Walk to the Hill Captains

On Wednesday, January 28, 2026, the EJC hosted Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid, bringing private attorneys and law students to the Massachusetts State House in support of increased civil legal aid funding. Each year, we’re proud to have the participation of hundreds of legal professionals and soon-to-be legal professionals from around the state. Volunteer captains – attorneys and law students – help make this possible.

Volunteer

If you are interested in serving as a captain for your law firm or school for the 2027 Walk to the Hill, thank you! Email Annie Donovan, EJC Legislative Campaign Associate, at adonovan@mlac.org to join the Walk to the Hill team and receive important updates.

The toolkit below includes resources to help captains recruit and prepare their peers for Walk to the Hill. Contact EJC staff with any questions about the Walk or captains’ responsibilities.

Captains’ Responsibilities

Each captain’s main task is to recruit peers to ‘Walk to the Hill’ in January and participate in our annual lobby day. Below you can find some ways to generate excitement; we encourage you to be creative!

Download Law Firm Captains’ Responsibilities [PDF].

Before the Walk

  • Invite your colleagues: Send your colleagues a calendar invitation for the Walk with the event registration link. Include a brief explanation of Walk to the Hill and why it’s important for them to attend. Make sure you mention the event includes free lunch! Keep track of who you have contacted and who has committed to participating.
  • Get personal: Go door to door at the office to remind people to register. Mention it at Zoom meetings. Add it to the agenda for your firm’s next all-staff meeting.
  • Leverage internal communications: Does your firm send a monthly newsletter, or have a blog on its website? Write a short article or post about Walk to the Hill, linking back to the EJC’s event website: equaljusticecoalition.org/walk.
  • Team up: Identify colleagues who can serve as co-captains and help recruit people for the Walk. You know your firm best, and we encourage you to tailor your approach.
  • Bring in firm leaders: Invite your managing partner to attend the Walk and ask them to invite colleagues. A message from leadership can make a big difference with turnout!
  • Ask about pro bono hours: Talk to your office’s pro bono coordinator or managing partner about whether your firm counts time spent on legislative advocacy toward pro bono hours. If it doesn’t, consider making the case for why it should. The incentive of pro bono hours will motivate more of your coworkers to join us for the Walk!
  • Attend the Captains’ Information Session: The EJC hosts a breakfast every year to make sure captains feel ready for the Walk. Come with any questions about your responsibilities!
  • Prepare for legislative visits: Share EJC resources with your colleagues and get people thinking about why legal aid is important to them. Spend some time researching your state legislators.
  • Engage with the EJC on social media: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn (@EqualJusticeMA), and participate in our social media campaign with the hashtag #IWalkForJustice.
  • Get competitive: The EJC awards firms for outstanding participation and advocacy at the Walk. We recognize the firm that brings the biggest team to the State House, the firm with the most legislative visits, and the firm that participates the most in our social media campaign.

Walk to the Hill Day

Though you will complete many of your responsibilities before January 28, there are important tasks for you on the day of to ensure a successful event!

  • Lead your team to the State House: On the morning of the Walk, check that colleagues have the event information they need as they make their way to Beacon Hill! As an extra incentive, remind everyone that the EJC provides free lunch to attendees at the end of the program.
  • Meet with your legislators: This is what the Walk is all about. Visit your elected officials and let them know why they should support increased funding for civil legal aid!
  • Organize your coworkers for a photo: The EJC takes team photos of each firm participating in the Walk. Closer to the event, EJC staff will give you a time slot for your firm’s group photo—make sure everyone knows when and where the photo is being taken.

