreneursfrom communities of color. Our partnershipwith our member firms – many of whichco-counsel our cases pro bono – aides us infighting for our clients inside and outside ofthe courtroom.In 2014, our staff, Board of Directors, memberfirms, and supporters worked in concert topush our cause forward. We continue to marchtogether in the trenches of social justice tobuild a legacy of equality. In the words ofLangston Hughes:We have tomorrow,Bright before usLike a flame.Yesterday, a night-gone thingA sun-down name.And dawn todayBroad arch above the road we came.We march!

Iván Espinoza-Madrigal,Executive Director


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2014 Annual Report

Who Seeks Our Help

INTAKES AND CLIENTS

Each year, Lawyers’ Committee staffand interns field hundreds of calls, emails,

and letters from individuals seeking legalrepresentation and advice. We trackdemographic information about the peopleseeking help. Information about theseintakes is summarized in the graphs below:



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Belin Economic Justice Project

Since 2001, the Lawyers’ Committee’s Belin Economic Justice Project(EJP) has assisted individuals in low-income, immigrant, and minoritycommunities to create and expand their small businesses. By assistingentrepreneurs with business legal matters, EJP promotes communityeconomic development in underserved neighborhoods throughout Bostonas well as economic sustainability for entrepreneurs and small businessowners in those communities. EJP Acting Project Director Sarah Gautierand Assistant Project Manager Gerald Glover III collaborate with memberfirms and community organizations to provide transactional assistance

and technical support to entrepreneurs in underserved communities.

EJP partners with community organizations and member firms to offer

workshops that give an overview of business legal issues, including entityformation, contracts, intellectual property, real estate, and employmentlaw. Following a legal workshop, EJP hosts legal clinics that give smallbusinesses and entrepreneurs an opportunity to speak one-on-one withan attorney about their business’ legal needs.

CREATE YOUR OWNJOB SEMINAR PARTNERS

Center for Women and Enterprisefor assistance on business planning

Massachusetts Society of Certified

Public Accountantsfor assistance on business accounting and finance

Dorchester Bay EconomicDevelopment Corporationfor assistance on accessing microloans

ACCION, USAfor assistance on accessing microloans

Surpass Business Alliancesfor assistance on marketing

Gillettefor assistance on brand management and marketing

CREATE YOUR OWNJOB SEMINARS

Since 2013, EJP has partnered with Latham &Watkins and a host of technical assistance providersand volunteers to conduct our Create Your OwnJob Seminars.

We held one seminar in the spring and one in thefall and trained 30 entrepreneurs on businessbasics to help launch their businesses. Severalgraduates of the seminar have also recently launchedor expanded their businesses with the help of probono representation from member firms. Thisrepresentation has included assistance with entityformation, contract drafting and review, leasenegotiations, and trademark acquisition.


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2014 Annual Report

TIFFANY TATE, LINGER MAGAZINE

Tiffany Tate, an African-American woman from Readville,Massachusetts, is the founder of Linger Magazine, anonline and print fashion publication that provides aunique and interactive platform for creative talents toshowcase their individual vigor and originality. Ms. Tateparticipated in the Create Your Own Job Seminar weconducted in partnership with Latham & Watkins. Sheenrolled in the class in anticipation of covering NewYork’s Fall Fashion Week. At a legal clinic, Ms. Tatereceived assistance with several contracts she wassigning with contributors to the magazine.

Ms. Tate said, “The Create Your Own Job Seminar is anenvironment that creates an interactive ‘think tank’ for allparticipants - no matter where they are in their journeytoward becoming an entrepreneur. Each presenter wassupportive with informative topics that provide insightfrom a small business owner’s perspective with corporatescope.”

JOSE GARCIA, ANGELA’S CAFE

Jose Garcia, a Mexican-American immigrant, is the founderof Angela’s Cafe in East Boston. Angela’s Cafe is a land-mark restaurant that serves Puebla cuisine with a familytouch. After being featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, people who have a layover in Boston andwho want to experience home-made Puebla cuisine makesure to stop by. Jose participated in the Create Your OwnJob Seminar in partnership with Latham & Watkins. Heenrolled in the seminar to learn more about expanding hisbusiness into catering.

Small Business Profiles



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EAST BOSTON BUSINESS INSTITUTE

In 2014, EJP formed a partnership with East Boston Main Streets,which is a Boston Main Streets initiative that provides technical assistanceand support for small businesses, and the East Boston BusinessInstitute, an eleven-month program that offers technical assistance tonew business owners. Our first joint business legal workshop was heldin Spanish for a class of 14 small business owners on entity formation,contracts, and employment considerations. Our second workshop washeld in English for a second cohort focusing on entity formation. We hada follow-up workshop in English focusing on contracts, leases, zoning,and employment considerations. EJP partnered with WilmerHale tohold a legal clinic to provide ten business owners with an opportunity tospeak with an attorney for 30 minutes about their legal issues.

