Skip to the content
en English
ar Arabiczh-CN Chinese (Simplified)nl Dutchen Englishfr Frenchde Germanit Italianpt Portugueseru Russianes Spanish
(508) 620-1830
Donate
  • Get Legal Help
        • Quick Links
          • Overview
          • Eligibility
          • FAQs
          • Clinics, Community Education & Training
        • Apply for Legal Help
        • Legal Services

          Learn more about what additional legal services are being provided by our current projects.

          Immigration

          Family Law

          Elder Law

          School & Student Rights

          Government Benefits

          Housing

  • Projects
    • Civil Legal Aid Victims of Crime
    • Medical-Legal Partnership
    • Private Bar Involvement 
  • Resources
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Success Stories
    • eNewsletters
    • Archived Newsletters
  • About Us
    • Mission & History
    • Board & Staff
    • Funding & Support
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    • DEI/Land Acknowledgement
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • Private Bar Involvement 

News

  • Recent News

    • Joseph Sherman Selected to Public Interest Leadership Program
    • MWLS Awarded Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation Grant for Domestic Violence Services
    • Family to Family – A FREE educational class for family and friends of individuals living with a mental health condition
    • Executive Director Betsy Soule appears on the Jimmy Tingle Show to talk about legal aid!
    • Executive Director Betsy Soule appears on the Jimmy Tingle Show to talk about legal aid!
  • MWLS Announces Two New Pro Bono Service Awards

    MetroWest Legal Services is pleased to establish two new Pro Bono Service Awards to recognize outstanding contributions from our pro bono attorneys. The awards are named in memory of two distinguished attorneys, Alfred C. Phillips and Bancroft R. Wheeler, both of whom passed earlier this year. The awards will be presented at this year’s Jazz for Justice benefit on October 16, 2019.

    Alfred C. Phillips Pro Bono Service Award

    Presented to the Boston Scientific Legal Department

    Alfred C. Philips

    Alfred C. Phillips was a longtime volunteer of MetroWest Legal Services. His commitment to helping MWLS’ clients and ensuring access to justice went above and beyond the norm for most volunteers. For close to 10 years, Attorney Phillips, a retired attorney who worked at Raytheon for nearly 40 years, averaged almost 20 hours a week at MWLS assisting clients with bankruptcy petitions. We are pleased to honor Attorney Phillips with an award in his name.

    Boston Scientific has been selected as the first recipient of the Alfred C. Phillips Pro Bono Service Award. MetroWest Legal Services established this new award to honor the truly exceptional work of a member of its pro bono panel or a corporate partner that exemplifies Attorney Phillips’ dedication and commitment to civil legal aid.

    Boston Scientific Pro BonoThe numerous hours devoted by Boston Scientific attorneys and paralegals truly emulates the dedication and devotion that attorney Phillips showed to MWLS during his tenure here as a volunteer.  Since their team of attorneys and paralegals began their association with MWLS, they have drafted over 80 wills, powers of attorney and health care proxies for Marlborough seniors and have adopted the Marlborough Senior Center as their ongoing project.

    Attorneys and Paralegals who have participated in the Pro Bono Initiative at MWLS include:

    Attorneys

    James Kinkela, Esq.

    Mai-khoi Nguyen, Esq.

    Robin Craig, Esq.

    Darrne Lanza, Esq.

    David Strauss, Esq.

    Erin McMillan, Esq.

    Patty Nolan, Esq.

    Vincent Lai, Esq.

    Mary Monovoukas, Esq.

    Ruschi Shah, Esq.

    Vered Tsarfaty, Esq.

    Joseph Burns, Esq.

    Desiree Ralls Morrison, Esq.

    Paralegals

    Raquel Howard

    Cathleen Dyer

    Tara Brewer

    Kathy Simonelli

    Caryn Artin

    Linda Wilson

    In the coming year, Boston Scientific will also help to staff the newly created Housing Court Lawyer for the Day project in Marlborough.

    Bancroft R. Wheeler Pro Bono Service Award

    Presented to Linda S. Minkoff, Esq.

    Remembering BatsBancroft “Bats” Wheeler began his volunteer work at MWLS as an Access to Justice Fellow in 2013. When the Fellowship ended, Bancroft, who preferred to be called Bats by his friends and colleagues, continued to volunteer at MWLS for the next 5 years. Bats, a retired trust and estates attorney at Nutter, McClellan & Fish, dedicated 10-15 hours a week drafting wills, health care proxies and powers of attorney for MWLS’ clients. Bats quickly discovered that many of MWLS’ elder and disabled clients were homebound and unable to meet with him and take advantage of his services. To remedy the issue, Bats started making home visits for those clients who could not make it to the office. The program is now affectionately named Wills on Wheels after Bats’ novel approach to helping his clients.

    MWLS has established the Bancroft R. Wheeler Pro Bono Service Award to honor a member of it pro bono panel, a firm or corporation that exemplifies the dedication that Bats Wheeler exhibited in ensuring access to legal services for all MWLS clients.

