THE SOCIETY OF FELLOWS PROGRAM
Building a Foundation of Justice

The Society of Fellows is a special philanthropic-giving program that helps advance the Boston Bar Foundation’s mission to ensure access to justice for all citizens, promote an equitable and efficient judicial system and a greater understanding of the legal system, and encourage community service and pro bono activities by members of the bar. By becoming a member of the Society of Fellows, you will be joining an exemplary group of lawyers who are committed to the community service endeavors of the BBF.

Contributions from members of the Society of Fellows help support the work of the BBF and build the Foundation’s endowment to ensure it can continue to fund essential programs and meet the evolving needs of the community in years to come.

The Trustees of the Foundation established the endowment fund in 1995 to enable the BBF to fund essential programs and meet the needs legal aid providers in times of crisis. Unfortunately, the continued availability of public funding for legal services, through IOLTA funds or state and federal funds, is constantly in question. Every year this funding faces new threats. Reductions in public support place increasing numbers of low-income individuals and families at risk for homelessness, discrimination, loss of employment, or domestic violence.

The BBF, through the work of its Grants Committee, is uniquely positioned within the Boston legal community to determine and give grants to the most effective and efficient legal service programs in Greater Boston and those most in need. The BBF works closely with the attorney members of the Boston Bar Association and with Boston area non-profit organizations, and serves as a link between the two groups. By joining the Society of Fellows, you are sending money back into the Boston community in the areas where it is most needed.

In 2003, the Society of Fellows launched the Junior Fellows, a philanthropic-giving program targeted to younger and newer members of the profession.

We invite members of the legal profession to become members of the Society of Fellows and to help ensure the viability of the BBF’s mission for years to come.

Become a Member

By becoming a member of the Society of Fellows, you will be joining a distinguished group of philanthropists with an exemplary commitment to fulfilling the present and future legal needs of the Greater Boston community.

The Trustees of the Boston Bar Foundation invite you to join the Society of Fellows by making a pledge at one of the following giving levels:

Executive Fellow $50,000 
Senior Fellow $25,000
Fellow $10,000 
Supporting Fellow $5,000
Junior Fellow* $1,000 

[*Note: Junior Fellow membership is available to lawyers less than 10 years out of law school] 

Contributions are payable over a maximum of ten years, with an anticipated annual payment of at least 10% of the pledge.  Junior Fellow contributions are payable over four years, or $250 a year. When a pledge has been fully-paid, it can be applied towards membership at a higher giving level. Members who have paid $10,000 of their contribution become Life Fellows of the Foundation.  All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.

For more information about the Society of Fellows, or to inquire about membership, please contact BBA/BBF Director of Development & Events Megan Leppert at (617) 778-1924 or mleppert@bostonbar.org.