Phones rang non-stop last month as residents from across Western Massachusetts flooded lines at Western New England College School of Law in Springfield with a record-breaking number of calls for free legal advice from volunteer lawyers affiliated with the Massachusetts Bar Association.
The MBA’s fall Western Mass. Dial-A-Lawyer, held Oct. 9, was a resounding success, as lawyers took 536 calls in four hours, smashing the old record of 401 calls, set in 2006.
“I was absolutely thrilled when we discovered just how many people received assistance,” said Dial-A-Lawyer coordinator Elizabeth A. O’Neil, director of Community and Public Services at the MBA.
“Knowing that the volunteer attorneys assisted 536 people in four hours was just incredibly heartwarming, particularly in light of breaking our record from several years ago of 401 calls.”
Thirty-four volunteer lawyers from throughout Western Massachusetts, from Springfield to Northampton, worked in two shifts to answers phone calls from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Calls came from residents of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties.
Lawyers answered a wide range of legal questions, including those concerning family law, personal injury, employment disputes, medical insurance and credit issues. The most popular topics seemed to center around estate planning and real estate matters, lawyers said.
Dial-A-Lawyer is a challenge because lawyers have to do the best they can in a short time before moving on to the next caller, said Claudette-Jean Girard, a lawyer at Szostkiewicz & Thorn in Springfield who volunteered at the Oct. 9 program.
“I like to do it. It’s fast-paced. You have to think fast on your feet,” she said. “You don’t know where the questions will be coming from.”
Easthampton lawyer Alfred P. Chamberland described Dial-A-Lawyer as “legal triage,” where lawyers work together to get the best answers to those on the other end of the phone line.
“A lot of times, it’s just pointing them in the right direction, telling them where to go,” Chamberland said. “It’s great to give back to the public.”
The Western Mass. Dial-A-lawyer program has been held for the past 12 years and became a semi-annual program, held in May and October, five years ago. Next year’s Dial-A-Lawyer programs will be held on May 21 and Oct. 22.
The program is a public service of the MBA and is co-sponsored by Western New England College School of Law, The Republican, El Pueblo Latino and the Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys.
“Volunteer attorneys find this program extremely rewarding and tend to come back to participate year after year,” O’Neil said.
The following attorneys participated in the Western Mass. Dial-A-Lawyer:
David H. Burstein
Burstein Law Offices PC, Springfield
Jeffrey Alan Burstein
Burstein Law Offices PC, Springfield
Charles R. Casartello Jr.
Pellegrini, Seeley, Ryan & Blakesley PC, Springfield
Petra I. Cervoni
Law Office of Petra I. Cervoni, Springfield
Alfred P. Chamberland
Law Office of Alfred P. Chamberland, Easthampton
Justin Howard Dion
Bacon & Wilson PC, Springfield
Mary K. Eaton
Eaton & Rescia, East Longmeadow
Dennis G. Egan Jr.
Bacon & Wilson PC, Springfield
Claudette-Jean Girard
Szostkiewicz & Thorn, Springfield
Michael J. Grilli
Bacon & Wilson PC, Springfield
Lisa Louise Halbert
Bacon & Wilson PC, Northampton
Scott K. Kell Jr.
Law Office of Scott K. Kell Jr., Wilbraham
Kimberly Klimczuk
Skoler, Abbott & Presser PC, Springfield
Julia K. Lentini
Brodeur-McGan PC, Springfield
Carolyn L. McCaffrey
Frank P. Fitzgerald PC, East Longmeadow
Sara E. McCollum
Department of Revenue, Child Support Enforcement, Springfield
Melanie Marie McNamara
Law Office of Melanie Marie McNamara, West Springfield
Randy J. Milou Jr.
Law Offices of Randy J. Milou, West Springfield
John F. Moriarty Jr.
Moriarty, Neves & Dunn LLP, Holyoke
Carolyn Ann Muzzi
Department of Revenue, Child Support Enforcement, Springfield
Thomas D. O’Connor Jr.
Thomas D. O’Connor Jr., Attorney at Law, Springfield
Maurice Caston Powe
Attorney Maurice Powe, Springfield
Kara Schultz Rescia
Eaton & Rescia, East Longmeadow
Denise M. Shear
Ostrander Law Office, Northampton
Michael R. Siddall
Siddall & Siddall PC, Springfield
Diana I. Sorrentini-Velez
Cooley Shrair PC, Springfield
Eileen Z. Sorrentino
Collaborative ─ Attorney & Mediator PC, Chicopee
Bernadette Stark
Western Massachusetts Legal Services, Northampton
Stanley Anthony Szlachetka
Law Office of Stanley Anthony Szlachetka, Chicopee
Maureen C. Tobin
Cooley Shrair PC, Springfield
Peggy Ann Torello
Law Office of Peggy Ann Torello, South Deerfield
Dennis E. Tully
Law Office of Dennis E. Tully, East Longmeadow
Christina Turgeon
Law Office of Christina M. Turgeon, Longmeadow
Jeffrey Scott Weisser
Law Office of Jeffrey Scott Weisser, Agawam