Safety Net Project (formerly Disability Litigation + Benefits Advocacy Clinic)

Beyond Safety Nets: Sam Holloway ’24 Reflects on Comprehensive Legal Advocacy Outside the Courtroom

By Harvard Law School Student Sam Holloway ’24 The Legal Services Center’s Safety Net Project helps clients with the “social safety net,” but it does a lot more than that, too. Among the Veteran’s Legal […]

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“The only place that I have learned these things is at LSC, and it is the thing that has reeled me back in for another semester”: LSC Students Reflect on the Value of an Advanced Clinical

LSC Students Reflect on the Value of an Advanced Clinical In November 2023, a little over two months into her advanced clinical semester with the Legal Services Center’s (LSC’s) Consumer Protection Clinic, Annika Reno ’24

“The only place that I have learned these things is at LSC, and it is the thing that has reeled me back in for another semester”: LSC Students Reflect on the Value of an Advanced Clinical Read More »

Knowledge Comes in Many Forms: Alex Zhang’24 “Learns about Life” from Client in Hospice

By Harvard Law School Student Alex Zhang ‘24 The last time I said goodbye to Ted*, he was upright in his hospital bed, swaddled in his blue hospital gown with a wide smile. As I

Knowledge Comes in Many Forms: Alex Zhang’24 “Learns about Life” from Client in Hospice Read More »

LSC Partners With Mattapan Public Library on Criminal Record Sealing and Expungement Workshops

Seal or Clear Your Massachusetts Criminal Record! As many as 1 in 3 adults in the US have a criminal record, experiencing stigma and disadvantage as a result With a criminal record, ordinary essentials such as

LSC Partners With Mattapan Public Library on Criminal Record Sealing and Expungement Workshops Read More »

LSC Student Jeff Jiang Featured in American Bar Association Video on Law Students and Pro Bono Work

The American Bar Association (ABA) recently released a video highlighting how law students can get involved in pro bono work, using the efforts of Jeff Jiang ’22 and other law students on a wide-ranging benefits

LSC Student Jeff Jiang Featured in American Bar Association Video on Law Students and Pro Bono Work Read More »

Virtual Event – Mass & Cass and the Crisis of Homelessness: The Interaction of Mental Health, Addiction, and the Law in the Lives of People Without Permanent Housing

From the Boston Bar Association: The Mass and Cass humanitarian crisis, and, more generally, the crisis of homelessness in Greater Boston, has attracted wide media and public attention. This panel discussion, which brings together experts

Virtual Event – Mass & Cass and the Crisis of Homelessness: The Interaction of Mental Health, Addiction, and the Law in the Lives of People Without Permanent Housing Read More »

Crooked Judges, Fraudulent Lawyers, and How the Social Security Administration Has Failed 3,500 People

By Jeffrey Jiang ’22 The story of Eric Conn is a years-long saga involving a scam artist who extracted over half a billion dollars from the U.S. government, an administrative law judge (ALJ) who covered

Crooked Judges, Fraudulent Lawyers, and How the Social Security Administration Has Failed 3,500 People Read More »

‘Doing Justice’ Together: An Interview with LSC Safety Net Project Director Julie McCormack

This interview appeared in the Brown Political Review. Julie McCormack is a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School, co-teaching “The Poverty Law Workshop – a toolkit for addressing inequity and homelessness” and “The Veterans

‘Doing Justice’ Together: An Interview with LSC Safety Net Project Director Julie McCormack Read More »

Snapshots from a Week in the Veterans Law & Disability Benefits Clinic

By mid-semester, the 14 Harvard Law students enrolled in the Veterans Law & Disability Benefits Clinic at the Legal Services Center in Jamaica Plain (LSC) are hard at work managing their busy dockets. From drafting

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Expanding Collaboration with Boston Public Library Helps Individuals Seal Criminal Records, Apply for Benefits, and Obtain Legal Advice

In addition to its work with veterans, LSC’s Safety Net Project is building a unique collaboration with the Boston Public Library (BPL) to help individuals from all walks of life obtain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Expanding Collaboration with Boston Public Library Helps Individuals Seal Criminal Records, Apply for Benefits, and Obtain Legal Advice Read More »

