[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15731]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     IN RECOGNITION OF THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HAMPDEN COUNTY 
                     MASSACHUSETTS BAR ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RICHARD E. NEAL

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 13, 2014

  Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, this year the Hampden County Massachusetts Bar 
Association celebrates its 150th anniversary, having been officially 
incorporated on October 20, 1864. For all those years, this group has 
been one of the pre-eminent organizations in my district and beyond. 
The association is much more than a group of lawyers looking out for 
the interests of their profession. The association is now over 1,000 
members strong and out of its membership over the years have emerged 
some of the most outstanding lawyers and jurists in the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts. For a century and a half the association has been a 
proven leader in providing legal assistance for the poor, educating the 
public on our legal system and seeking improvements in our courts.
  The Hampden County Bar Association plays a significant role in 
providing Pro Bono services and access to justice, as well as community 
outreach programs to the local community. Such programs include a legal 
clinic, a lawyer referral and information service, and providing for 
Lawyer for a Day Programs, in its Housing, Probate and District Courts. 
This volunteer organization of lawyers provides professional support 
and education to its members and advocacy on behalf of lawyers, the 
judiciary and the public at large. Its members have continued to 
provide an unwavering commitment to the legal profession, to each other 
and to the people they serve. One of the many noteworthy services 
provided by the Hampden County Bar Association occurred following the 
June 1, 2011 tornado, which impacted Springfield and its surrounding 
communities. The Bar Association served as the base and primary liaison 
to coordinate efforts to assist victims of the tornado, including 
setting up a hotline for the public as well as a FEMA hotline. Members 
of the Association attended various town meetings to assist property 
owners with legal issues resulting from the tornado devastation. This 
service also included representing individuals who were facing 
condemnation hearings because of the significant property damage to 
their premises. In addition, the Hampden County Bar Association 
maintained the FEMA hotline a few months later in 2011 when flooding 
from Hurricane Irene affected Franklin and Berkshire Counties, knowing 
that their bar associations did not have the resources.
  I urge all citizens to take note of the good work of the Hampden 
County Bar Association as it begins its next 150 years of public 
service.

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