Shipman attorneys and staff have engaged in incredible pro bono and community work so far this year. Here are some of the highlights:
Greater Hartford Legal Aid Rental Assistance Program
Shipman attorneys and administrative staff have provided vital pro bono support to housing clients of Greater Hartford Legal Aid (GHLA) during 2024 and 2025. In 2024, the City of Hartford allocated $1,000,000 to provide rental assistance for GHLA clients residing in Hartford who receive legal assistance in evictions or housing conditions cases. Shipman & Goodwin acts as pro bono fiduciary administrator of the funds.
Shipman’s role involves critically reviewing all GHLA applications for compliance with the City of Hartford agreement, issuing funds to the appropriate parties, ensuring that funds are received and processed, and maintaining meticulous records. As a result of this incredible work, approximately 300 Hartford residents have been able to keep their homes, locate safer housing, or prevent eviction judgments on their records.
The GHLA Rental Assistance team was organized and led by Greg Muccilli, Kent Nevins,Scarlett Lara-Alcantara and Ian Leon, with essential and ongoing contributions from Victor Beck, Andrea Brunoli, Linda Buckland, Sam Candidate, Justin Cedeño, Brenda Eckert, Mara Kravitz, Anne Littlefield, Joe Miller, Tom Owen, Maria Preiser and Gwen Zittoun.
Here are a few real-life examples shared by GHLA of people who were helped by the program and by the pro bono efforts of Shipman lawyers and administrative staff alike:
For an elderly tenant with a disability, the rental assistance from the City of Hartford allowed him to retain his subsidized housing after a trusted individual who was supposed to handle his rent payments disappeared with the money, putting him at risk of eviction.
With the support of rental assistance, a woman and her young child were able to remain in their apartment. She was a pregnant survivor of domestic violence and sought help from GHLA due to the threat of eviction. She was contemplating moving in with the family of her abuser for shelter. GHLA facilitated a deal with her landlord, and the funds from the City of Hartford covered her rent for several months, thereby allowing her the time she needed to regain stability.
A working mom lost her subsidized unit when her baby was born prematurely. At the time of her eviction, her infant was in the neonatal intensive care unit, her older children were staying with relatives, and she was left sleeping in her car while continuing to work. With the help of her lawyer from GHLA, she was able to convince the public housing authority to issue a housing choice voucher for a new apartment, and the City of Hartford funds covered the security deposit. She and her children are now happily settled in their new home.
Asylum Secured
Congratulations to Ian Leon for securing Asylum for his client who fled Afghanistan and arrived in the U.S. in 2022. With this decision, the client can now remain safely in the U.S. with his family and no longer face the imminent danger he would have encountered if forced to return to Afghanistan. The client and his family are overjoyed – and so are we. This result would not have been possible without the invaluable support of Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS), a nonprofit organization that assists refugees and other displaced persons who have received authorization to come to the United States and who are fleeing persecution and conflict. Vaughan Finn, Lee Duval, Sarah Niemiroski, Andy Zeitlin, and Keegan Drenosky also provided essential support.
A Favorable Settlement in U.S. District Court
United States District Court Judge Stefan R. Underhill recently praised Morgan Rueckert for his advocacy in a Pro Bono Wheel Assignment. The client is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole and initiated numerous lawsuits in District Court before Judge Underhill relating to the client’s alleged treatment in and conditions of confinement. The parties engaged in a day-long mediation that went into the evening and concluded with a global settlement of all cases filed by the client. As Judge Underhill wrote, Morgan “ably advocated for [the client’s] interests, yet [he] did so courteously and cooperatively. [Morgan’s] approach made for an efficient resolution of the case.” Judge Underhill further commended Shipman & Goodwin for supporting Morgan in his pursuit of this important pro bono work, which allows judges to hear cases “more expeditiously” and to “decide them more fairly.” Congratulations to Morgan and his client!