After the Walk

Walk to the Hill is the kick-off to our budget campaign every year. The EJC does a lot of work in the weeks and months after the Walk to make sure your advocacy pays off! During this time:

  • Stay active in the campaign: Your participation throughout the year is crucial!
    • Re-contact your legislators during critical points in the budget process
    • Follow us on social media and re-share EJC content
    • Inquire with the EJC team about other ways you and your firm can assist
    • The EJC sends regular action alerts to provide campaign updates and let supporters know how they can help. Make sure you are subscribed to action alerts and share the subscription link with your coworkers.
  • Be a resource for your colleagues: Answer questions about civil legal aid and the state budget process and share EJC materials with the office. If you need additional information, reach out to EJC staff—we are happy to help you!
  • Plan ahead: If you are interested in serving as captain again, thank you! If you can’t serve again, please identify a successor and inform the EJC.

Download Law School Captains’ Responsibilities [PDF].

Before the Walk

  • Invite your classmates: Send your peers a calendar invitation for the Walk with the event registration link. Include a brief explanation of Walk to the Hill and why it’s important for them to attend. Make sure you mention the event includes free lunch! Keep track of who you have contacted and who has committed to participating.
  • Get personal: When you talk with classmates in person or on Zoom, tell them about the Walk! Add an announcement about the Walk to meeting agendas for groups and clubs you belong to.
  • Team up: Identify classmates who can serve as co-captains and help recruit people for the Walk. You know your school best and we encourage you to tailor your approach.
  • Bring in school leaders: Identify classmates who can serve as co-captains and help recruit people for the Walk. You know your school best and we encourage you to tailor your approach.
  • Ask about pro bono hours: Talk to your school’s pro bono coordinator about whether time spent on legislative advocacy counts toward pro bono requirements. If it doesn’t, consider making the case for why it should. Pro bono hours will motivate more of your classmates to join us for the Walk!
  • Prepare for legislative visits: Share EJC resources with your peers and get people thinking about why legal aid is important to them. Spend some time researching your state legislators.
  • Engage with the EJC on social media: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn (@EqualJusticeMA), and participate in our social media campaign with the hashtag #IWalkForJustice.
  • Get competitive: The EJC awards firms for outstanding participation and advocacy at the Walk. We recognize the school that brings the biggest team to the State House.

Walk to the Hill Day

Though you will complete many of your responsibilities before January 28, there are important tasks for you on the day of to ensure a successful event!

  • Lead your team to the State House: On the morning of the Walk, check that classmates have the event information they need as they make their way to Beacon Hill! As an extra incentive, remind everyone that the EJC provides free lunch to attendees at the end of the program.
  • Meet with your legislators: This is what the Walk is all about. Visit your elected officials and let them know why they should support increased funding for civil legal aid!
  • Organize your classmates for a photo: The EJC takes team photos of each law firm and law school participating in the Walk. Closer to the event, EJC staff will give you a time slot for your school’s group photo—make sure everyone knows when and where the photo is being taken.

After the Walk

Walk to the Hill is the kick-off to our budget campaign every year. The EJC does a lot of work in the weeks and months after the Walk to make sure your advocacy pays off! During this time:

  • Stay active in the campaign: Your participation throughout the year is crucial!
    • Re-contact your legislators during critical points in the budget process
    • Follow us on social media and re-share EJC content
    • Inquire with the EJC team about other ways you and your school can assist
    • The EJC sends regular action alerts to provide campaign updates and let
      supporters know how they can help. Make sure you are subscribed to action alerts
      and share the subscription link with your classmates.
  • Be a resource for your classmates: Answer questions about civil legal aid and the state budget process and share EJC materials. If you need additional information, reach out to EJC staff—we are happy to help you!
  • Plan ahead: If you are interested in serving as captain again, thank you! If you can’t serve again, please identify a successor and inform the EJC.

Resources to Share with Your Team:

Download EJC Overview [PDF] to share with your peers.

Unlike in criminal cases, there is no guaranteed right to an attorney in most civil cases. To balance the scales of justice, civil legal aid programs provide free legal advice and representation to people with low incomes. They help families at risk of eviction, domestic violence survivors who need protection from abusers, veterans struggling to access benefits, older adults experiencing financial abuse, and children with special needs who need supports at school, among others. The Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) is the largest funder of civil legal aid in the Commonwealth.