ASIAN AMERICAN CIVIC ASSOCIATION

In 2014, EJP joined Ropes & Gray and the Asian American CivicAssociation to offer transactional support through one-on-onesessions with entrepreneurs. The Asian American Civic Association is acommunity organization in Boston’s Chinatown that seeks to help theirclients gain economic self-sufficiency through English language classesand job training assistance. Over 20 entrepreneurs received assistance onreal estate, intellectual property, and choice of entity. The MassachusettsOffice of Business Development supported our work in counselingindividuals on city contracts for minority- and women-owned businesses,and licensing issues.

ONE-ON-ONE COACHING

In 2014, EJP identified a gap between entrepreneurs who took theseminar and were ready for placement with pro bono representationand entrepreneurs who needed more assistance in the businessdevelopment stage. With this growing need, EJP implemented one-on-one coaching for seminar graduates. EJP supported the growing ideasof ten entrepreneurs, including an event planner, a publisher, a farmcooperative, a job-training consultant, a media consultant, and manyother entrepreneurs. We helped them on issues ranging from businessplanning to entity formation and contracts. The educational informationand connections to technical assistance partners empowered theseentrepreneurs to take their business ideas to the next level.


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2014 Annual Report

Snapshot of EntrepreneursParticipating in the BelinEconomic Justice Project



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Staff Attorney Matt Cregor testifying before the Boston City Council onmiddle school transportation.

Education Project

Starting with its involvement inMorgan v. Hennigan, Boston’s schooldesegregation case, the Lawyers’Committee has worked to protectthe civil and educational rights ofMassachusetts’ students. As 2014marked the 40th anniversary ofMorgan and the 60th anniversaryof Brown v. Board of Education, theLawyers’ Committee continues itsadvocacy on matters at the core ofthose cases: student assignment,student transportation, resourceequity, and teacher diversity inBoston Public Schools. The Lawyers’Committee pays particular attentionto school discipline, racial harassment,and special education as well.Throughout its education advocacy,the Lawyers’ Committee seeks a fullyinclusive answer to a question first

raised in Morgan and Brown:“Who is welcome in our schools?”

Advancing Educational Equity in Boston

In early 2014, the Boston School Committee voted to practically eliminateyellow bus service for all 7th and 8th graders, placing the students onpublic transportation instead. The School Committee’s plan posed a hostof safety, attendance, and logistical problems, particularly for students ofcolor and immigrant students in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan. TheLawyers’ Committee feared that this plan, when coupled with Boston’snew student assignment system, would force some families to choose be-tween the school they wanted to send their child to and their child’s safetygetting there and back. This was a choice no parent should make.Together with the Boston Branch of the NAACP and other allies, theLawyers’ Committee coordinated an effort to oppose the transportationcuts, reaching out to affected families, testifying before the Boston CityCouncil and Boston School Committee, and authoring an op-ed for theBoston Globe. As a result, Boston Public Schools dramatically reduced thenumber of students affected by the plan. The Lawyers’ Committee servedon Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s Middle School Transportation Advisory Groupand continued meeting with affected parents, students and educators tomonitor implementation of the revised plan. In addition to its studenttransportation advocacy, the Lawyers’ Committee testified before theBoston City Council on teacher diversity in Boston Public Schools andparticipated in a related working group.


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2014 Annual Report

Boston Student Advisory Council memberGlorya Wornum and Marlena Rose, CampaignCoordinator of the Boston Education JusticeAlliance, discussing school discipline at therelease of Not Measuring Up at NortheasternUniversity School of Law.

Securing Safe & Supportive Schools

In July 2014, Massachusetts’ new school discipline law (“Chapter222”) went into effect, encouraging schools to reduce their relianceon out-of-school suspensions and providing students with greater dueprocess protections. The Lawyers’ Committee worked throughoutthe year to secure proper implementation of Chapter 222. In spring2014, the Lawyers’ Committee joined the statewide Education LawTask Force in successfully advocating for robust regulations for thenew law, testifying twice before the Massachusetts Board of Elementaryand Secondary Education, partnering with the the national Lawyers’Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in submitting commentson the proposed regulations, and recruiting similar submissions byother national partners including the NAACP Legal Defense andEducational Fund. In the summer, the Lawyers’ Committee workedwith the Boston Code of Conduct Advisory Council to ensure thatBoston’s code properly reflected the new regulations. In the fall, theLawyers’ Committee released Not Measuring Up: The State of SchoolDiscipline in Massachusetts, an analysis of Massachusetts’ schooldiscipline rates and disparities that served as a guidepost in Chapter222’s implementation (see “Lawyers’ Committee Report: NotMeasuring Up” next page).The Lawyers’ Committee addressed a host of other matters relatedto school discipline as well in 2014. Given the documented harms ofschool-based arrests and the disproportionate impact of these practiceson students of color and students with disabilities, the Lawyers’Committee testified against an expansion of school-based policingbefore the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on PublicSafety and Homeland Security and offered similar testimony beforethe Massachusetts Advisory Committee for the U.S. Commission onCivil Rights. The Lawyers’ Committee successfully advocated againsta proposal to arm Boston’s school police with pepper spray. Finally,the Lawyers’ Committee submitted discipline-related comments to theMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Educationand the U.S. Department of Education.