A number of Shipman attorneys accept discrete pro bono projects through the Pro Bono Partnership, a nonprofit organization that provides free business and transactional legal services to other nonprofits serving underrepresented communities in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.
Justin Cedeño, Nina Pelc-Faszcza and Morgan Rueckert are reviewing and refining policies and procedures relating to employees of an organization that provides educational, research and conservation efforts for marine animals.
Nina Pelc-Faszcza also offered employment-related guidance to a client that provides horses a second chance while enriching the lives of individuals with special needs through equine-assisted activities.
Emily McDonough Souza recently assisted a small grassroots nonprofit social service agency with its employment policies and contracts.
Joette Katz and Scarlett Lara-Alcantara represent a 1-year-old child who is a drug-affected infant (infants referred by medical staff, including hospital social workers, who are less than 1 year old, who test positive for legal or illegal substances or prescribed medication or suffer from withdrawal symptoms resulting from prenatal drug exposure or a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder). The child was removed from the mother’s custody and placed with a foster family while the mother entered a rehabilitation program. The mother demonstrated great progress and the child then was placed in the mother’s custody and care under court supervision.
Joette Katz and Scarlett Lara-Alcantara also represent two siblings ages two and six months. Suspicious bruises were present on the 6-month-old when he was two months old. The Department of Children and Families (DCF) was notified and put in place a protective supervision plan for the father. The children were adjudicated as neglected and a 6-month protective supervision plan was entered against the mother and father. Joette and Scarlett advocate for the best interest of the children, which includes making sure they are safe and well cared for.
Joette Katz and Emily McDonough Souza represent a 10-month-old baby girl who is the subject of a neglect petition. Given the mother’s mental health issues and the father’s incarceration, the child is in the temporary custody of her grandparents. Joette and Emily continue to advocate for the child’s best interest, which includes making sure she is safe and well cared for.
Each of these opportunities were found through a referral from Lawyers for Children America (LFCA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the rights of children who are victims of abuse, abandonment and neglect. Shipman attorneys work in partnership with LFCA staff attorneys and serve as counsel to children under the age of three who are in the child welfare system. LFCA will be holding trainings for pro bono lawyers on July 16, 2025, from 9am to 3pm (virtual), and October 8, 2025, from 9am to 3pm (in person). Please contact Gwen Zittoun if you would like to attend one of these trainings.
Thank you, Brenda!
Brenda Eckert, Pro Bono Coordinator from 2022 to 2025, is a long-time member of the Employment and Labor Practice Group and former chair of the Immigration Law Practice Group. The pro bono program would not be where it is today without all of Brenda’s hard work and coordination. Under her leadership as Pro Bono Coordinator, we saw a significant growth in the number of pro bono hours across the firm, at all levels. She spearheaded the publication of multiple pro bono updates and was instrumental in our successful collaboration with both GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) and Read to a Child, just to name a few. Brenda’s time, energy and dedication to all things pro bono have shaped the firm’s pro bono program for the better and we are thankful to Brenda not only for her expertise, but for mentoring others and truly encouraging a culture of service at the firm. Congratulations on your retirement, Brenda!
Vaughan Finn Pro Bono Awards
Congratulations to Brenda Eckert and Tyler Archer, recipients of this year's Vaughan Finn Pro Bono Award. This annual award recognizes lawyers in the firm for their outstanding pro bono contributions and includes a $500 donation by the firm to a legal organization of each recipient’s choice. Brenda has chosen to make her contribution to Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) and Tyler has chosen Legal Food Hub.
Mill River Park Collaborative Keegan Drenosky, Marc Esterman, Jon Orell and Claire Pariano along with several clients attended the Mill River Park Collaborative’s (the “Collaborative”) annual fundraising gala, “Dinner in the Park” in downtown Stamford. This year, the Collaborative honored Shipman for our ongoing dedication to Mill River Park and provision of pro bono legal services since the formation of the Collaborative in 2003 (Mike Widland has been a Board member and committed to the park for many years). As a current Board member, Keegan accepted the award on behalf of Shipman. The gala was a wonderful evening, with Senator Richard Blumenthal, Representative Jim Himes, Bridget Fox (Chief of Staff for the City of Stamford) and many other attendees from businesses and organizations across Fairfield County in attendance.
