MLRI Executive Director Allan Rodgers Announces His Retirement

After a remarkable and distinguished 41-year career serving as the Executive Director of Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Allan G. Rodgers has announced he will retire, effective December 31, 2010. Since 1969, Rodgers has been the heart and soul of MLRI, establishing MLRI as one of the premier legal services advocacy and support centers in the country.

“A tireless and brilliant advocate, Allan has been an inspiration to every legal services worker in Massachusetts,” said Bob Sable, Executive Director of Greater Boston Legal Services. “He not only worked on many major cases and projects but also mentored hundred of lawyers and worked to improve the legal services system. I have never been to a meeting with Allan at which he didn’t have at least three new ideas. His wide ranging scope and intensity are tempered by his notorious and dreadful puns. Everyone who works for equal justice in Massachusetts will miss him as a colleague and a leader.”

Rodgers’ myriad accomplishments include drafting the state’s Chapter 40B zoning law, which has directly been responsible for creating over 55,000 units of affordable housing, and playing an integral role in getting the Massachusetts Abuse Prevention Act passed, which has helped more than 40,000 abused women and children each year secure restraining order protections. He has also championed numerous court reform efforts to ensure our justice system remains fair and accessible for thousands of low-income individuals and families every day, and was recently appointed to the Access to Justice Commission, on which he will continue to serve.

Rodgers has been a state and national leader in promoting and improving the legal services delivery system and is one of the foremost authorities on unrepresented litigant issues. He also filed or co-counseled over a dozen class action lawsuits challenging the unfairness of welfare, unemployment compensation, child support collection and DSS custody rules and practices.

His numerous awards and accolades include being the first ever recipient of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Legal Service Award, the National Legal Aid & Defender Association’s Reginald Heber Smith Award, and the Community Legal Services and Counseling Center’s Dr. Joseph A. Brenner Award.

“It’s been a long and productive run for me,” said Rodgers. “I’ve especially treasured the special colleagues I’ve had here and in legal services. I wouldn’t have traded my experience for any other. It will be hard for me to separate myself from a job which I still very much enjoy, but I look forward to doing many things I haven’t had time to do, such as to write a history of legal services advocacy successes in Massachusetts."

Before joining MLRI, Rodgers worked at the Boston law firm of Hill & Barlow and at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office. He graduated from Harvard Law School.

About MLRI

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) is a non-profit legal services organization committed to promoting economic, racial and social justice for low-income people across Massachusetts through legal action, education and advocacy. MLRI’s expert and dedicated staff advocate for systemic reforms to policies and practices that harm people living in poverty and work to ensure that the fundamental needs of traditionally underserved, low-income populations are met. Staff members work in a variety of poverty law fields, including housing, health care, public benefits, immigration law, court reform, employment law, racial equity, elder law, education and family law.

MLRI also provides support to client-based legal services organizations so they may best serve their constituencies. A 2008 assessment of MLRI conducted by three experienced, national peer reviewers affirmed that MLRI “is one of the premier state support centers in the country” and “remains the backbone of the Massachusetts civil legal aid delivery system.”

# # # #

Date Posted: 6/30/2010 9:55 am