Volunteer attorneys answer calls from Boston Marathon bombing victims on May 30.
Photos by Carol Fee.
The Massachusetts Bar Association hosted its second Marathon
Bombing Dial-A-Lawyer on Wednesday, May 30, offering marathon
victims an opportunity to speak to volunteer attorneys from 5:30 to
7:30 p.m.
"The horrible series of events has had an impact on many," said
MBA Secretary Martha Rush O'Mara. "One way to assist victims is by
offering my time and legal expertise. Sometimes time is just as
valuable as a monetary contribution."
The MBA is also seeking attorneys who are available to take a case
pro bono, if called upon. The MBA anticipates that there
will likely be a need for legal help in the areas of housing,
disability claims, workers' compensation, employment and insurance.
"As a lawyer in Boston, I felt that sharing my legal knowledge
and assistance was something useful I could do professionally for
those people injured at the marathon," said Thomas J. Barbar, the
chair of the MBA's Law Practice Management Section. "I couldn't
think of a better way to do so than through an organized
professional association with experience in these matters, such as
the Massachusetts Bar Association."
In addition to directly helping the victims, the MBA has been
advocating in public and private discourses for The One Fund to
extend its application deadline. Recent coverage of the MBA's
efforts can be seen in the Boston Globe and New York Times.
"The measure of a successful charity is one that responds
quickly but excludes no worthy and needy person based upon an
arbitrary deadline. It is only right that late but worthy claims be
accepted as long as there is any money remaining in the fund. Let
us try to make sure that in our rush to aid the victims we do not
leave any behind," said the MBA in a "Letter to the Editor," that
ran in the Boston Globe this week.
The MBA thanks its May 30 Marathon
Bombing Dial-A-Lawyer attorney volunteers:
- Daryl Abbas;
- Thomas Barbar;
- Bethany Bartlett;
- Robert Carney;
- Susan Cohen;
- Jackie Cowin;
- Kwadwo Frimpong;
- David Hass;
- James Jacobson;
- Katherine Kenney;
- Martha Rush O'Mara;
- Samuel Segal; and
- Diane Swiercznski.