Boston, MA, September 19, 2017 – Brown Rudnick LLP partner Steven D. Pohl and paralegal Carol Ennis have received the 2017 Denis Maguire Pro Bono Award from the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) of the Boston Bar Association. Pohl and Ennis were honored for their work on the “Pro Bono Bankruptcy Project” at the VLP’s 40th Anniversary Celebration, held on September 13, 2017.
Since the late 1990s, Pohl and Ennis have provided pro bono legal representation to individuals who are overwhelmed with personal debt and are on the verge of Chapter 7 personal bankruptcy. In 2010, at the request of the judges from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Boston, Brown Rudnick, through its Center for the Public Interest, created Brown Rudnick’s Chapter 7 Debt Relief Pro Bono Project, a dedicated program to assist consumers in such circumstances. Working with the VLP, Pohl and Ennis lead the project and members of the firm’s Bankruptcy Group assist individuals in determining whether bankruptcy is an appropriate approach for them, and if so, in preparing court forms and representing them at the meeting of creditors, if needed. Since the program’s inception in 2010, Pohl and Ennis have represented nearly 50 pro bono bankruptcy clients directly, and have been involved in numerous other related cases. Among all participating Boston firms, Brown Rudnick has assumed a leadership position with VLP in taking on debtor relief pro bono cases.
Pohl regularly represents debtors, trustees, official and ad hoc creditors’ and equity committees and other interested parties in a variety of in-court and out-of-court situations, including bankruptcy reorganizations, asset sales, loan restructurings, receiverships and assignments for the benefit of creditors. His practice includes all aspects of the bankruptcy process, including contested (and competing) plan confirmation hearings, contested relief from stay and cash collateral hearings, and fraudulent conveyance and preference litigation.
The Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association (VLP) provides free civil legal assistance to low-income residents of Greater Boston, primarily through the pro bono services of private attorneys. VLP makes access to justice possible for people who cannot afford a lawyer.
About Brown Rudnick LLP
Brown Rudnick, an international law firm with offices in the United States and Europe, represents clients from around the world in high-stakes litigation, international arbitration and complex business transactions. Clients include public and private corporations, multinational Fortune 100 businesses and start-up enterprises. The Firm also represents investors, as well as official and ad hoc creditors’ committees in today’s largest corporate restructurings, both domestically and abroad. Founded more than 60 years ago, Brown Rudnick has over 240 lawyers providing advice and services across key areas of the law. Beyond the United States, the Firm regularly serves clients in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. With its Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest, the Firm has created an innovative model combining its pro bono, charitable giving and community volunteer efforts.
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