The Massachusetts Bar Association has launched a free legal
assistance pilot program in Norfolk County to help county residents
who are seeking court-ordered inpatient treatment for a family
member or friend struggling with opioid addiction. The program,
spearheaded by MBA President Robert W. Harnais, offers assistance
with a state law, known as "Section 35" (Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 123,
Section 35), which permits individuals to petition the courts to
involuntarily commit substance abusers to an inpatient treatment
program when their alcohol or drug use puts themselves or others at
risk.
Under the program, Norfolk County residents can contact the
MBA's Section 35 Helpline, available toll-free at (844) 843-6221,
or via helpus@massbar.org, where they will be put in touch
with volunteer lawyers, who will assist them pro bono (for
free) with their Section 35 petitions, up to and including going to
court. The Section 35 Helpline, the first of its kind in the
commonwealth, is currently being run as a pilot program, and
pro bono lawyers are only available to Norfolk County
residents.