Ensuring Federal Enforcement ofStudents’ Civil Rights

The Lawyers’ Committee filed a pair of complaints with the U.S.Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in 2014. Co-counseling with Foley Hoag, the Lawyers’ Committee filed a complainton behalf of an African-American student with sickle cell disease whoseprivate school was discriminating against her because of her disability.The Lawyers’ Committee also filed a complaint on behalf of a student ofcolor experiencing school-based racial harassment in a Boston suburb.



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Not Measuring Up: The State of SchoolDiscipline in Massachusetts

In November 2014, the Lawyers’ Committee releasedNot Measuring Up: The State of School Discipline inMassachusetts. The report analyzed Massachusetts’most recent school discipline data and found thatstudents of color, students with disabilities, and charterschool students in Massachusetts were disproportionatelylikely to be suspended, particularly for minor misbehavior.

Key Findings

• Massachusetts’ students missed over 200,000 days in the classroom due to discipline in the 2012-13 school year;

• One in eight African-American students and one in ten Latinoswere disciplined at least once in 2012-13 school year, comparedto one in 27 White students;

• Nearly two-thirds of all out-of-school suspensions were for“non-violent, non-criminal, non-drug” offenses – a category ofdiscipline in which racial disparities were especially evident; and,

• Five percent of schools accounted for almost half the state’sdisciplinary actions, with charter schools, disciplinary alternativeschools, and therapeutic day schools accounting for the greatmajority of high suspending schools throughout Massachusetts.

Massachusetts’ new school discipline law (“Chapter 222”) went into effectin July 2014, and Not Measuring Up is intended to serve as a guidepostfor how well the new law is being followed. To that end, the Lawyers’Committee is exploring creative opportunities to enforce the new lawand is also developing a toolkit for students, parents, and educators inMassachusetts to advocate for discipline reform in their communities.Not Measuring Up has garnered ongoing local, regional, and nationalmedia attention, including significant coverage in the Boston Globeand the Bay State Banner, on WBUR Public Radio, and through theAssociated Press. The report’s authors (Joanna Taylor and Lawyers’Committee attorneys Matt Cregor and Priya Lane) have appearedat conferences and on television and radio outlets discussing theirfindings. The report has also helped prompt national dialogue ondiscipline rates in charter schools, with findings from Not MeasuringUp mentioned several times in a New York Times’ Room for Debate,among other media outlets.

Lawyers’ Committee Report:


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2014 Annual Report

Equal EmploymentOpportunity Project

In 2014, Lawyers’ Committee attorneys Laura Maslow-Armand,Kendra Sena, and Bryn Sfetsios provided pro bono representationin dozens of individual employment cases involving discrimination inhiring, pay, promotion, and termination. The employers ranged froman international movie theatre chain to a small roofing company inAndover, Massachusetts.

The employment discrimination cases generally involved employeesof color who were terminated after filing complaints of mistreatment.Many cases follow a similar pattern: an employee performs well forseveral years and receives promotions and wage increases. Then, a newsupervisor enters the workplace, the evaluations become negative, andthe employee is terminated for pretextual reasons.Many cases involve unskilled immigrant workers with limited Englishproficiency who are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. This isparticularly the case with immigrant women, many of whom are hired toclean offices late in the evening, who are often sexually harassed by theirsupervisors. Several of our clients are referred from workers’ centers,such as the Chelsea Collaborative and Justice at Work, in manyoccasions after the employee has endured months of discrimination orwage theft. These workers’ centers provide a structure for organizingand empowering recent immigrants. Under the direction of KendraSena, the Lawyers’ Committee provided representation to low-wagelandscapers, construction and factory workers, as well as to those whoclean offices or serve quick meals.



