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2025 Annual Volunteer Appreciation Event: Powered by Volunteers, Inspired by Leadership
Join us at our Annual Volunteer Appreciation Event as we celebrate the power our volunteers have in creating access to justice in our community and honor our 2025 awardees: Joanna Allison, Esq., Kevin Finnegan, Esq., Pamela Kogut, Esq., and Steven Greenzang, Esq.. We will also be celebrating the retirement of Joanna Allison, our Executive Director, after 32 years with VLP.
| | Ropes and Gray Volunteers Advocate for Single Mother Facing Housing Instability | |
 | | In 2021, a distressed mother of two young children came to VLP seeking assistance with her eviction case. For years, our client was harassed by another tenant who reported our client for unsubstantiated noise complaints and disturbances, calling law enforcement hundreds of times with no disturbances found. The landlord’s solution to this conflict was to evict both our client and the other tenant to avoid any more strife. A pro bono attorney picked up this case, advocating that our client shouldn't have to leave her unit due to baseless claims against her. After the landlord dropped the eviction case, only our client's counterclaims against the landlord for harassment remained. The case continued in housing court as a civil matter with our client now pursuing her claims against the defendant landlord. As the case grew in scope, it eventually eclipsed the initial attorney's capacity, and so they took advantage of VLP's network of pro bono attorneys and assisted in referring the case to Ropes and Gray, where three attorneys, Andrew Cashmore, Elise Ogden, and Lisa Richmond took it on. The team worked closely with our client to ensure her voice was heard throughout the process. In June, moments before jury selection at trial was set to begin, the parties reached a last-minute settlement, with the landlord agreeing to pay $25,000 to our client. From the stress of facing housing instability and harassment, this 4-year-long conflict took a major toll on the mental health of our client. We hope this outcome can mark the end of this difficult chapter for our client and bring her financial and mental relief.
Attorney Cashmore, Attorney Ogden, and Attorney Richmond shared: “This case is a testament to the unwavering support, attention to detail, and collective effort that made all the difference from the earliest stages through to settlement. We hope this result will help our client continue to move forward from this difficult chapter, and we thank everyone involved for always putting her first.”
VLP would like to thank the Ropes team for dedicating their time and talent to this case. Because of you, our client can move forward with her life without this burden. Volunteers like you help VLP make a difference in our community!
| | Double Victory for Staff Attorney Kevin Corkran! | |
| | | VLP’s Bankruptcy and Consumer Staff Attorney, Kevin Corkran, recently won a double trial representing a client at BMC Dorchester. The client came to VLP in July facing two debts, both upwards of $3,000, from PayPal, without any way to pay them off. This older client did not have a strong enough income to pay off these debts, and only heard about this debt when he received a letter from the Attorney General’s office. Staff Attorney Kevin Corkran took on this case, eager to help this client resolve this issue that had been causing him great stress. Kevin and our Summer Intern, Owen Chartier, reviewed the documents of this case and found many irregularities. Kevin advised the client to go to trial, where he argued that the documents served to our client neglected to list late fees in the damages list, an incorrect amount they were suing for, and an addendum in the assignment document was missing. Kevin used a new legal argument in this case, challenging the “Account Stated” theory. The Judge ruled in favor of our client, saving him over $7,000 in debt. Kevin shared, “I was really happy- it is a lot of money to owe someone, especially with predatory practices and incomplete documents, it was a great feeling to help someone who needed it”. Kevin thanks his fellow Staff Attorneys Natasha Lewis, Elizabeth Mason, and Theodore Tierney, who have helped him face cases like these and Consumer and Bankruptcy intern Owen Chartier, who helped him with this case. Congratulations, Kevin on this double victory!
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Daniela Londono Ramirez
Housing and Appeals Paralegal
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Lisa Marshall, Esq.
Housing and Appeals Supervising Attorney
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Celebrating Pro Bono Milestones
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100 Cases with VLP
A huge congratulations and thank you to our dedicated Pro Bono Attorney, Maegan Hurley, who recently took on her 100th Bankruptcy case with VLP! Since 2017, Maegan has been working with our Bankruptcy clients, helping to discharge over $2 million in debt. We are continually grateful to Maegan for the difference she has made in the lives of our clients. It is volunteers like her who make a positive impact on our community and support our mission to create access to justice. Thank you, Maegan, for volunteering your time and expertise to VLP, we are so thankful for you!
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1,000 Hours with VLP
VLP extends a big congratulations and thank you to our devoted volunteer, Steven Greenzang, Esq., who recently completed 1,000 hours of volunteering with VLP. Steve is an invaluable volunteer who consistently goes above and beyond advocating for our clients and making sure their needs are met during a challenging time in their lives. The work of our volunteers is crucial to our mission of creating access to justice, and without volunteers like Steve, many clients would go without the legal representation they need. Thank you, Steve, for dedicating your time and talent to our mission and helping to make a positive impact in our community!
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Spreading the Word- Landlord Advocacy
Check out the VLP Landlord Advocacy team as they discuss the services VLP provides for low-income qualifying landlords on the SPOA podcast.
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Remembering Long-Time Volunteer,
Sharon V. Jones, Esq.
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| | | Sharon V. Jones passed away peacefully on June 25, 2025. Sharon was a dedicated volunteer at VLP, who had a tremendous impact on our client and volunteer community. Moving to Boston for college, Sharon studied Criminal Justice at Northeastern University and went on to receive her Law degree from New England School of Law. In 2004, she founded her own law firm, the Law Office of Sharon V. Jones, where she advocated for clients in matters from landlord- tenant issues, to probate and family law. Sharon dedicated her professional life to helping individuals and families receive justice, especially in housing matters. For over two decades she volunteered at both our Housing and Family Law clinics, where she skillfully advocated for our clients and creating access to justice for them. Sharon’s commitment to community service and justice will continue to have lasting impacts on the lives of the clients she assisted and will continue to inspire those who worked alongside her. She is survived by her life partner, four siblings, a large extended family, her colleagues, and her sisterhoods of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Lambda Kappa Mu Sorority. We celebrate the life of Sharon V. Jones and honor her legacy.
| | Join Us for an Upcoming Training | | |
Unemployment Training
Monday, September 15th, 2025
12:00 pm- 1:30 pm
This training will cover the basics of unemployment law, including eligibility for unemployment benefits, a description of the process of applying, and how to represent clients at administrative hearings.
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Wage Theft Training
Monday, September 29th, 2025
12:00 pm- 1:30 pm
The training will primarily cover the Massachusetts Wage Act (M.G.L. c. 149 and c. 151) and corresponding regulations. Topics will include minimum wage violations, overtime violations, non-payment of wages, unlawful deductions, and misclassification of independent contractors.
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Summary Process Eviction Defense Training
Thursday, October 16th, 2025
11:30 am- 1:30 pm
Attend this training and you will leave with a general understanding of the eviction process in Massachusetts. You will also learn the defenses and resources that are available to tenants to prevent or win an eviction case. Lunch will be provided before the training! After the training, you will have enough knowledge to begin volunteering with VLP's housing unit and join them in the promotion of access to counsel and justice in the commonwealth.
| | Join Us for an Upcoming Clinic | | |
VOLUNTEER with us.
Join our expansive network of dedicated professionals today!
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