The Law Offices of Joshua N. Garick, P.C. is committed to providing pro bono legal services to indigent members of the community. Rule 6.1 of the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct recommends that each member of the bar provide at least 25 hours of pro bono legal services to litigants of limited financial means each year. This is an advisory rule, and attorneys are not penalized if they do not reach this recommended goal. Mr. Garick recognizes that there are few affordable legal options, which often limits the opportunity of someone of limited means to avail themselves of the legal system.
To combat this problem, the Law Offices of Joshua N. Garick, P.C. is committed to carrying at least one pro bono case on our active case roster at all times. It is our goal to provide at least 100 hours of pro bono legal aid each year – four times the recommended minimum. Like any of our clients, we will aggressively and diligently represent your interests and provide you with the highest quality legal counsel.
Find out if you qualify:
If you have a legal dispute and cannot afford an attorney, we encourage you to contact the Law Offices of Joshua N. Garick, P.C. to see if you qualify for free legal representation. You must meet income guidelines and there can be no conflicts of interests with other clients of the firm. If you do not qualify for the program, or we are unable to represent you for any reason, we will do our best to find you an attorney through our network of public interest legal aid offices throughout the state.
Examples of Prior Pro Bono Engagements:
• Mr. Garick successfully represented a client in an appeal before the Supreme Judicial Court concerning his client’s termination from the Massachusetts Residential Voucher Program. Mr. Garick represented the client before both the Superior Court, the Appeals Court, and the Supreme Judicial Court, the highest appellate court in the state, where seven Justices heard the appeal and found in favor of Mr. Garick’s client. Information about this case can be found here.
• Mr. Garick successfully appealed a decision of a housing authority denying a client’s application for Section 8 rental subsidies. The housing authority cited a previous lawsuit filed by the client’s former landlord seeking to evict him for non-payment of rent as grounds for the denial. However, the previous case was settled prior to trial and the settlement agreement stated that no rent was due. On appeal to the Superior Court, a judge agreed that the housing authority lacked substantial evidence to support its denial. It further held that under existing housing laws, the housing authority was required to consider mitigating circumstances prior to denying an application for public housing benefits.
• Mr. Garick represented a client in a hearing before the Division of Unemployment Assistance to determine whether the client was eligible to receive unemployment benefits while receiving vocational training, rather than being actively engaged in an employment search.
• Mr. Garick represented a former employee in a dispute against an out-of-state company that terminated his COBRA health insurance coverage without notice, in violation of state and federal laws.
• Mr. Garick represented a mother against the father of her child in a child support modification action, in which the father concealed his increased income.
• Mr. Garick prepared and submitted a gubernatorial pardon application on behalf of an individual convicted of selling drugs in a school zone under a joint venture theory of liability. The client needed a pardon to prevent deportation under strict immigration laws.
Recognition:
The Law Offices of Joshua N. Garick, P.C. was named to the 2012 Pro Bono Honor Roll by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The Law Offices of Joshua N. Garick, P.C. was one of 33 law firms in Massachusetts to receive this recognition.
