Community
Community
We are committed to our clients and the vital work that we do for them every day in resolving complex disputes. We also are founded on the principle that the strength of the firm over the long term depends on an appropriate balance of work, family and community activities. We encourage and support all of our lawyers and staff to pursue their passionate commitments outside of the firm. Here are examples of the ways in which our team members go to work in their communities.
Youth Activities
As parents and sports enthusiasts, many of us coach youth sports – or have a history of coaching as our children moved from grade school through high school. Together we have devoted thousands of hours coaching soccer, ice hockey, baseball and basketball for local boys and girls teams. Stephen Reilly has coached youth sports in Lexington (soccer, basketball and softball) for many years and is a supporter of the Lexington High School Girls Lacrosse Booster Club. Steven Gurdin coaches in both the Brookline Youth Hockey and Baseball Youth Baseball programs.
We are proud that the firm has sponsored youth sports teams for years. Our recent teams include the Major A Red Sox of Brookline Youth Baseball and the Brookline Youth Hockey Pee Wee A Team (pictured).
Our staff also has a history of involvement in other youth activities. Jo-Anne Hurley is on the Committee of Local Scout Troop 20 in Quincy. Heather Baer is the past Co-Chair of the Joyce Kilmer Elementary School Site Council in West Roxbury.
Local Government
Andrea Peraner-Sweet is a Member of the Board of Selectmen for the Town of Westford. She is also a Member of Westford’s Affordable Housing Trust Committee and of the Town’s Economic Development Committee. Andrea served several terms as a Member of the Town of Westford’s Planning Board.
Jonathan Fitch serves on the Zoning Board of Appeals for the Town of Sherborn.
Kurt Kusiak was twice elected as a Member of the School Committee for the City of Newton.
Jo-Anne Hurley is a Member of the Board of The Merrymount Association, a non-profit neighborhood association in Quincy. The committee works with town boards and offices to advise on ways to promote bicycle and pedestrian ways in Watertown.
Charitable And Community Organizations
Kurt Kusiak is a former member of the Newton School Committee and now serves as a Member of the Advisory Board of the Newton Schools Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that raises funds for school programs and amenities. Stephen Reilly is an supporter the Lexington Education Foundation, a similar non-profit organization that raises funds for the Lexington Public School. Patrick Clendenen is a Member of the Boston Fathers Day Council of the American Diabetes Association. He is the former Chair of the Greater Boston Board of the American Heart Association.
College And Law School Outreach
The lawyers of Fitch Law Partners LLP are active in a variety of college and law school communities to support their missions and the next generation of lawyers. The firm also sponsors scholarships for deserving students.
Jonathan Fitch has appeared as a panelist at Boston College Law School and Harvard Law School discussing Alternative Dispute Resolution topics. He is a regular panelist for a course at Suffolk Law School on Law Practice Management. For many years, Jim Re has taught at the Harvard Law School Winter Trial Advocacy Workshop.
Peter Ball has been the long-time President of the Columbia Law School Association of Boston and also currently serves on an MCLE Scholarship Committee.
We are also active in the support of undergraduate colleges and universities. Carlos Maycotte is the Senior Vice President of the Cornell Club of Boston. Jonathan Fitch has served as Secretary of his class at Williams College for over twenty years. Mr. Fitch is also a Member of the Alumni Advisory Board of Yale School of Management.
Pro Bono
We serve our communities as volunteer lawyers on a wide range of pro bono cases. Please visit our Pro Bono page for details.
College And Law School Scholarships
Fitch Law Partners LLP offers tuition scholarships to one law student and one undergraduate student with the aspiration of attending law school. Details are available on our Scholarship Page.