The Youth Advocacy Foundation (YAF) is

celebrating pro bono week 2024!

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 year.

We'd like to start with a huge THANK YOU to Carolyn Rosenthal the Director of Pro Bono at Goodwin Procter.

Thank you Gregg Katz and Gaebriella DeLisle of Goodwin Procter for representing three students over the course of this year! This team provided representation for two siblings, each with unique struggles in their school district. One of the siblings, a 7th grade student with developmental, physical, and emotional disabilities, has already been placed in a more appropriate out-of-district placement and great progress is being made to secure the necessary services for the other sibling, a fourth grade student in need of language-based program. They are also representing a 5th grade student who is struggling both academically and emotionally. Gabriella and Gregg worked with an independent evaluator to update the child's IEP with appropriate services.

Thank you to the team of Gregg Katz, Laura Wood and Maria Smith of Goodwin Procter for representing a 5th grade student with autism who is not receiving the needed services at school. They are currently arranging for an observation of his program by an expert to determine what his needs are.

Thanks again to Gregg Katz and Laura Wood of Goodwin Procter who, in additional to the student they represented with Maria Smith, represented two other students in the past year. They provided Pro Bono representation of an eight-year-old boy who was hospitalized due to aggressive behaviors as a result of a brain injury at birth. His school was not providing appropriate supports. They immediately jumped in to advocate for student and as a result, he received placement at an appropriate specialized school and was able to be discharged from the hospital and is now attending school and thriving at school and at home. This team of exceptional attorneys are also representing a high school student in need of therapeutic day program. A placement was made in early 2024, but the student is currently having issues with that placement and they continue to help the student find a program to fit the student’s needs.

Our next thank you goes out to Gregg Katz and Daniela Sanchez of Goodwin Procter for representing a 19-year-old student with emotional disabilities who attends a private therapeutic school. This student recently received an autism diagnosis and the team is working to update the student’s IEP to accurately reflect their needs.

Thank you Matt Leno and Sean Phipps of Barnes & Thornburg for representing a fourth grader who was in the hospital at the time of intake. The team was able to obtain a new placement within the school district for this student. They are now looking at making the case for an out-of-district placement to better fit this student’s needs.



We’d also like to thank the team of Matt Leno, Derek Roller and Alex Nagorniy of Barnes & Thornburg for their representation of a fourth grade student with dyslexia. Through their advocacy, the district found the student eligible for special education and then they secured a placement at a school designed to support his needs as well as targeted 1:1 tutoring over the summer. This student is now thriving in school.

Please join us in thanking these incredible attorneys

for volunteering their time and expertise!

Pro bono work is a professional responsibility and an individual ethical commitment for every lawyer, and this week we celebrate those who have given their time as part of our pro bono panel. To learn more about Pro Bono Week please visit:

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/center-pro-bono/celebrate-pro-bono/

Marlies Spanjaard, CEO and President

Michele Scavongelli, Executive Director

YAF Board of Directors

Duci Goncalves, Chairperson

Directors

Edith Bazile

Laura Bickel, Clerk

Allyson Black-Foley

Alondra Bobadilla

Jeremy Cohn, Emeritus

Chris DiMeo

Josh Dohan, Emeritus

Ami Fatula, Treasurer

Amy Feinman

Katherine Hall Page, Emeritus

Camai Mazzulla

Jeff McCarthy

Steven J. Pacini

Calixto Perez, Jr.

Deb Poppel

Suzanne Schlossberg

Bridget Treco-Bettez, Vice President