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Year

Approximate Percentage ofPositive Results Assigned to

African Americans by theBoston Police Department

1999 56%

2000 57%

2001 50%

2002 79%

2003 67%

2004 57%

2005 75%

2006 71%

Employment Litigation atthe Intersection of RacialJustice and Policing

More than a decade ago, the Lawyers’ Committee and BinghamMcCutchen LLP joined forces to represent ten African-Americanformer Boston police officers in an employment discrimination caseconcerning the Boston Police Department’s (BPD) use of hair samples indrug screenings administered annually to sworn personnel. In this case,we contend that the BPD’s “hair test” has a statistically significant adverseimpact against African Americans because it generates false-positive resultsin processing the type of hair common to many African Americans.In 2012, the federal district court granted summary judgment infavor of the Boston Police Department, but we successfully appealed.In 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reversedsignificant portions of the district court’s ruling and remanded thecase, thus giving the Lawyers’ Committee another opportunity to fightfor fair employment practices for people of color in law enforcement.Diversity in police ranks helps build community trust.

The Lawyers’ Committee’s intersectional work in this area includesrepresenting several minority police officers in Lopez v. Lawrence, afederal district court case on the disparate, adverse impact that policepromotional exams have on the promotion efforts of officers of color.The Lawyers’ Committee also represents an African-American policeacademy recruit in a claim before the Massachusetts Commission AgainstDiscrimination for different treatment in his disciplining and dismissalfrom the academy. Finally, Lawyers' Committee continues to serve asthe consent decree monitor for the compiled Castro v. Beecher cases thatgovern police hiring in several municipalities in Massachusetts.


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2014 Annual Report

Medical LegalPartnershipIn 2014, the Lawyers’ Committee continued toactively participate in an innovative collaborationproviding direct legal services to the patientpopulation of the Massachusetts GeneralHospital Chelsea HealthCare Center. Our goalis to address the social determinants of health andto be part of the wrap-around holistic care offeredby the providers. In most cases, this translates intoproviding access to resources, including publicbenefits and enhanced social services for which theclient may be eligible. The patients are referredto an attorney from the Lawyers’ Committee whois on site one day a week. Most of the referralsconcern immigrant and refugee populations.In 2014, our clients came from 26 differentcountries. We conducted more than 350 clientinterviews.

A healthcare provider or community health workerhelps us to identify a specific issue appropriatefor legal representation. In 2014, the issue mostfrequently identified was some form of physicalor mental illness that would prevent an adult fromperforming gainful activity and would prevent achild from performing as well as other children hisor her age. In 2014, there was a fourfold increasein the number of disability claims that we filedon behalf of our clients. With detailed medicalrecords and supporting letters from the treatingphysicians, 20 disability claims were grantedwithout appeal; and only two required a hearingbefore an administrative law judge.

The program at Massachusetts General Hospitaldiffers from other medical legal partnershipsthroughout the country. The Lawyers’ Committeeattorney has immediate access to the new client’ssocial and medical history as well as a report froma home visitor, a patient navigator or a medicalinterpreter who is familiar with the client’sbackground and culture. Certified interpretersare on staff at the Chelsea HealthCare Centerto communicate with clients in 17 differentlanguages, including Amharic, Nepalese, and Dari.



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LCCR’s Deputy Director Rahsaan Hall takingtestimony at the New England Hearing of theNational Commission on Voting Rights andElection Administration.

Voting Rights

In 2014, the Lawyers’ Committee continued litigating NAACP v. Galvin,a lawsuit that challenged Massachusetts’ failure to abide by Section 7 ofthe National Voter Registration Act, which requires public assistanceoffices to provide voter registration opportunities and access to individualsapplying for benefits, re-certifying for benefits, or updating their addresses.The litigation team, which includes the Lawyers’ Committee, ourmember firm Ropes & Gray LLP, the national Lawyers’ Committee forCivil Rights Under Law, Demos, and Project Vote, began exploringopportunities for settlement in an effort to expedite resolution of thisimportant voting rights case.On behalf of our clients, the New England Area Conference NAACPand New England United for Justice, the litigation team considered thefollowing provisions necessary to redress Massachusetts’ prior failures toprovide voter registration:

• Automatic distribution of voter registration applicationsto citizens applying for public assistance as well as to thoserenewing public assistance benefits or changing their addresses;

• Assistance in several different languages to clients whilecompleting voter registration applications and delivery of voterregistration applications to local election officials; and,

• Regular oversight and reporting to ensure that employees of theMassachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance alwaysprovide the voter registration services required by federal law.

In March 2014, the Lawyers’ Committee hosted the New EnglandRegional Hearing of the National Commission on Voting Rights andElection Administration. During the 2014 midterm elections, theLawyers’ Committee was actively involved in coordinating electionprotection efforts in Massachusetts. Over a dozen attorneys andseveral dozen grassroots volunteers monitored polling locations as apart of a nationwide voter protection effort. An overwhelming numberof the volunteers were able to provide much-needed assistance tovoters who had questions about their polling locations, registrationstatus and concerns over the administration of the elections.


