State Improperly Inflates Minority Small Business Engagement →

New Data Reveals the Baker Administration Has Inflated the Amount of State Money Going to Minority-Owned Small Businesses in Massachusetts  Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) strongly condemns the Baker Administration’s misrepresentation of state contracting with minority-owned small businesses in Massachusetts. In recent reporting, WGBH found that “the state has inflated...

Reopening Support for Small Businesses in Rhode Island →

30 Minority- and Women-Owned Small Businesses in Rhode Island Receive Grants by Lawyers for Civil Rights, Tufts Health Plan and Washington Trust Funding to Help Businesses Reopen and Operate Safely During COVID-19 Pandemic Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR), Tufts Health Plan and Washington Trust announced today that 30 small businesses, specifically those that are minority-owned...

Support for Rhode Island Small Businesses →

Lawyers for Civil Rights and Tufts Health Plan Team Up to Support Rhode Island Minority and Women-Owned Small Businesses Affected by COVID-19 Crisis  Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and Tufts Health Plan are collaborating to provide support to struggling minority and women-owned small businesses located in Rhode Island communities particularly hard-hit by the...

Brewers Trillium & White Lion Support Racial Justice →

RACIAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS APPLAUD MASS-BASED BREWERS WHITE LION AND TRILLIUM ON BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL INITIATIVE The Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley (HRIPV) and Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) jointly applaud Massachusetts-based brewers White Lion and Trillium for their leadership and partnership on Black is Beautiful, the...

150 Attorneys Support Over 250 Small Businesses →

Today, Lawyers for Civil Rights and over a dozen Boston law firms and corporate sponsors will host the BizGrow Conference, a free event providing hundreds of minority-owned, woman-owned, and immigrant-owned small businesses with free legal consultations and technical support. BizGrow will be held virtually from 9:30 AM to 5 PM....

30 More Small Businesses Receive Reopening Support →

FUNDING AWARDED TO THIRTY MORE DIVERSE SMALL BUSINESSES IN COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY COVID-19  Lawyers for Civil Rights Provides Support to Minority and Women-Owned Small Businesses Across Massachusetts Inspired by a successful and innovative partnership between Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and Tufts Health Plan supporting small businesses affected by the...

Diversifying Public Contracts →

New Data Reveals Progress And Continued Need for Action in Diversifying Public Contracts in Boston Statement in Response to Latest Figures Regarding Minority- and Women-Business Enterprise Participation in Boston Contracting The City of Boston presented data on the public contracts awarded during the first three quarters of fiscal year 2020....

Diverse Small Businesses Receive PPE Support →

FUNDING AWARDED TO TWENTY DIVERSE SMALL BUSINESSES IN COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY COVID-19  Lawyers for Civil Rights and Tufts Health Plan Program Providing Support to Minority and Women-Owned Small Businesses Across Massachusetts Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and Tufts Health Plan announced today that twenty small businesses have been awarded $1,000 grants  to purchase...

Support Our Life-Changing Legal Work →

We are very grateful for these amazing entrepreneurs who are supporting Lawyers for Civil Rights: Check out Jill Rosenwald's amazing pottery. This is their biggest sale of small items, all priced under $100. There is just one of each item and items do sell out quickly. 25% of the sales from...

LCR Awarded Cummings Grant →

Visit the Cummings Foundation FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Lawyers for Civil Rights, 617-988-0624, iespinoza@lawyersforcivilrights.org Contact: Alison Harding, Cummings Foundation, 781-932-7093, aeh@cummings.com Lawyers for Civil Rights Awarded Cummings Grant Boston-based nonprofit receives Cummings Foundation grant Boston, May 22, 2020 – Lawyers for Civil Rights is one of 130 local nonprofits to...

Coronavirus Pandemic Response →

Intake The demand for our free legal services has increased exponentially since the start of the public health and economic crisis.  Since March, we have received over 350 requests for legal assistance (intakes). The estimated demographic breakdown is as follows: 55% Black; 25% Latinx; 10% Asian American; and 10% other....

Collaboration with Tufts Health Plan to Support Small Businesses Affected by COVID-19 →

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and Tufts Health Plan are collaborating to provide support to struggling minority and women-owned small businesses located in communities that are particularly hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Eligible small businesses affected by the coronavirus can apply for $1000 to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE), technology allowing their employees to work...

DACA Discrimination Class Action Against Online Lender →

Today, DACA recipient Ruben Juarez filed a nationwide class action lawsuit against SoFi, a major online personal finance company, on behalf of himself and other DACA recipients who were denied access to a variety of consumer credit, including student loans, personal loans, and home mortgages. The lawsuit, filed in federal...

Launching Unemployment Assistance Initiative →

During the COVID-19 crisis the need for financial resources is growing, with over 22 million workers seeking unemployment assistance in the last few weeks. Although state and federal emergency legislation was promulgated to expand access to unemployment benefits, countless workers still need help completing the fairly complex online unemployment application....

Launching Relief Coalition for Small Businesses →

Request small business legal support here: https://www.covidreliefcoalition.com/en/Forms/Intake-Form-for-Small-Businesses Small businesses and nonprofits are facing a challenging climate as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts their ability to keep their workforce employed and their doors open. In response, a coalition of law firms, nonprofits and government agencies—led by Ropes & Gray and its longstanding pro...

Coronavirus Legal Warriors →

As legal first responders, at a time when many doors are closing, we are opening ours wider. In response to an unprecedented need, we're adding a new coronavirus legal warrior to our team. This expansion is critical to deepening and expanding free support for affected families, including help with unemployment...

Legal Responses to COVID-19 →

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) is launching a comprehensive legal and policy initiative across immigration, education, housing and the census to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on our most vulnerable communities. Specifically, we are advocating to: Secure demographic and racial data on coronavirus infections and death. Stop immigration raids,...

Emergency Measures Needed →

As the coronavirus pandemic unfolds rapidly, it is imperative that state and local policy leaders enact emergency measures that will protect the most vulnerable populations. For those with higher incomes and more social supports, the sudden changes in daily life due to the pandemic will be inconvenient and disruptive. But...