The EJC’s History & Mission

The Equal Justice Coalition (EJC) was created in 1999 by the Boston Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, and MLAC after Congress imposed severe cuts and restrictions on legal aid organizations in the mid-1990s. The EJC is committed to ensuring that people with low incomes can access and navigate the justice system when they have a civil (non-criminal) legal problem. EJC members work together to support the state budget appropriation for civil legal aid (line item 0321-1600, MLAC).

Download MLAC Overview – March 2026 [PDF] to share with your peers.

Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation is the largest funder of civil legal aid in the Commonwealth.

MLAC Basics

Background

MLAC was established by the Legislature in 1983 to ensure that residents with low incomes facing critical, civil (non-criminal) legal problems would have access to legal information, advice, and representation.

Mission

MLAC’s mission is to provide leadership and support to improve civil legal services to people with low incomes in Massachusetts through collaboration with the legal services community, the public, the bar, and the legislature.

Funding

MLAC receives funding from a variety of sources, primarily the state budget. Other significant funds come from Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA), private foundations, and government grants. MLAC disburses its funding to qualified civil legal aid organizations across the Commonwealth.

Support

In addition to funding, MLAC supports legal aid organizations with communications; data and research; diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; information technology; and program monitoring and evaluation. MLAC also partners with legal aid organizations, bar associations, the Equal Justice Coalition, and the Access to Justice Commission to activate a network of pro bono lawyers and publish self-help materials.

Download Pro Bono Hours & EJC Advocacy [PDF] to share with your peers.

Did you know? Time spent on legislative advocacy in support of civil legal aid counts as pro bono service hours.*

Every year, the Equal Justice Coalition (EJC) supports the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation’s (MLAC) request for civil legal aid funding in the state budget. Attorneys are critical to this effort.

As a lawyer, you are respected in your community for your knowledge of the law, your ability to persuade through well-reasoned arguments, and your commitment to justice. You also understand that people are more likely to achieve their desired outcomes in a legal case when they have representation.

That’s why lawyers like you are vital allies in the campaign to increase funding for civil legal aid.

For individual attorneys, legislative advocacy for civil legal aid funding can mean:

  • Attending our annual lobby day, Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid
  • Writing to a legislator
  • Calling a legislator’s office

For firms, legislative advocacy is one way to increase pro bono efforts and improve national rankings. For instance:

  • The Pro Bono Institute counts time a firm spends on legislative lobbying as pro bono service hours in its annual Pro Bono Challenge.
  • To compile its annual pro bono rankings, The American Lawyer considers: 1) the average number of pro bono hours per lawyer, and 2) the percentage of a firm’s lawyers who performed more than 20 hours of pro bono work in a year.

If you have any questions about pro bono work through legislative advocacy, or would like to discuss how to get involved in this year’s budget campaign, please contact Laura Booth, Director of the Equal Justice Coalition, at lbooth@equaljusticecoalition.org.

*Both the American Bar Association’s Model Rule 6.1 on Voluntary Pro Bono Public Service AND Rule 3:07 of the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct specifically state that time spent on legislative advocacy counts towards the pro bono service requirement for all admitted attorneys.

Every year, Walk to the Hill provides the unique opportunity for attorneys and law students to connect directly with Massachusetts legislators.

Visit the Massachusetts Legislature website to look up your state representative and state senator: https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator. The EJC recommends getting to know legislators’ backgrounds and priorities in advance of the Walk—to make your conversations with them more impactful!

Download the Walk to the Hill Save the Date flyer [PDF] to share with your peers. Send it in an email to staff or post it in a visible common space in your office!

Captains’ Breakfast

Every year, a few weeks before Walk to the Hill, we treat our team captains to a special breakfast to celebrate their work, recognize exemplary participation at the previous year’s lobby day, and discuss engagement strategies for the upcoming event.

Read all about Captains’ Breakfasts from years past.

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