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2014 Annual Report

LCCR's Deputy Director Rahsaan Hall was the keynote speaker at MassHousing’s27th Annual Black History Month Celebration.

Police &CommunityRelationsIn 2014, we saw a significant increase in thenumber of high profile incidents of policemisconduct. The police-related deaths of MichaelBrown in Missouri, Eric Garner in New York,Tamir Rice in Ohio, and countless others gaverise to community protests and conversationsabout race and policing in African-Americancommunities, communities of color, immigrantcommunities, and other marginalized populations.The need for understanding the historical contextof race relations, implicit and unexamined bias,and the harm caused by mass incarceration wereconsistent themes in solution-based conversationsthe Lawyers’ Committee engaged in to move thedialogue forward.

Deputy Director Rahsaan Hall represented theLawyers’ Committee in legislative briefings onproposed data collection for police motor vehicleand pedestrian stops, and in a broad range ofcommunity engagements, including:

• Massachusetts Commission AgainstDiscrimination Annual Fair HousingConference, plenary address: “BlackLives Matter.”

• New England Cable News Network’s“Broadside,” concerning the events inFerguson, Missouri.

• Minnesota Public Radio News, “HowCan Police Reform Change CommunityRelations?”

• Anti-Defamation League forum, “Next StepsAfter Ferguson, Garner and Rice.”

• Northeastern University School of Lawforum, “Post Ferguson Road Map: TheWay Forward.”

• Boston College Law School forum, “PoliceBody Cameras.”

• Harvard Law School forum, “Fergusonand the Road Forward.”



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• ACCION, USA

• ACLU of Massachusetts

• Alternatives for Community & Environment

• Amicus Group

• Asian American Civic Association

• Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts

• Blackstonian

• Boston Area Youth Organizing Project

• Boston Branch of the NAACP

• Boston Busing/Desegregation Project

• Boston Education Justice Alliance

• Boston Public Schools Code of Conduct Advisory Council

• Boston SCORE

• Boston Society of Vulcans

• Boston Student Advisory Council

• Boston Teachers Union

• Brazilian Immigrant Center

• Bunker Hill Community College

• Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services

• Center for Church and Prison

• Center for Civil Rights Remedies of the Civil Rights Projectat UCLA

• Center for Public Representation

• Center for Women and Enterprise

• Centro Latino

• Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice at HarvardLaw School

• Chelsea Collaborative

• Citizens for Juvenile Justice

• Coalition Against the Boston University Biolab

• Combined Clergy of Boston

• Common Cause

• Community Action Programs Inter-City (CAPIC)

• Community Change

• Community Legal Aid

• Conservation Law Foundation

• Demos

• Disciplinary Disparities Research to Practice Collaborative

• Disparities Action Network

• Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation

• East Boston Main Streets

• EdLaw Project

• Education Advocacy Clinic of Suffolk University Law School

• Education Law Task Force

• Egleston Main Streets

• Fair Employment Project

• Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston

• Friends of Madison Park

• Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders

• Greater Boston Legal Services

• Grove Hall Neighborhood Development Association

• Haley House

• Harvard Law School Education Law Clinic

• Health Justice for Boston

• High Point Families United

• Housing Discrimination Testing Programof Suffolk University Law School

• Hyde Park Main Streets

• International Institute of New England

• Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation

• Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action

• Justice at Work

• Kirstein Business Library, Boston Public Library

• Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

• League of United Latin American Citizens

• League of Women Voters of Massachusetts

• Massachusetts Appleseed

• Massachusetts Advocates for Children

• Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers

• Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health

• Massachusetts Coalition for the Fair Sentencing of Youth

• Massachusetts Employment Lawyers Association

• Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition

• Massachusetts Law Reform Institute

• Massachusetts Nurses Association

• MassVOTE

• Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee

• Merrimack Valley Small Business Assistance Center

• Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, Inc.(METCO, Inc.)

