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Giving Back To Boston's Youth:
Boston Children's Museum
The Firm is proud to be a corporate member of the Boston Children's Museum. Corporate Connections at Boston Children's Museum is a corporate membership program designed to provide exceptional access to the Museum's collections and exhibits. Annual revenue from the Corporate Connections Program provides critical support for the Museum's operations, including numerous educational programs, community access, diversity initiatives, and environmental efforts.
BBA Summer Jobs Program
As Co-Chair of the Boston Bar Association's Summer Jobs Program Committee, David Rosenblatt spoke at the kick off event which was featured on Neighborhood Network News on June 28, 2010. The BBA Summer Jobs Program is a promising tool for introducing young people of color to the legal profession and has been in existence for 17 years. The summer of 2011 marks the highest number of jobs (49) the program has ever provided. Read more here.
Everybody Wins! Metro Boston Reading Program
Everybody Wins! Metro Boston is a mentoring program in which adults read to elementary school children for about 40 minutes during lunch once per week. The Firm's participation has been attorneys and staff volunteer to read to students once a week from approximately October through mid-May.
Internship Program
In conjunction with the Boston Bar Association (BBA) and the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC), Burns & Levinson created a partnership with Brighton High School in 1998, focusing on the school's Law, Government & Public Services Pathway. This partnership provides the school's teachers, students and Burns & Levinson attorneys and paralegals, with the opportunity to work together to supplement and enhance the educational experience and to offer motivation for students to pursue careers in legal services-related fields. This partnership serves as a model for other firms seeking to establish an ongoing positive presence at a school. The firm provides practical experience to Brighton High students by inviting the students into the Burns & Levinson offices for internships and summer employment. A unique aspect to the program is our commitment to students throughout their latter years of high school - we generally hire students at the end of their sophomore year and they grow and learn with us through graduation, occasionally staying on after.
Genesis Dominguez speaking at the rally in May 2011
At a rally held in May 2011 by Mayor Menino and the Boston Private Industry Council to engage local businesses to employ high school students during the summer, Genesis Dominguez, one of Burns & Levinson's Brighton High interns, was asked to speak about her internship experience at the Firm. She highlighted her work, "There is not a day that goes by that I do not enjoy myself going to my internship after school, and especially in the summer with the full time experience… This job has helped me mature in my decision making in a high school environment."
Attorneys Tiffany Howard, Elizabeth Crowley and David Rosenblatt with the students from the Stand Up for Your Rights Program. Photo credit: Gaul Porat
Discovering Justice / Stand Up for Your Rights Program
Founded in 1998 with the support of the federal judiciary and the Boston Bar Foundation, Discovering Justice is a recognized leader in civic education. They are dedicated to preparing young people to value the justice system, realize the power of their own voices, and embrace civic responsibility by connecting classrooms and courtrooms. Specifically, Burns & Levinson attorneys volunteer for the "Stand Up for Your Rights" program where they work with students and a teacher after school for approximately seven weeks, teaching them about the Bill of Rights and related Supreme Court cases. Over the course of the program, students prepare a mock appellate argument involving the Fourth Amendment to be presented in a real courtroom at the culmination of the program in the eighth week.
Burns & Levinson attorneys and City Year participants at the breakfast
City Year Legal Community Leadership Breakfast
On January 21, 2011, for the second consecutive year, several Burns & Levinson LLP lawyers and staff attended the second-annual City Year Legal Community Leadership Breakfast. City Year is an international organization with a strong reputation and the important mission of addressing the high school drop-out crisis. City Year's strategy involves engaging diverse young leaders as tutors, mentors and role models to work with the students to help them stay in school and on track. Burns & Levinson looks forward to continuing involvement with this organization.
Book Drive
In December 2010, Burns & Levinson and its subsidiaries made a donation and held a book drive in support of the Boys & Girls Club of Providence and Everybody Wins! Metro Boston to continue the Firm's commitment to children's education. The Firm donated just over 100 books to these two organizations.
Giving Back to the Community:
Coat Drive for Horizons for Homeless Children
The Burns & Levinson 2011 Team
For the 4th year in a row, Burns & Levinson associate Elizabeth Crowley led a Firm-sponsored initiative to collect new coats for homeless children through the non-profit organization, Horizons for Homeless Children. Horizons for Homeless Children works tirelessly throughout Massachusetts to improve the lives of homeless children and their families. This year the Firm was thrilled to be able to collect a total of 70 children's coats for Horizons' Dorchester Center.
"I am so impressed and humbled by the enthusiasm and generosity that my Burns & Levinson colleagues show," Elizabeth said. "I cannot begin to describe the energy and joy this coat drive evokes throughout the office. To see the smiles on the faces of my colleagues when they drop off their donated coats, and to this year see 70 beautiful coats - all different sizes, colors and styles - piled high, is most rewarding. Knowing that the coats we donate go directly to local children in need at Horizons is what motivates us all. My colleagues and I truly look forward to the drive every year, and we look forward to growing our relationship with Horizons."