LSC’s Safety Net Project Students Testify Before Mass Legislature on Importance of Nutrition Benefits

Kate Strickland and Rachel Schwarz, Harvard Law students in LSC’s Safety Net Project, submitted testimony last week on two bills under consideration by the Massachusetts Legislature that would provide support to college students who are

LSC’s Safety Net Project Students Testify Before Mass Legislature on Importance of Nutrition Benefits Read More »

LSC Creates New Poverty Law Workshop, Training Law Students on Safety Net Programs

Drawing on careers spent representing clients accessing safety net benefits, LSC Clinical Instructors and Lecturers-on-Law Julie McCormack and Betsy Gwin have created a new seminar at Harvard Law School, the Poverty Law Workshop. Responding to

LSC Creates New Poverty Law Workshop, Training Law Students on Safety Net Programs Read More »

Safety Net Project Student Linda Heeyoung Park ’21 Wins 2021 David Grossman Exemplary Clinical Student Award

From Harvard Law Today: Linda Heeyoung Park ’21 and Benjamin Antillon Fernandez ’21 are joint recipients of the 2021 David Grossman Exemplary Clinical Student Award. They were chosen this year from a wide range of

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Creating a More Just Legal System, One Client at a Time

Marcus Miller is a 2L student at Harvard Law School. He is a clinical student in the Veterans Law and Disability Clinic, working in the Safety Net Project during the Fall 2020 semester. By Marcus

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LSC Clinics Work Creatively to Assist Client Communities Affected by COVID-19

The attorneys and student advocates at the Legal Services Center continue to work tirelessly for our clients as they face unprecedented challenges and financial distress.  Below is a brief update on just some of our

LSC Clinics Work Creatively to Assist Client Communities Affected by COVID-19 Read More »

Criminal Record Sealing Self-Help Materials Developed; A Law Student Reflects on Work and Learning During the Pandemic

Safety Net Project Director Julie McCormack and the students working with her on criminal record sealing (a mostly administrative process before the Massachusetts Probation Service) have taken advantage of the enforced slow-down brought about by

Criminal Record Sealing Self-Help Materials Developed; A Law Student Reflects on Work and Learning During the Pandemic Read More »

Safety Net Project Successfully Argues Three Social Security Disability and SNAP/Food Stamp Cases

The three victories result in more than $137,000 in back payments plus significant ongoing monthly benefits moving forward; fourth case decision pending; others in pipeline In the two short weeks of March before LSC moved

Safety Net Project Successfully Argues Three Social Security Disability and SNAP/Food Stamp Cases Read More »

LSC Responds to COVID-19: An Update from Our Clinics

The Legal Services Center’s staff and students hope you are staying safe and healthy. We are all doing the best we can as we take on new challenges in advocating for client communities made ever

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Disability Rights Advocate and LSC Alum Haben Girma on Making her Way in the World with Help from her Guide Dog

This piece, by disability rights advocate and LSC Alum Haben Girma, was published by the Washington Post on August 7, 2019. Girma is the author of Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law.  My guide

Disability Rights Advocate and LSC Alum Haben Girma on Making her Way in the World with Help from her Guide Dog Read More »

Reform Meets Response: LSC Launches Criminal Record Sealing Initiative in Wake of Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform

The Legal Services Center strives to place the voices of Boston’s communities at the heart of its practice. While Julie McCormack, Director of the Safety Net Project, facilitated People’s Law School community workshops around the

Reform Meets Response: LSC Launches Criminal Record Sealing Initiative in Wake of Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Read More »

The Legal Services Center takes People’s Law School on the road in service to veterans

The now annual Legal Services Center (LSC) People’s Law School of community legal education workshops facilitated by LSC staff and clinical law students has proven to be hugely popular, attended by almost 200 people over

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Diversity and Disability: How Disability Fits in to the Campus-wide Dialogue About Diversity

Julie McCormack, Director and Senior Clinical Instructor in the Disability Litigation and Benefits Advocacy Clinic, participated in a robust discussion on April 11th at Harvard Law School on “Diversity & Disability: How Disability Fits in

Diversity and Disability: How Disability Fits in to the Campus-wide Dialogue About Diversity Read More »

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