On Wednesday, October 26, 2022, Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Elspeth Cypher will present awards to two attorneys and two law students selected by the Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services, in recognition of their exceptional dedication to providing volunteer services for persons who cannot afford an attorney for their essential legal needs. The Committee will also recognize the achievements of attorneys, law students, and legal organizations who qualified for the Supreme Judicial Court Pro Bono Honor Roll.

Justice Cypher will present the annual Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards, named in honor of John Adams and John Quincy Adams, to the following individuals for their outstanding pro bono work:

Rebecca MacDowell Lecaroz, a partner at Brown Rudnick, for her leadership in federal voting rights litigation on behalf of community organizations representing Black and Latino/a populations in Worcester, and in preparing humanitarian parole applications for submission to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on behalf of Afghan families following the fall of Kabul, among other pro bono efforts.
Eleanor Newhoff, Newhoff Law Office, for her extraordinary dedication to pro bono work throughout her career, especially on behalf of immigrants and victims of crime and domestic violence, and to mentoring other pro bono attorneys.
Chris Creech, Boston University School of Law, Class of 2022, for his extensive pro bono service during law school in the field of international human rights.
Raven Francomano, University of Massachusetts (Dartmouth) School of Law, Class of 2022, for providing hundreds of hours of pro bono service during law school to indigent artists and small arts nonprofit organizations through Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.
The SJC Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services works to promote volunteer legal work in Massachusetts to help people of limited means in need of legal representation, in accordance with Rule 6.1 of the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys. The awards ceremony is one of many activities celebrating and building support for pro bono legal work in Massachusetts during the month of October, a month officially proclaimed Pro Bono Month by Governor Charlie Baker. The American Bar Association has also proclaimed a National Celebration of Pro Bono during the week of October 23-29, 2022.