Jeans for Charity
Once a month, Burns & Levinson attorneys and employees are encouraged to donate $10 and wear jeans on a specified Friday. The donations are given to various charities throughout New England.
Burns & Levinson and MCLE Establish Scholarship Fund
Burns & Levinson announces that it, along with Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. (MCLE), has jointly established the Thomas D. Burns Scholarship Fund. MCLE's named scholarship program honors members of the bar and bench whose lives and work exemplify the best of Massachusetts' rich legal heritage, while at the same time provides essential funding for scholarships that benefit lawyers who serve the public interest and who, without financial assistance, would not be able to attend MCLE programs. For more information or to donate, click here.
Volunteering at the Greater Boston Food Bank
On August 11, 2010 over 20 Burns & Levinson attorneys and staff volunteered their time at the Greater Boston Food Bank. See additional pictures on our Flickr page.
Please see the statistics for our group below:
| Total Pounds of Food Sorted: | 6,009 lbs |
| Total Pounds of Food Salvaged (80%): | 4,807 lbs |
| Pounds of Food Sorted per Volunteer: | 229 lbs |
| Meals made Possible per Volunteer: | 176 meals |
| Total Meals made Possible: | 3,698 meals |
The Burns & Levinson 2011 Team
Lawyers Have Heart Road Race
On June 30, 2011 a team of Burns & Levinson attorneys and staff ran the Lawyers Have Heart road race to support the American Heart Association. Burns & Levinson had 24 people on its team and came in 4th place for fundraising. Attorney Howard Susser came in 2nd for individual fundraising. The race and fundraiser in its entirety raised over $150,000. The team consisted of the following attorneys and staff: Ben Caldwell, Erin Callahan, Adriana Campos, Joanne Doyle, Jack Gearan, Nicole Healy, Tiffany Howard, Marian Jackson, Al Lipkind, Maureen Mahoney, Andrea Martin, Lonnie Murray, Linda Phomsouvanh, Mark Schonfeld, Crystal Seaver, David Shamberger, Shannon Smith, Michelle Sproul, Mike Sugrue, Howard Susser, Merton Thompson, Tal Unrad, Vicky Walton, Chrisana Watson.
The 2011 Burns & Levinson Walk to the Hill Team
Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid
The fundraiser organized by the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation assists in the longstanding and worsening shortage of civil legal aid in the Commonwealth. A group from Burns & Levinson LLP participated in the Walk to the Hill in support of Civil Legal Aid in February 2011. This year marks Burns & Levinson's ninth year of participation and support in the Walk to the Hill.
In 2006, the firm received an award from the Equal Justice Coalition for our participation 2006 Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid.
Greater Boston Legal Services' Associates Drive
Every year Burns & Levinson LLP participates in the Greater Boston Legal Service's Associates Drive to raise money for the GBLS' Family Law Project. The GBLS Family Law Project helps over 2,700 clients from Boston and 31 surrounding towns by providing high quality legal services to clients to help them "achieve safety, stability and financial support, and through community work to empower clients and communities to have safe environments in which to live and raise children, free of poverty, violence and discrimination." (Quote taken from GBLS website)
Awards:
Massachusetts Bar Association President, Edward W. McIntyre; Brian D. Bixby, Partner, Burns & Levinson LLP; Stephen Y. Chow, Partner, Burns & Levinson LLP.
Burns & Levinson LLP Receives "Green" Award from the Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyers Eco-Challenge
On May 21, 2009, Burns & Levinson LLP was recognized as a leader in greening the practice of law by the Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyers Eco-Challenge. The firm was selected as an honoree by the MBA Energy and Environment Task Force for expanding its historical green practices by implementing green design elements in its recent office reconstruction project, which also promotes awareness of environmentally preferable practices.
BBA Children and Youth Outreach Volunteer Leadership Award
On May 24, 2005 Burns & Levinson LLP was honored for its seven years of hardwork with Brighton High School at the Boston Bar Association's Annual Dinner.
Cambridge Chamber of Commerce - New Member of the Year Award
On May 24, 2005 Burns & Levinson LLP received the CCC's New Member of the Year Award in recognition of its involvement in and commitment to CCC's programs and activities. The Award was given out at the CCC's Excellence in Business Awards Dinner.
Clients in the Community:
Doug Reffue, Blazers Team President and GM; Joseph B. Volman, Burns & Levinson; Dan Dawson, National Lacrosse League MVP; Stephen D. Brook, Burns & Levinson.
Boston Blazers
Burns & Levinson proudly supports client, Boston Blazers, at last game of season on April 10, 2010