Hundreds of calls came in over four hours during the last Dial-A-Lawyer program held by the Massachusetts Bar Association.
Elizabeth A. OâÂÂNeil, upper right, director of public and community service for the Massachusetts Bar Association, oversees last yearâÂÂs Dial-a-Lawyer event at Western New England University in Springfield. Lawyers Kevin V. Maltby, foreground, Diana Sorrentini-Velez and Thomas D. OâÂÂConnor Jr. answer calls from people seeking legal assistance.SPRINGFIELD – Free legal advice will be given out by telephone to any Western Massachusetts resident who calls the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Western Massachusetts Dial-A-Lawyer program on May 16. Legal questions on any topic will be answered during the four-hour program.
From 3:30 to 7:30 p.m., dozens of volunteer lawyers from the association will field phone calls from residents of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties. The program is free, and provided as a public service.
All callers must dial (413) 782-1659 during the four hours to get through to a lawyer. If the line is busy, hang up and try again. Normal telephone charges apply. The phone number will not be answered outside of the specified hours.
“Western Massachusetts residents with legal questions, no matter the size or scope, are encouraged to call the lawyers who volunteer their time to participate in the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Dial-A-Lawyer program. All legal issues will be handled with anonymity and concern by attorneys with a wide range of legal expertise,” bar association president Richard P. Campbell said. “This free program is a great resource for the local community. It provides residents with a quick and easy way to get answers to their legal questions.”
Hundreds of calls came in over four hours during the last Dial-A-Lawyer program in October. Legal topics are varied and include landlord-tenant disputes, worker’s compensation, divorce, criminal matters, estate planning, discrimination, adoption and landlord disputes as well as health and Medicare issues.
“A lot of the people that call don’t even need a lawyer, they need direction and support,” said volunteer Christina Turgeon, who operates her own practice in Springfield that concentrates in the areas of bankruptcy, reorganization and criminal matters.
Susan A. Mielnikowski, an attorney at the firm of Cooley, Shrair in Springfield, has been volunteering for the Western Massachusetts Dial-A-Lawyer program since it began. Mielnikowski said she handles a wide variety of calls related to her practice area, estate and elder planning, when she volunteers.
“A lot of times people have called an attorney and they don’t like the answer so they’re looking for a second opinion,” Mielnikowski said. “I always have a wonderful time.”
The Western Massachusetts Dial-A-lawyer program has been held for the past 18 years and became a semi-annual program, held in May and October, 11 years ago. Western New England University School of Law, the only law school in Western Massachusetts, hosts the program. Other sponsors include The Republican, El Pueblo Latino , the Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys and the Hispanic National Bar Association.
Agawam attorney Jeff Weisser has been participating in the Dial-A-Lawyer program since its inception. Weisser said he enjoys donating his time to help those in need, and being kept on his toes by the many callers and their questions.
“It’s a way of helping the community and giving back,” said Weisser, a partner at the general practice firm of Connor, Sandman & Weisser. “You feel like you are really doing a service for these people.”
Michael Siddall continues to volunteer for the Dial-A-Lawyer program every year because he knows residents depend on the free advice. “People can call and ask a question with no strings attached,” said Siddall, of Siddall & Siddall in Springfield. “I’ve come to realize people really do rely on the program as a way to answer some lingering questions or to get a second opinion.”
Sidall said the program also benefits the volunteer attorneys, who meet other professionals from the region and learn about other practice areas of law through the questions that are called in.
Incorporated in 1911, the Massachusetts Bar Association is a non-profit organization that serves the legal profession and the public by promoting the administration of justice, legal education, professional excellence and respect for the law. The bar group represents a diverse group of attorneys, judges and legal professionals across the commonwealth.