    We are pleased to present the Bancroft R. Wheeler Pro Bono Service Award to Linda S. Minkoff, Esq.

    Linda Minkoff

    Linda Minkoff has been a practicing attorney in Massachusetts since 1987 and currently has her own solo practice in Concord, MA specializing in divorce, custody, child support, divorce mediation, collaborative law, guardianship and conservatorship, and probate of estates. Prior to opening her own practice in 2009, she was employed at the Department of Revenue’s Child Support Enforcement Division as a staff attorney and then as Senior Counsel in the Special Litigation Bureau, representing the agency in complex lawsuits against the Commonwealth. Attorney Minkoff then served as Chief of the Bureau for several years and later became Chief of the Policy and Procedures Bureau specializing in developing and drafting agency policy and procedures, particularly in the area of automated enforcement, drafting legislation, as well as continuing her role as a Senior Counsel in the Special Litigation Bureau.

    Linda received a Bachelor of Arts from Northeastern University and a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law. Prior to becoming an attorney, Linda was a practicing mental health professional with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.

    Attorney Minkoff joined the MetroWest Legal Services Private Bar Involvement Panel in 2016.   She has served as the Lawyer for the Day in the Marlboro Session of the Middlesex Probate and Family Court on a monthly basis and has also represented other MWLS clients in family law matters.  She has provided critical legal advice and representation to 82 MWLS clients since 2016, donating several hundred hours of her time and expertise.  Her dedication to equal justice for low-income clients emulates the dedication and devotion that Bats Wheeler showed during his time as a MWLS volunteer which makes her a fitting recipient of the first Bancroft R. Wheeler Pro Bono Service Award.

    Linda Minkoff has been a practicing attorney in Massachusetts since 1987 and currently has her own solo practice in Concord, MA specializing in divorce, custody, child support, divorce mediation, collaborative law, guardianship and conservatorship, and probate of estates. Prior to opening her own practice in 2009, she was employed at the Department of Revenue’s Child Support Enforcement Division as a staff attorney and then as Senior Counsel in the Special Litigation Bureau, representing the agency in complex lawsuits against the Commonwealth. Attorney Minkoff then served as Chief of the Bureau for several years and later became Chief of the Policy and Procedures Bureau specializing in developing and drafting agency policy and procedures, particularly in the area of automated enforcement, drafting legislation, as well as continuing her role as a Senior Counsel in the Special Litigation Bureau.

    Linda received a Bachelor of Arts from Northeastern University and a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law. Prior to becoming an attorney, Linda was a practicing mental health professional with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.

    Attorney Minkoff joined the MetroWest Legal Services Private Bar Involvement Panel in 2016.   She has served as the Lawyer for the Day in the Marlboro Session of the Middlesex Probate and Family Court on a monthly basis and has also represented other MWLS clients in family law matters.  She has provided critical legal advice and representation to 82 MWLS clients since 2016, donating several hundred hours of her time and expertise.  Her dedication to equal justice for low-income clients emulates the dedication and devotion that Bats Wheeler showed during his time as a MWLS volunteer which makes her a fitting recipient of the first Bancroft R. Wheeler Pro Bono Service Award.

    MetroWest Legal Services
    63 Fountain Street, Suite 304
    Framingham MA, 01702
    (508) 620-1830 | (800) 696-1501

    Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm

    • Get Help
      • Legal Services
      • Resources
      • Apply for Legal Help
      • FAQs
    • Give Help
      • Private Bar Involvement 
      • Careers
      • Volunteer
      • Donate
    • Quick Links
      • Apply for Free Legal Help
      • Get Involved
      • About Us
      • News & Events
      • Contact Us
    Sign up for our newsletter

    Connect with us
    © 2023 MetroWest Legal Services. All Rights Reserved..
    en English
    ar Arabiczh-CN Chinese (Simplified)nl Dutchen Englishfr Frenchde Germanit Italianpt Portugueseru Russianes Spanish
    • Get Legal Help
      • Quick Links
        • Overview
        • Eligibility
        • FAQs
        • Clinics, Community Education & Training
        • Apply for Legal Help
        • Back
      • Services
        • Immigration
        • Family Law
        • Elder Law
        • School & Student Rights
        • Government Benefits
        • Housing
        • Back
      • Back
    • Projects
      • Civil Legal Aid Victims of Crime
      • Medical-Legal Partnership
      • Private Bar Involvement 
      • Back
    • Resources
    • News & Events
      • News
      • Events
      • Success Stories
      • eNewsletters
      • Archived Newsletters
      • Back
    • About Us
      • Mission & History
      • Board & Staff
      • Funding & Support
      • Careers
      • Contact Us
      • DEI/Land Acknowledgement
      • Back
    • Get Involved
      • Volunteer
      • Donate
      • Private Bar Involvement 
      • Back
    • (508) 620-1830
    • Donate