Updated 2007

The Law and Aging Guide is a comprehensive listing of the state-wide resources available to help older persons with law-related issues. Published by the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging, the Guide includes important contact numbers and addresses for legal assistance providers and other law-related services for the elderly. Many states now have toll-free senior legal hotlines. If you are an older person (or family member or trusted friend of an older person) who needs legal advice or assistance, the first step is to see if your state has a hotline, and, if it does, to call the hotline listed below.

[Note: If you are legal services provider or entity listed below, please email any changes of address or information to the ABA Commission at abaelderly@abanet.org , attn: Law and Aging Guide.]

Massachusetts

A. Senior Legal Hotline: (800) 342-5297

B. Legal Assistance Developer

Susan G. Anderson
Assistant General Counsel
General Counsel and Legal Service Developer
Massachusetts Office of Elder Affairs
One Ashburton Pl., 5th Fl.
Boston, MA 02108-1518
(617) 222-7461; fax (617) 727-9368

C. Long-Term Care Ombudsman

Mary McKenna
Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs
One Ashburton Pl., 5th Fl.
Boston, MA 02108-1518
(617) 727-7750; fax (617) 727-9368

D. Legal Services Funded Under the Older Americans Act

If your income falls within certain guidelines, you may be able to get legal help from the Legal Services or Legal Aid program in your area. In some communities, the Older Americans Act program serving older people and the legal aid program are one and the same. For a state-by-state listing of Legal Services programs, go to http://www.lsc.gov

BayPath Elder Services, Inc.
354 Waverley St.
Framingham, MA 01702
(508) 872-1866; (800) 287-7284
Web: www.baypath.org
Serves Ashland, Dover, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlboro, Natick, Northboro, Sherborn, Southboro, Sudbury, Wayland and Westboro

Boston Senior Home Care
110 Chauncey Street, MA 02111
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 451-6400
Web: www.elderinfo.org
Serves Beacon Hill/West End, Charlestown, South Cove/Chinatown, Dorchester (all of it except Grove Hall), East Boston, East Mattapan, North End, and South Boston and Downtown Boston

Bristol Elder Services, Inc.
182 North Main Street
Fall River, MA 02720
(508) 675-2101; (800) 427-2101
Web: www.bristolelder.org/section.cms?AboutBES
Serves Attleboro, Berkley, Dighton, Fall River, Freetown, Mansfield, North Attleboro, Norton, Raynham, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansee, Taunton and Westport

Central Boston Elder Services, Inc.
2315 Washington St.
Boston, MA 02119
(617) 277-7416
Web: centralboston.org/new
Serves Allston, Back Bay, Brighton, Fenway, Jamaica Plain, North Dorchester, Parker Hill, Roxbury and South End

Central Mass Agency on Aging, Inc.
360 West Boylston Street
West Boylston, MA 01583
(508) 852-5539; (800) 244-3032
Web: www.seniorconnection.org/results.htp
Serves Ashburnham, Ashby, Auburn, Ayer, Barre, Bellingham, Berlin, Blackstone, Bolton, Boylston, Brookfield, Charlton, Clinton, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Fitchburg, Frankllin, Gardner, Grafton, Groton, Hardwick, Holden, Hopedale, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leicester, Leominster, Lunenburg, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Northbridge, Oakham, Oxford, Paxton, Pepperell, Princeton, Rutland, Shirley, Shrewsbury, Southbridge, Spencer, Sterling, Sturbridge, Sutton, Templeton, Townsend, Upton, Uxbridge, Warren, Webster, West Brookfield, West Boylston, Westminister, Winchendon and Worcester

Chelsea /Revere/Winthrop Home Care Center, Inc.
(781) 286-0550
Serves Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop

Coastline Elderly Services, Inc.
1646 Purchase St. New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 999-6400
Web: www.coastlineelderly.org
Serves Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Gosnold, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford and Rochester

Commission on Affairs of the Elderly
One City Hall Plaza
Boston, MA 02201
(617) 635-4366; Hot line: (617) 635-4646
Web: www.cityofboston.gov/elderly/agency.asp#B
Serves Boston

Elder Home Care Service
of Worcester Area
(508) 756-1545
Serves Auburn, Barre, Boylston, Grafton, Hardwick, Holden, Leicester, Millbury, New Braintree, Oakham, Paxton, Rutland, Shrewsbury, West Boylston and Worcester

Elder Services of Berkshire County
66 Wendell Avenue
Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 499-0524 ; (413) 445-6535; (800) 544-5242
Web: www.esbci.org
Serves Adams, Alford, Becket, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Dalton, Egremont, Great Barrington, Hinsdale, Lanesborough, Lee, Lenox, Mounterey, Mount Washington, New Marlboro, North Adams, Otis, Pittsfield, Richmond, Sandisfield, Savoy, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, West Stockbridge, Williamstown and Windsor

Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands
(508) 394-4630; (800) 244-4630
Serves Chatham, Chilmark, Dennis, Eastham, Edgartown, Falmouth, Gay Head, Harwich, Mashpee, Nantucket, Oak Bluffs, Orleans, Provincetown, Sandwich, Tisbury, Truro, Wellflett, West Tisbury and Yarmouth (All of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard)

Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley, Inc.
360 Merrimack Street, Bldg. 5
Lawrence, MA 01843
(978) 683-7747; (800) 892-0890
Web: www.esmv.org
Serves Amesbury, Andover, Billerica, Boxford, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Georgtown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Merrimac, Methuen, Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover, Rowley, Salisbury, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, Westford and West Newbury

Franklin County Home Care Corporation
330 Montague City Road, Suite 1
Turners Falls, MA 01376-2530
(413) 773-5555
Web: www.fchcc.org Serves Ashfield, Athol, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Deerfield, Erving, Gill, Greenfield, Hawley, Heath, Leverett, Leyden, Monroe, Montague, New Salem, Northfield, Orange, Petersham, Phillipston, Rowe, Royalston, Shelburne, Shutesbury, Sunderland, Warwick, Wendell and Whatley

Greater Lynn Senior Services, Inc.
8 Silsbee Street, Lynn, MA 01901
(781) 599-0110
Web: www.glss.net
Serves Lynn, Lynnfield, Nahant, Saugus and Swampscott

Greater Springfield Senior Services
66 Industry Avenue
Springfield, Massachusetts 01104
(413) 781-8800
Web: www.gsssi.org
Serves Agawam, Brimfield, East Long Meadow, Hampden, Holland, Longmeadow, Monson, Palmer, Springfield, Wales, West Springfield and Wilbraham

Health & Social Services Consortium (HESSCO)
One Merchant Street, Sharon, MA 02067
(781) 784-4944; (800) 462-5221
Web: www.hessco.org
Serves Canton, Dedham, Foxborough, Medfield, Millis, Norfolk, Norwood, Plainville, Sharon, Walpole, Westwood and Wrentham

Highland Valley Elder Services
320 Riverside Drive, Suite B
Florence, MA 01062
(413) 586-2000; (800) 322-0551
Web: www.highlandvalley.org
Serves Amherst, Blandford, Chester, Chesterfield, Cummington, Easthampton, Goshen, Granville, Hadley, Hatfield, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery, Northampton, Pelham, Plainfield, Russell, Southampton, Southwick, Tolland, Westfield, Westhampton, Williamsburg and Worthington

Minuteman Senior Services
24 Third Avenue
Burlington, MA 01803
(781) 272-7177
Web: www.minutemansenior.org
Serves Acton, Arlington, Bedford, Boxborough, Burlington, Carlisle, Concord, Harvard, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Maynard, Stow, Wilmington, Winchester and Woburn

Mystic Valley Elder Services, Inc.
19 Riverview Business Park
300 Commercial Street
Malden, MA 02148
(781) 324-7705
Web: www.mves.org Serves Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham and Wakefield

North Shore Elder Services, Inc.
152 Sylvan St.
Danvers, MA 01923
(978) 750-4540
Web: www.nselder.org
Serves Danvers, Marblehead, Middleton, Peabody and Salem

Old Colony Elderly Services, Inc.
(508) 584-1561; (508) 586-3700; (800) 242-0246
Serves Abington, Avon, Bridgewater, Brockton, Carver, Duxbury, East Bridgewater , Easton, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Kingston, Lakeville, Marshfield, Middleborough, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Rockland, Stoughton, Wareham, West Bridgewater and Whitman

SeniorCare
5 Blackburn Center
Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930
(978) 281-1750
Web: www.seniorcareinc.org/content.html
Serves Beverly, Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester, Rockport, Topsfield and Wenham

Somerville/Cambridge Elder Services, Inc.
61 Medford Street, Somerville, MA 02143-3429
(617) 628-2601; (617)628-2602
Web: www.eldercare.org
Serves Cambridge and Somerville

South Shore Elder Services, Inc.
159 Bay State Drive Braintree, MA 02184
(781) 749-6832; (781) 383-9790; (781) 848-3910
Web: www.sselder.org
Serves Braintree, Cohasset, Hingham, Holbrook, Hull, Milton, Norwell, Quincy, Randolph, Scituate and Weymouth