• Middle School Transportation Advisory Group toBoston Mayor Martin J. Walsh

• Mothers for Justice and Equality

• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

• New England Area Conference NAACP

• New England Equity Assistance Center

• New England United for Justice

• Northeastern University School of Law

• Office of Business Development for the City of Boston

• Operational Services Division/Supplier Diversity Office of

the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

• Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy(Northeastern University School of Law)

• Project PAIR

• Project Right

• Project Vote

• Roxbury Community College

• Roxbury Safety Net

• Small Business Administration

• Small Business Institute

• Strategies for Youth

• Tenant Advocacy Project

• University of Massachusetts Boston Small BusinessDevelopment Center

• Union of Minority Neighborhoods

• United for Justice and Peace• Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts

• Volunteer Lawyers Project

• West Roxbury Main Streets

• Worker Center for Economic Justice

• Youth Organizers for the Now Generation (YOUNG)

Collaborations & Community PartnersThe Lawyers’ Committee maintains close ties with many non-profit organizations, collaborating on variousprojects, and sharing information regarding legal issues affecting the community. In 2014, we workedalongside many organizations and community partners, including:


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2014 Annual Report

Co-Counsel & Pro Bono VolunteersThe Lawyers’ Committee is deeply grateful to the following individuals who assisted the organization in 2014 throughco-counseling our cases, participating in the Belin Economic Justice Project, and helping with the Election ProtectionProject. These individuals contributed significantly to the public interest. We apologize in advance if we have inadvertentlyomitted any of our wonderful volunteers.

John Adkins - Bingham McCutchenKen Appleby - Mintz LevinChristine Baker - Mintz LevinRichard Bauer - G.B.L.S.Megan Bisk - Ropes & GrayEric Blythe - Mintz LevinSarah Brannon - Project VoteEmilia Cannella - Ropes & GrayDavid Cappillo - Goodwin ProcterJonathan Cheng - Ropes & GrayEsther Cho - Mintz LevinJohn Chory - Latham & WatkinsMolly Clayton - WilmerHaleWilliam Collins - Goodwin ProcterKevin Conroy - Foley HoagJack Creedon - Ropes & GrayTaras Czebiniak - Ropes & GrayLisa Danetz - DemosMelissa Danforth - Ropes & GrayKristen Davenport - Goodwin ProcterSally Davis - Ropes & GrayBill Davison - Ropes & GrayAlexia De Vincentis - Ropes & GrayAndrew Diehl - Goodwin ProcterChristie DiNapoli - WilmerHaleAnna Dodson - Goodwin ProcterChris Dunn - Ropes & GrayJulienne Eby - Ropes & GrayBrigitte Eichner - WilmerHaleKen Feiter - Ropes & GrayKenneth Felter - Ropes & GrayVinita Ferrera - WilmerHaleMichelle Fiedman - Ropes & GrayAlyssa Fitzgerald - Goodwin ProcterDeanna Fitzgerald - Ropes & GrayCatherine Flanagan - Project VoteJoshua Fox - WilmerHaleCaroline Gammill - Mintz Levin

Lauren Gesserman-Smith - Goodwin ProcterDavid Godkin - Birnbaum & GodkinChristine Griffin - Anderson & KreigerMike Gross III - Ropes & GrayAaron Harsh - Ropes & GrayJustin Hebensteit - Ropes & GrayMark Heller - Goodwin ProcterJenna Hoeler - Ropes & GrayAnthony Hubbard - Mintz LevinPatrick Hurley - Goodwin ProcterRebecca Izzo - WilmerHale Vladimir Jeune - Goodwin ProcterJeff Katz - Ropes & GrayRobert Kengle - Lawyers’ Committee for

Civil Rights Under LawRobert Kester - Goodwin ProcterSamantha Kirby - Goodwin ProcterArthur Kreiger- Anderson & KreigerKristyn Bunce DeFilipp - Foley HoagNathaniel Kurtis - Ropes & GrayEric Labbe - Goodwin ProcterSusan Lake - Ropes & GrayAlexander Lazar - Latham & WatkinsMarc Lazar - Ropes & GrayJohn LeClaire - Goodwin ProcterSo-Eun Lee - Goodwin ProcterLindsay Leone - Mintz LevinIra Levy - Goodwin ProcterAdam Lioz - DemosRichard Loewy - Ropes & GrayBryan MacDonald - Ropes & GrayJenevieve Maerker - Foley HoagMina Makarious - Anderson & KreigerDave Mandel - Ropes & GraySusan Mazur - Latham & WatkinsMatthew Mazzotta - Ropes & GrayDavid Mcintosh - Ropes & Gray

