Ropes & Gray Delegation Takes “Walk to the Hill” Crown in Legal Aid Lobbying Effort

In The News
March 1, 2011

A group of 42 Ropes & Gray lawyers who participated in Boston’s Feb. 22 “Walk to the Hill” lobbying campaign took the award for best turnout in an event aimed at urging Massachusetts legislators to support funding for legal aid.

“Ropes & Gray’s turnout at the ‘Walk to the Hill’ event is another indication of our dedication to serving those in need of legal services who can’t afford to pay for them,” said Roz Nasdor, Ropes & Gray’s senior pro bono manager and a coordinator of this year’s event.

The lobbying effort comes as the Massachusetts Legal Aid Corporation (MLAC) has cut grants to legal aid programs by 55 percent since 2008, and the number of legal aid attorneys at MLAC-funded programs has fallen 21 percent. Meanwhile, those eligible for legal aid has grown by 91,000 between 2007 and 2009.

Ropes & Gray and its lawyers take seriously their commitment to public service. In 2010, the firm’s attorneys devoted more than 84,000 hours to pro bono clients, ranging from transactional work for nonprofits to cases for individuals referred by not-for-profit legal service providers.