Tri-Valley Elder Services, Inc.
10 Mill Street
Dudley, MA 01571
(508) 949-6640; (800) 286-6640
Web: www.tves.org
Serves Bellingham, Blackstone, Brookfield, Charlton, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Franklin, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millville, Northbridge, North Brookfield, Oxford, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Sutton, Upton, Uxbridge, Warren, Webster and West Brookfield

West Mass Elder Care, Inc.
4 Valley Mill Rd Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 538-9020; Hot Line: (800) 462-2301
Web: www.wmeldercare.org
Serves Belchertown, Chicopee, Granby, Holyoke, Ludlow, South Hadley and Ware

Springwell
125 Walnut Street
Watertown, MA. 02472
(617) 926-4100
Web: www.wses.org
Serves Belmont, Brookline, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley and Weston

E. Bar Committees/Sections

Massachusetts Bar Association
20 West St.
Boston, MA 02111
(866) 627-7577
and
Massachusetts Bar Association
73 State St.
Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 731-5134
Web: http://www.massbar.org/

F. National Association of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)
- Massachusetts Chapter

Michael F. Loring, Esq.
Scituate, MA 02066
(413) 528-4300; fax (413) 528-4306

G. Legal Assistance Projects Involving Private Attorneys

Many communities are also served by volunteer lawyer (pro bono) programs. These programs are usually sponsored by bar associations. Lawyers in private practice volunteer to help low-income persons free of charge. To find the pro bono program in your state, click on http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/findlegalhelp/probonodirectory.html

Volunteer Lawyer Projects for Elderly

Volunteer Lawyer Project of the Boston Bar Association
29 Temple Pl., St. 300
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 423-0648 (handles pro bono referrals within the Boston area.)

Private Bar Volunteer Program
354-A Waverly St.
Framingham, MA 01701
(508) 620-1830 (This program has a special senior citizens project. It serves 36 towns in South and Central Middlesex and Central and Eastern Norfolk counties.)

Reduced Fee Lawyer Referral and Information Services

Worchester County Bar Association
332 Main St.
Worchester, MA 01608
(508) 752-1311

H. Law Schools and Legal Clinics

Law Schools

Boston College
140 Commonwealth Ave.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Boston University School of Law
765 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA 02215
(617) 495-3100

Harvard Law School
1563 Massachusetts Ave.
Cammbridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-3100

New England School of Law
154 Stuart St.
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 451-0010

Northeastern University School of Law
400 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-2395; fax (617) 373- 8793

Suffolk University
8 Ashburton Pl.
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 573-8000

Western New England College
School of Law
1215 Wilbraham Rd.
Springfield, MA 01119-2689

I. Attorney General's Office

Martha Coakley, Attorney General
One Ashburton Pl.
Boston, MA 02108-1698
(617) 727-2200
Web: http://www.ago.state.ma.us

J. State Protection and Advocacy Agencies

Massachusetts Office on Disability
Client Assistance Program
One Ashburton Pl., Rm. 1305
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 727-7440; fax (617) 727-0965
Email: lybarger@modi.state.ma.us

Disability Law Center, Inc.
11 Beacon St., St. 925
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 723-8455; fax (617) 723-9125
Email: cgriffin@dlc.org

Center for Public Representation
22 Green St.
Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 586-6024; fax (413) 586-6024
Email: rfleisher@gbls.org

K. Dispute Resolution

Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation
23 Parker Rd.
Needham Heights, MA 02194-2001
(617) 449-4430; fax: (617) 449-4430
Web: http://www.MCFM.org

The Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation (MCFM) is the leading professional association of family mediators in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. MCFM is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting mediation throughout the state, educating the public, mediators, and other professionals about mediation.

Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution
Salstonstall Bldg., Rm. 1005
100 Cambridge St.
Boston, MA 02202
(617) 727-2224; fax: (617) 727-6495
Web: http://www.state.ma.us/modr
Email: frediekay@state.ma.us

The Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution (MODR) is a state agency providing high quality mediation and case evaluation services, dispute resolution skills training, meeting facilitation, and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services. MODR provides these services to public agencies, municipalities, the courts, and citizens of the Commonwealth through a public-private partnership involving MODR staff and private sector neutrals.

North Essex Mediators Community Action, Inc.
20 Locust St.
Haverhill, MA 01830
(508) 373-1971
Contact: Sheila O'Connor, Director

To encourage the resolution of disputes in which at least one of the participants has a hearing impairment or is elderly, the North Essex Mediators Community Action, Inc., trained current volunteer community mediators over age 50 regarding the needs of the elderly and of persons with hearing impairments; trained additional older volunteers to conduct community outreach at senior centers, nursing homes, and local aging and disability groups; and conducted a mailing to community members, with follow-up visits by community outreach staffers.

L. Other Projects

None listed