Q&A with Rebecca Cazabon

Rebecca M. Cazabon, Esq.

Title: Staff Lawyer
Organization:  Foley Hoag LLP
Years in Legal Practice: 12
MLP Affiliaton: Pro Bono Staff Attorney with Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston
How were you introduced to MLP?  By MLP | Boston by Executive Director Samantha Morton

Q: Describe the relationship between Foley Hoag and the Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston.

A: About ten years ago, we started handling a variety of matters for the Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston on a pro bono basis.  The relationship developed really smoothly, and I got to know people who work there, especially Samantha Morton and a few others.   In talking to them and working with them over the years, I got to hear about the mission of MLP and understand how important it was to do the work on a regular basis.

In 2007, Foley Hoag adopted a health center, the South Boston Community Health Center, which is about two miles from the firm.   We did that because we thought it was important to help the poor and underserved folks in our community.   We’ve been working with that health center for the past three years, and it’s an important part of our practice now.

Q: What do you and your colleagues get out of taking on cases in partnership with MLP | Boston?

A: One thing that has struck me, and my colleagues as well, is that the people that we are interacting with and helping are some of the neediest families in the Boston Area.  It seems like they’re people that normally wouldn’t be receiving legal services or even know how to access them.  The fact that we’re able to make ourselves available to them as attorneys, as professionals who are there to help, is really empowering.  They provide us with some interesting challenges and the ability to do good work, which is something I think all lawyers ultimately want to do.

Doing pro bono work in general is the high point for most of us in this profession, and in particular this work.   I personally am very proud of the work we’ve done.  When we start to think about the impact we’ve made in some of the lives of these families, it’s really tremendous.  Our firm has seen this as a long-term investment, and we’ve really institutionalized the program.   It’s one of our signature pro bono projects at this point, and that’s really exciting

Q: What would you say to lawyers from other firms considering working with a medical-legal partnership on a pro bono basis?

A: I have had law firm pro bono coordinators talk to me about it, and I’ve definitely tried to convince them to get on board.  The first thing I’d say is to talk with me, and others who have partnered with a medical-legal partnership to find out what’s involved.  I’d say to start out small, by taking one case or participating in a community training program the partnership offers, such as a poverty simulation, just to get a sense of what it’s all about.
I think once you realize that you’re a part of something bigger than just providing pro bono help to one individual person, you become more excited and more interested in the work.  You see that it’s something bigger than just one case.