Goodwin Procter partners and associates recently provided pro bono assistance to participants in Boston’s first Citizenship Day, a citywide event organized to assist legal permanent residents in becoming naturalized U.S. citizens. The event, attended by more than 185 applicants from 32 countries, was co-sponsored by Greater Boston Citizenship Initiative (GBCI) and the Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians. Five free citizenship application assistance workshops were held in neighborhoods throughout Boston, including sites in East Boston, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Mattapan and Dorchester.
Working with GBCI and volunteers from IBM, 23 Goodwin attorneys prepared and reviewed applications for citizenship, fee waivers and supporting documents, and completed 103 citizenship applications in a single day. The event was recognized as “unparalleled in its breadth and scope” by Veronica Serrato, Executive Director of GBCI.
Volunteers from Goodwin’s Boston office included Ken Gordon, Theresa Kavanaugh, James McGarry, Sarah Bock, Caroline Brownworth, Sean Doran, Eric Fox, Shoaib Ghias, Crystal Komm, Michael Levesque, George Schneider, and Christian Wilson.
Goodwin Procter has also partnered with GBCI to provide pro bono counsel at several other recent clinics. On November 11, the firm partnered with the organization to host a clinic assisting lawful permanent residents with completing the naturalization application.
To learn more about Goodwin’s pro bono work, please contact Carolyn Rosenthal.