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 by thanking Michael Gass and Seth Mennillo for acting as Pro Bono Coordinators of Choate, Hall & Stewart.

Thank you Conor O'Sullivan-Pierce of Choate, Hall & Stewart for representing a third grade student with severe non-verbal ASD. Thanks to Conor, this student obtained placement in private therapeutic day school.

Thank you Seth Mennillo and Silvia Faria of Choate, Hall & Stewart for representing a 7th grade student with emotional and learning disabilities. They secured placement in a substantially separate classroom within the school district and when that could not provide for all this student's needs, they secured a placement at an out-of-district special ed school. Seth and Silvia continue to represent the student to ensure that this school is a fit.

Thank you Natalia Smychkovich of Choate, Hall & Stewart for representing a young elementary school student who is deaf/hard of hearing. Thanks to her advocacy, this student is now receiving instruction that meets her needs. The student and their family are moving to a new town and Natalia is helping to ensure a smooth transition of school district responsibility for the student.

Thank you Stefano Sharma and Robert Shames of Choate, Hall & Stewart for advocating for a student with a learning disability and cognitive delays to receive appropriate inclusion supports to support him in the classroom.

Thank you Conor O'Sullivan Pierce and Meg Ziegler of Choate, Hall & Stewart for advocating for a student who is now going into 9th grade with significant learning disabilities. They originally secured him a placement in 4th grade at one private special education school and have helped his family find another school for him when he aged out of his old school.

Thank you Rebecca Cazabon for being Pro Bono Counsel of Foley Hoag.

We'd also like to thank Jasmine Brown and John Shope of Foley Hoag for representing twin six-year-old boys with physical and occupational therapy needs. Their family moved districts over the last year and was seeking appropriate special education services. The Foley team helped the family transition to appropriate services in the new district.

Another big thank you to Spenser Angel of Foley Hoag for representing a 2nd grade student with a history of school avoidance due to anxiety and medical issues and a psychiatric history of severe anxiety, separation anxiety, and sleep disorder that was found ineligible for special education. This representation is ongoing and they are currently waiting for a team meeting.

Thank you Nicholas Anastasi of Foley Hoag for advocating for appropriate services for a six-year-old student with ASD to receive appropriate IEP and services in his school setting.

Last but certainly not least, we'd like to thank Kelly Crosby and paralegal Janet Nolan of Liberty Mutual for representing a 17-year-old multilingual learning student with neurological, physical, and intellectual disabilities. The student recently moved districts and his complicated profile has made the transition difficult. The legal team is working to make sure the new district can adequately support the family.

Please join us in thanking these incredible attorneys and paralegal 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