Daniel Mejia - Ropes & GrayBoudett Michael - Foley HoagMatthew Miller - Foley HoagTavis Morello - Mintz LevinEugene L. Morgulis - Ropes & GraySiobhan C. Murphy - Goodwin ProcterStuart Naifeh - DemosWilliam Neeley - Goodwin ProcterScott Novakowski - DemosMark Nuccio - Ropes & GraySeth Orkand - WilmerHalePeter Osborn - WilmerHaleKevin Prussia - WilmerHaleKate Radtke - Ropes & GrayAvery Reaves - WilmerHaleAlejandro Reyes - Lawyers’ Committee

for Civil Rights Under LawPatrick Roath - Ropes & GrayTracy Roosevelt - Foley HoagJack Schecter - Mintz LevinSusan Sheffler - Ropes & GrayMegan Sherman - Goodwin ProcterEvan Smith - Latham & WatkinsStephaine Smith - WilmerHaleKaoru Susuki - Mintz LevinJoshua Talicska - Ropes & GrayEmily Taylor - Latham & WatkinsBrian Tessler - Ropes & GrayRyan Thomas - Goodwin ProcterMargaret Turner - G.B.L.S.Colin Van Dyke - Mintz LevinJustin Van Etten - Ropes & GrayChristine Wahr - Mintz LevinAmanda Willis - Foley HoagJonathan Woodard - WilmerHaleAl Zabin - Duane MorrisDan Zuckerman - Ropes & Gray



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Board of DirectorsCO-CHAIRSInez H. Friedman-Boyce, Esq.Goodwin Procter LLP

Lisa J. Pirozzolo, Esq.Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP

TREASURERLoretta R. Richard, Esq.Ropes & Gray LLP

DIRECTORSNavjeet K. Bal, Esq.Nixon Peabody, LLP

Edward J. Barshak, Esq.Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen, P.C.Richard Belin, Esq.

Natasha Z. Boye, Esq.Mt. Washington BankDonna M. Brewer, Esq.,Miyares and Harrington LLPSteve Churchill, Esq.Fair Work P.C.Juan A. Concepción, Esq.Local.com CorporationLinda M. Davidson, Esq.The Davidson Law PracticeWayne F. Dennison, Esq.Brown Rudnick LLPThomas J. Dougherty, Esq.Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Tiffanie C. Ellis-Niles, Esq.Lyles & Niles, LLPVinita Ferrera, Esq.Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLPRory FitzPatrick, Esq.Cetrulo LLPAna M. Francisco, Esq.Foley & Lardner LLPDaniel J. Gleason, Esq.Nutter McClennen & Fish LLPDavid S. Godkin, Esq.Birnbaum & Godkin, LLPAnita F. Hill, Esq.Brandeis UniversityPaul Holtzman, Esq.Krokidas & Bluestein LLPWilliam A. Horne, Esq.

Yalonda T. Howze, Esq.Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovskyand Popeo, P.C.Laurence M. Johnson, Esq.Davis, Malm & D’Agostine, P.C.Gary Klein, Esq.Klein Kavanagh Costello, LLPClaire Laporte, Esq.Foley Hoag LLPScott P. Lewis, Esq.Anderson & Kreiger LLPJohn Lozada, Esq.Massachusetts Department of Transportation

Matthew R. Lynch, Esq.Nixon Peabody LLPEric J. Marandett, Esq.Choate Hall & Stewart LLPSusan L. Mazur, Esq.Latham & Watkins LLPNeil V. McKittrick, Esq.Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.James L. Messenger, Esq.LeClairRyanPaul E. Nemser, Esq.Goodwin Procter LLPJody L. Newman, Esq.Collora LLPAlexa H. O’Keefe, Esq.Nutter McClennen & Fish LLPKenneth J. Parsigian, Esq.Latham & Watkins LLPGlendora M. Putnam, Esq.

Robert H. Smith, Esq.Suffolk University School of LawLaura Steinberg, Esq.Sullivan & Worcester LLPHarvey J. Wolkoff, Esq.Ropes & Gray LLP

Member Firms & OrganizationsOur Member Firms and Organizations are the law firms and affinity bar organizations that supportus and have members who sit on our Board of Directors.

Anderson & Kreiger, LLP

Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts

Birnbaum & Godkin, LLP

Brown Rudnick LLP

Casner & Edwards, LLP

Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP

Collora LLP

Davis, Malm & D’Agostine, P.C.

Foley Hoag LLP

Goodwin Procter LLP

Klein Kavanagh Costello, LLP

Krokidas & Bluestein LLP

Latham & Watkins LLP

Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys

Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association

Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.

Morgan Lewis & Blockius LLP

Nixon Peabody LLP

Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP

Ropes & Gray LLP

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

South Asian Bar Association

Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen, P.C.

