Celebrate Pro Bono Week 2026!
Updated: Oct 31
This year, the American Bar Association has chosen the theme “Serving Justice. Strengthening Democracy.” and it fits the attorneys that work with us perfectly. Every day, the firms and their pro bono attorneys who partner with us show up for young people and families who need someone in their corner. They help make sure equity in education is something everyone can count on, not just those who can afford it.
We’re so grateful for them and below we’re excited to recognize our pro bono partners and share a few stories that show what their volunteered time and work makes possible.
Our Pro Bono Panel:
Thanks to the efforts of our Pro Bono Panel of the following individuals we have had 45 additional families receiving support over the last year.
The total number of students represented by our pro bono panel since inception has grown to over 200 students. We'd also like to call attention to how many panel members have helped more than one student (denoted with a star*)!
Anderson Kreiger, LLP
Kristen Gagalis*
Barnes & Thornburg, LLP
Alex Nagorniy
Derek Roller
Choate Hall & Stewart LLP
John Calhoun
Michael Gass
Lo McMann
Seth Mennillo*
Nicholas Shamberger
Stefano Sharma
Robert Shames
Natalia Smychkovich*
DLA Piper, LLP
Stephanie Faraci*
Foley Hoag
Rebecca Cabazon, Pro Bono Counsel
Goodwin Procter LLP
Carolyn Rosenthal, Pro Bono Manager
Karola Castaneda-Garcia
Gaebriella DeLisle*
Shannyn Henke*
Gregg Katz*
Christie Larochelle
Emma Murray
Daniela Sanchez
Michael Shriner
Maria Smith
Laura Wood*
Latham & Watkins LLP
Emma Abrams
Avery Borreliz
Danielle Cheffo
Mike Foley
Cory Lewis*
Ken Parsigian*
Charles Sanders
Sam Townsend
Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
Andrea McCullough*
Leigh Kenney*
Mass Mutual
Melissa Waite*
Abby Wadsworth
Katelyn Denney
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Alison Sclater, Pro Bono Counsel
Laura Lerner*
Stephen Miklus*
Ogletree Deakins
Lisa Stephanian Burton*
Mariah Micca
Proskauer Rose, LLP
Hayley Kronthal
Jesse Messmer
Alexandra "Lexie" Reynolds*
Carol Wu
Robinson + Cole, LLP
Alison Carbonaro
Sharon Fry
Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP
Brandon Arber*
Katie Groves
Lisa White
Troutman Pepper Locke
Patrick Archambault
What Pro Bono Can Do...
We'd also like to highlight just a few client stories from the past 12 months that exemplify the wonderful work the attorneys above are doing to ensure Massachusetts' children and emerging adults are able to receive access to an equitable education.
Please join us in reading their stories below and thanking all these incredible attorneys for volunteering their time and expertise!
The team from Proskauer has been representing the sister of a former client. As a result of their advocacy, this 5th grade student with dyslexia is now attending the Landmark School where she is doing well and growing leaps and bounds in her confidence and academic skills.
A team from Latham & Watkins recently wrapped up an eight year representation of a student! They represented this student across a number of settings, from public school where he struggled, moving to a private day school and then two different residential placements, back to another private day school, and finally back to his local high school. Over this time, they were there to help him address any challenges that came up, get help for his emotional and learning disabilities, and have his voice heard by his family and his schools. We are particularly grateful to Sam Townsend who stayed involved with this student the entire time, getting the help of many other Latham attorneys along the way.
The team at Shook, Hardy & Bacon began working with a young student with autism back in 2024. As a result of their advocacy, she was offered a placement at the New England Center for Children, where she is thriving.
Laura Lerner of Morgan Lewis began working with a student on the autism spectrum 5 years ago. Ultimately this student was placed at a school for students with moderate autism where she is doing well. Laura continues to attend this student's IEP meetings to make sure she is continuing to make progress.
In the last 4 months, teams from Liberty Mutual, Mass Mutual, DLA Piper, and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius have taken on new cases and are actively supporting these students to get the special education services and settings that they need.
We are so grateful for our pro bono partners for stepping up for new cases and remaining involved with older cases. Their involvement makes the difference between a student succeeding in education versus being left behind. Since beginning our pro bono panel 10 years ago, through the efforts of the pro bono attorneys, we have been able to help over 200 families across Massachusetts.
Get Involved:
Want to use your legal skills to make a lasting difference for young people?
We’d love to hear from you. In recent years, students with disabilities, students from low-income families, and students from immigrant families have faced growing obstacles to the education they are entitled to. With new state laws and continued federal funding cuts, Massachusetts families need more committed, knowledgeable advocates who can step in when systems fall short. If you’re an attorney interested in being part of that work, we invite you to learn more about joining our pro bono panel. To learn more, please contact YAF Executive Director, Michele Scavongelli, at mscavongelli@youthadvocacyfoundation.org.