Read to a Child Read Aloud Mentoring Program Special thanks to all of our attorneys and staff who volunteer weekly with Hartford's Read to a Child Read Aloud Mentoring Program, reading with students to help improve literacy—an experience that has been consistently rewarding for all involved. We were deeply honored to receive an award in April, presented by Read to a Child’s CEO Paul Lamoureux to Shipman’s Chair of the Management Committee, Kent Nevins, for our pro bono work in the Hartford community and leading role in bringing the Read Aloud Mentoring Program to the Annie Fisher S.T.E.M Magnet School in Hartford. It was a privilege to host over 100 program supporters at our firm to celebrate this remarkable organization.
More Pro Bono Success Stories...
Congratulations to Donna Vincenti and Laura Schuyler on securing a favorable ruling from probate court for a community foundation concerning a scholarship fund. Due to the restrictions on the fund, no scholarships have been awarded, as there were no eligible recipients. The Probate Court granted the petition filed by Donna and Laura resulting in modification of the scholarship. Thanks to this great work, a student will have the benefit of a $2,500 scholarship from the fund this year.
Through the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, Sarah Dlugoszewski and Chelsea McCallum are representing a Navy Veteran in connection with his Other Than Honorable Discharge from the Navy. The client served in the Navy for over three years in the late 1990s and had exemplary service, with great evaluations. Towards the end of his service, the client faced issues involving drug and alcohol abuse, leading to an Other Than Honorable Discharge. Because of this discharge status, the client is not currently able to receive benefits from Veterans Affairs (VA). Sarah and Chelsea will be working on appeals, claims, and applications in connection with upgrading the client’s character of discharge and securing him the right to VA benefits. Kudos to Sarah and Chelsea for this important work!
Shipman’s partnership with the GLAD LawTransgender ID Project continues. Several Shipman attorneys, including Victor Beck, Abby Booth, Liz Buchanan, Pat Fahey, Mike King, Mara Kravitz, Nina Pelc-Faszcza and Jaime Welsh, accept individual clients through referrals from GLAD Law to assist clients with name and/or gender marker changes on legal documents. Additionally, in collaboration with GLAD Law and several community partners, Transgender ID Project Clinics are held monthly to provide support to members of the Connecticut LGBTQ+ community who are looking to change their name and/or gender marker on legal documents. Many thanks to Abby Booth, Brenda Eckert, Pat Fahey, Nina Pelc-Faszcza, Jaime Welsh and Gwen Zittoun for attending the clinics and providing legal support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Center for Children’s Advocacy – Immigrant Children’s Justice Program
TheCenter for Children’s Advocacy(CCA), a nonprofit children’s legal rights organization, operates an Immigrant Children’s Justice Project and is seeking pro bono lawyers to represent abused, neglected and abandoned youth in the first step (probate court) of obtaining Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), a pathway to legal permanent residence. CCA provides training and support for pro bono lawyers to represent these children in Connecticut probate courts.
Vaughan Finn, Natalia Sieira Millán, Jessica Signor and Jaime Welsh have all represented children through this CCA program and have had incredible experiences. Many thanks to Scott Gerard, CCA board member, for renewing this pro bono work at the firm. Shipman has a longstanding relationship with CCA and we are excited to support them in this area. Please contact Gwen Zittoun if you would like to receive training for this project.
Thank you to all involved in pro bono and community projects!
Contact Gwen Zittoun, Pro Bono Coordinator, to: (1) become involved in an ongoing project or (2) discuss opportunities that work for you and your area of practice!
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