Equal Justice Coalition Welcomes New Chair
Media Contact:
Catherine Rizos
617-391-5627
crizos@mlac.org
Equal Justice Coalition Welcomes New Chair
WilmerHale Partner Louis Tompros to Helm Partnership Between Private Bar, Legal Services
BOSTON, August 1, 2016 – The Equal Justice Coalition (EJC) today announced that WilmerHale attorney Louis Tompros has been appointed chair of the EJC, effective August 1. Tompros replaces John Carroll, of Meehan, Boyle, Black, & Bogdanow, who served as chair for three years.
Tompros is a partner at WilmerHale, focusing on intellectual property litigation. Tompros has also represented numerous clients on a pro bono basis, including local nonprofit organizations, public housing tenants facing eviction, and employees in unemployment claims and appeals. For the past two years, Tompros has led the EJC’s efforts to engage the private bar, and particularly young attorneys, in the campaign to increase funding for civil legal aid.
“We are thrilled to have Louis step into this new role,” said Catherine Rizos, acting director of the EJC. “He is dedicated to ensuring that the Commonwealth’s low-income residents have access to legal representation when facing life-altering legal issues like eviction, domestic violence, and denial of benefits. Louis brings great energy and experience to the EJC and we are grateful to have his leadership as we continue our work to increase funding for and access to civil legal aid.”
“Because of the energy, enthusiasm, and extraordinary advocacy of lawyers from civil legal aid organizations, bar associations, law firms, and corporate legal departments, the EJC has maintained or increased funding for civil legal aid every year for nearly a decade,” Tompros said. “But there is still much work to be done: even today, more than half of eligible applicants for assistance are turned away, because there are still not enough resources for civil legal aid. I look forward to continuing to work with EJC to fight until everyone in the Commonwealth has equal access to justice.”
In addition to his work at WilmerHale, Tompros is a Lecturer on Law at the Harvard Law School, where he teaches a course on patent trial advocacy. Tompros received his B.A. in English from Yale University in 2000, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Robert J. Cordy of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and for the Honorable Richard Linn of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
About the Equal Justice Coalition
The Equal Justice Coalition is a collaboration of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC), Massachusetts Bar Association and Boston Bar Association. The EJC includes representatives from bar associations across the Commonwealth, law firms, and the legal services community, who work together to protect the state appropriation for civil legal aid, which funds programs that provide legal advice and representation to low-income Massachusetts residents facing civil legal problems.
