Massachusetts residents looking for free legal advice were in
luck on Wednesday, Aug. 15. The MBA and WBZ Call for Action
collaborated to present the Ask A Lawyer call-in program. Nearly
150 residents took advantage of this free service and spoke to an
MBA volunteer attorney regarding their legal concerns or
questions.
Phones were staffed by six MBA volunteers, while WBZ and MBA
staff helped facilitate call-backs. The Ask A Lawyer was a regular
program from 1978 until 2005. The MBA and WBZ Call for Action have
revived the program to meet the growing legal needs of the
commonwealth's citizens.
"The Massachusetts Bar Association is proud to have worked with
WBZ radio to bring back this critical program," MBA immediate past
President Richard P. Campbell said. "The country's current economic
crisis has both pushed the need for legal help to an all-time-high
and made it harder for the average citizen to afford legal
services. We hope this program can help bridge that gap."
In the midst of the call-in program, Campbell and Eric Parker,
chair of the MBA's Task Force on Law, the Economy and
Underemployment, were in-studio guests on WBZ's NightSide with Dan
Rea. Rea pledged on air to hold the program annually again.
MBA extends special thanks to volunteer attorneys Daniel Occena,
Mary K. Lee, Richard Sugarman, Sheryl Furnari, Scott Heidorn and
Stuart Rosnick for donating their time to participate in this
public service.
WBZ Call for Action, in existence for 40 years, is a non-profit
telephone information, referral and action service dedicated to
resolving people's problems. A free service, it is a member of the
national organization, Call For Action, Inc.