W. Thomas Smith Selected to Serve on GBLS Board of Directors
July 01, 2009
Boston—W. Thomas Smith, principal at Sugarman, was recently selected to serve on the Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) Board of Directors.
Founded in 1900 by a group of private attorneys, Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) provides free legal assistance to poor people in crisis to help them secure the most basic necessities of life. It is one of the premier legal aid programs in the county due to its legal expertise in the poverty law issues for which it provides assistance and the impressive results of its impact advocacy that brings about positive change for large numbers of poor people facing a common problem.
GBLS annually provides legal assistance to more than 16,000 families or individuals who live at or below 125% of the federal poverty standard ($26,500 for a family of four). Its clients are victims of domestic violence, homeless families, families facing destitution, low-income elders, people with disabilities, low-wage workers and immigrants fleeing persecution in their homeland. GBLS also provides legal counsel to close to 100 community-based groups and organizations to help build their capacity to serve their low-income constituents and to bring about positive systemic change.
GBLS’s Board of Directors plays a critical role in providing organizational oversight, strategic planning and in ensuring that GBLS has the resources needed to carry out its critical mission. In 2008, Boston’s legal community contributed more than $2.8 million to GBLS. Sugarman has supported GBLS for many years and is proud, in 2008, to have contributed at the Leadership tier, the highest giving level.
For more information on GBLS, visit http://gbls.org/