Celebrate Pro Bono Week - Recognition - Tuesday October 21

Each day, throughout this week, we will be highlighting firms and people volunteering their time to ensure Massachusetts' children and emerging adults are able to receive access to an equitable education, by sharing some of the incredible work they're doing or have done this 12 months.

Please join us in reading their stories in the comments and thanking these incredible attorneys for volunteering their time and expertise! #celebrateprobono

We'd like to start by thanking Michael Gass and Seth Mennillo for acting as Pro Bono Coordinators of Choate, Hall & Stewart and Rebecca Cazabon for being Pro Bono Counsel of Foley Hoag.

We'd like to thank Kristen Gagalis of Anderson & Kreiger for representing an 18 year old autistic young woman, who thanks to Kristen's advocacy, was appropriately placed in a day school that is able to meet her needs. The student continues to struggle at the new school so Kristen is working with them to make sure the student's needs are properly addressed.  In addition, we'd also like to thank Kristen for representing a 20 year old student attending a residential school and helping the family navigate some ongoing challenges with staff interactions and their ability to support the student.

Thank you Matt Leno, Alex Nagorniy and Derek Roller of Barnes & Thornburg for your pro bono advocacy this year!  This team secured an out-of-district placement for a 5th grade student at a school for students with language-based learning disabilities.  The student has been there over a year and is absolutely thriving and succeeding.  They are now working with the family to ensure that this placement can continue.

We'd also like to thank the team of Seth Menillo, Silvia Faria, Lo McMann, Natalia Smychkovich, Nicholas Shamberger, Daniel Brutti, Michael Gass of Choate Hall & Stewart for your pro bono representation this year.  This large team from Choate has been representing a 12 year old student since the spring of 2023.  They initially secured a placement at a therapeutic day school, and most recently, with the help of many other attorneys at Choate, represented the student at a BSEA Hearing seeking a residential placement. Choate has brought enormous legal resources and talent to bear to help this student.

Another big thanks to Rachel Kerner, Howard Weiss, Christopher Hart and William Holt of Foley Hoag for helping a student who was out of school due to lack of appropriate ervices and severe bullying.  This team helped her secure a placement at a school with small class sizes that can provide the reading and emotional support she needs.  The student now in 11th grade loves her new school and is making great progress. 

We'd also like to thank Spenser Angel of Foley Hoag for supporting a family that just needed advice to make sure their student receives the education and services they deserve.

Please join us again in thanking these wonderful attorneys and check back tomorrow for more stories of attorneys and the incredible pro bono work they've done in the past year and continue to do. #supportingcommunities #probonoweek2025