Sullivan & Worcester LLP

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP


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2014 Annual Report

INTERNSNadia AridHarvard Law School

Torie AtkinsonHarvard Law School

Marina BasseasHarvard Law School

Mena EremuthaHarvard Law SchoolL.L.M. Program

Douglas HorneNortheastern UniversitySchool of Law

Anna JosephHarvard Law School

Abbey KeisterHarvard Law School

Alexa MarinNortheastern UniversitySchool of Law

Sarah SpoffordNortheastern UniversitySchool of Law

Johanna TaylorHeller School of SocialPolicy, Brandeis University

Micheal TuriHarvard Law School

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHTWe want to highlight two individuals whose volunteer contributions tothe Lawyers’ Committee truly helped to shape our legal and advocacywork in 2014:

FELLOWBryn Sfetsios is a Litigation Fellow with theLawyers’ Committee’s Employment Project.She graduated from Pennsylvania StateUniversity with a B.A. in both Sociology andPolitical Science in 2009, and received herJ.D. from the Boston University School ofLaw in 2013. During her time in law school,Bryn interned with the Enforcement andInvestigations Division of the MassachusettsCommission Against Discrimination, was astudent attorney for the Employment RightsClinic and Greater Boston Legal Services, andlaw clerked for Pontikes Law, LLC.

A SPECIALTHANKSThe Lawyers' Committee would like tooffer profound thanks and gratitude toNorma P. D'Apolito, Jessica Sommer,Sasha Kopf, and Kendra Sena, each ofwhom made significant contributions

to the work and direction of theLawyers' Committee during theirtenure here.

Tyler Crosby is a 2013 graduate ofNortheastern University School of Law. Asa volunteer with the Lawyers’ Committee,Tyler organized the New England RegionalHearing of the National Commission on VotingRights and Election Administration in Marchof 2014. He also participated in the researchand drafting of an amicus brief for City ofBrockton v. Energy Facilities Siting Board,an environmental justice matter heard theMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Tyleris now an attorney in Boston. He foundeda consulting firm, Specific Performance

Consulting and Studios, where he coachesattorneys on acting, performance, and publicspeaking skills.

Joanna Taylor is the lead author of the Lawyers’Committee’s report, Not Measuring Up: TheState of School Discipline in Massachusetts.Joanna is a doctoral candidate at the HellerSchool of Social Policy at Brandeis University.Before pursuing her Ph.D., Joanna taught for sixyears in Boston Public Schools and served as ayouth worker in Jamaica Plain.



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STAFF BIOS

Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Executive DirectorIván joined the Lawyers’ Committee in April 2015. Previously, he was the LegalDirector of the Center for HIV Law and Policy; a staff attorney at Lambda Legal andMALDEF; an associate at Fried Frank; and a judicial law clerk, first in the U.S. District

Court, S.D.N.Y., and then in the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. Iván is a graduateof the University of Pennsylvania and NYU School of Law. The National LGBT BarAssociation has recognized him as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40.

Rahsaan D. Hall, Deputy DirectorRahsaan joined the Lawyers’ Committee as a Staff Attorney in March 2008. Hewas appointed Deputy Director in 2011. Before coming to the Lawyers’ Committee,Rahsaan was a member of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Rahsaan is

a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law. In addition to his advocacy atthe Lawyers’ Committee, Rahsaan is an Itinerant Elder with the AME Church.

Matt Cregor, Staff AttorneyMatt Cregor joined the Lawyers’ Committee in January 2014 and works on avariety of education matters including school discipline, special education, andstudent assignment. Previously, Matt served as a staff attorney for the NAACP LegalDefense and Educational Fund and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Matt is a 2006graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center.

Sarah Gautier, Acting Project Director, Belin Economic Justice ProjectSarah joined the Lawyers' Committee in 2011 as fellow and became a staff attorneyin 2012. In 2014, Sarah served as the Acting Project Director of the Belin EconomicJustice Project (EJP), which provides legal technical assistance for low-income,immigrant and minority entrepreneurs. Sarah coordinates with member firms and

community organizations to host workshops, clinics, and other EJP events. Sarah isalso a Youth Pastor at Congregación León de Judá.

Gerald Glover III, Assistant Project Manager, Belin Economic Justice ProjectGerald joined the Lawyers’ Committee in 2013 as an intern to the Belin EconomicJustice Project. In 2014, Gerald was named Assistant Project Manager of EJP, workingclosely with Sarah Gautier to organize business legal clinics and workshops. Geraldcomes to Boston from Philadelphia, and graduated from Suffolk University LawSchool in May 2015.

Priya Lane, Staff AttorneyPriya, a former Lawyers’ Committee intern, returned to the office in 2013 after

graduating from Northeastern University School of Law. After working for a yearas a fellow, Priya became a staff attorney in 2014. Priya works closely with Matt Cregoron education issues as well as employment and housing matters.

Laura Maslow-Armand, Staff AttorneyLaura joined the Lawyers’ Committee in 2003. Prior to that, she served as AssistantAttorney General in the Civil Rights and Public Charities Divisions. Laura is a graduateof Harvard College and Harvard Law School. She divides her time between employmentdiscrimination litigation and the Medical Legal Partnership.


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Phone: 617-482-1145Fax: 617-482-4392www.lawyerscom.org


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