Join colleagues and distinguished friends on Thursday, Oct. 28 from 6-9 p.m. at The State Room, 60 State St., Boston (formerly the Bay Tower Room), to mark the 40th anniversary of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation.
A gala evening is planned, including a silent auction of many interesting items, a live auction featuring celebrity auctioneer Bob Lobel (CBS4 Boston sports anchor), as well as live entertainment and an elegant dinner with a dramatic view of the Boston skyline.
Proceeds from the 40th Anniversary Gala will directly benefit the foundation in addressing unmet legal needs in the state.
John J. Curtin, Jr., of Bingham McCutchen L.L.P., will serve as the 40th Anniversary Gala's Honorary Chairperson. Curtin was president of the American Bar Association from 1990-1991 and the Boston Bar Association from 1979-1981. This year also marks his 40th anniversary at Bingham, having begun at Bingham, Dana & Gould as an associate in 1964. He also has served on the Massachusetts Bar Association's House of Delegates.
Gala co-chairs are Francis A. Ford and Carol A. Witt.
Table sponsorships are available for the evening, priced from $7,500 - $2,500, including premium seating and recognition in the event program book, and individual tickets are priced at $150. For table and ticket reservations or information, call (617) 338-0530.
Since its founding in 1964 as the philanthropic partner of the Massachusetts Bar Association, the MBF has enlisted the help of lawyers and judges as "fellows" to increase the public's access to justice and to advance the administration of justice. Currently, more than 1,400 legal professionals across the state are involved in the foundation's Fellows Program.
Each year, the foundation's IOLTA Grants Program awards more than 100 grants to nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts whose programs either provide civil legal services to the state's low-income population, or improve the administration of justice in the commonwealth. For the 2004/2005 grant year, the MBF Board of Trustees awarded a total of $3,144,698 in IOLTA funding to 128 programs at 93 non-profit organizations statewide.
IOLTA grants enable recipients to provide critical legal assistance to the disadvantaged who have few resources to address issues, including immigration status, domestic violence, housing, and access to the justice system. The Massachusetts Bar Foundation is also committed to fostering careers and volunteerism in public interest law. The MBF Legal Intern Fellowship Program (LIFP) provides fellowships to outstanding law students for volunteer internships at non-profit organizations providing civil legal services to indigent clients across the state.