Todd & Weld LLP is committed to assisting those in need through the use of the time and talents of both its attorneys and support staff.  The firm supports the many individuals at Todd & Weld who are involved in community organizations and non-profit entities.  It also supports attorneys involved in pro bono representation.  In addition, it encourages outreach projects initiated by support staff.  The total impact of these efforts is the creation of a culture that fosters opportunities and activities that allow us to reach outside ourselves.

The following are examples of recent community outreach and pro bono efforts:

Attorneys from Todd & Weld LLP-Carole Cooke, Maria T. Davis, Megan C. Deluhery, Suzanne Elovecky, Corrina L. Hale, and Christine R. Thompson-were among the more than 650 attorneys who participated in the 14th annual Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid.

The annual Walk was co-sponsored by The Equal Justice Coalition ,Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association and many local and specialty bar associations. Gov. Deval Patrick and Chief Justice Roderick Ireland spoke to the audience in the State House's Great Hall and asked participants to urge their legislators to support increased state funding for civil legal aid.

For the 13th time, Howard M. Cooper, a founding partner of Todd & Weld LLP, has completed a Pan-Mass Challenge Bike-A-Thon. Howard was one of approximately 5,500 cyclists who completed the 190-mile ride over the two-day period, August 4-5, 2012. Each rider commits to raising a minimum of $4,300 in order to participate. Cyclists travel from 36 states and 8 countries to ride in the PMC.

This year the PMC hopes to raise $36M for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. While there are today many athletic fundraising events, the PMC is unique in that 100% of all funds raised by PMC riders go directly to the Jimmy Fund.

Attorneys and staff at Todd & Weld LLP participated in the third annual "Legal Food Frenzy" sponsored by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. Todd & Weld was one of 70 legal teams who helped to raise the equivalent of 430,000 pounds of food, which translates to an additional 331,000 meals provided for those in need.

Everyone at Todd & Weld enthusiastically supported the program over its two-week period through innovative fundraising efforts, including bake-offs, chocolate day, raffles and $5 casual days. Their endeavors contributed to the 32% increase in contributions in 2012 over 2011.

Todd & Weld LLP has become a corporate work study sponsor for a student from Cristo Rey Boston High School. The school is committed to providing a first-rate, values-based, college preparation education to economically disadvantaged youth. The students come from 30 communities throughout Greater Boston, represent 21 countries, and speak 18 different languages.  Since 2005, 100 percent of its seniors have been accepted into college.

Through a comprehensive curriculum and the Corporate Work Study Program, Cristo Rey Boston prepares its graduates to become exceptional business leaders, dedicated community members, and persons of strong moral character.  Students work one day a week with the corporate sponsor; the student's earnings are applied to his/her tuition.

Branden Mendez is spending the spring semester with Todd & Weld, splitting his day between Marketing and IT, thus providing Branden with a varied work experience.

On March 28, partners, associates and support staff of Todd & Weld LLP worked together to help inspect, sort and pack donated food and grocery products at the Greater Boston Food Bank. With more and more families once considered middle class now joining the ranks of the working poor and child hunger in Massachusetts at over 18%, the work of volunteers is critical to the success of the Greater Boston Food Bank.

The Greater Boston Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and among the largest food banks in the country.

Attorneys from Todd & Weld LLP were among the hundreds of lawyers from across Massachusetts who converged on the Statehouse on January 26, 2012 to speak with their legislators to urge increase in the civil legal aid funding in the fiscal 2013 budget.

Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Ralph D. Gants spoke to those attending the Statehouse rally, stating that “Legal services ensure the promise of justice for all . . .” The attached article (from Massachusetts Lawyers Journal) includes a photograph of Jeffrey N. Catalano, a partner at Todd & Weld and MBA Vice President, together with Justice Gants, MBA President Richard P. Campbell, and BBA President Lisa C. Goodheart. The attached article from The Equal Justice Coalition includes a picture of James Kossuth, Benjamin Wish, Kim Dougherty, Nick Carter, and Jeff Catalano, attorneys from Todd & Weld who participated in the Walk.

View Article: Massachusetts Lawyers Journal, March 2012 (Page 4)

In conjunction with the firm's annual holiday toy drive, the staff and attorneys of Todd & Weld LLP delivered six bags of toys to Finex House as gifts for 27 resident children.

Kathi Powers, Legal Assistant, and Dianne Bowen, Receptionist, have spearheaded the firm's holiday giving for over 15 years. The gifts were sent to Finex House, a shelter for battered women and their children. Finex House accommodates those who have disabilities. Its mission is to provide shelter and services for all battered women, especially those who have dropped through the cracks of existing service providers.

Howard M. Cooper, a partner with Todd & Weld LLP, was elected as a member of the Executive Committee of the Boston University School of Law Alumni Association.  Mr. Cooper, a 1984 graduate of Boston University School of Law, will serve for a three-year term commencing on July 1, 2011.

The Boston University School of Law Alumni Association is made up of more than 20,000 alumni from all 50 states and 45 countries.  BU Law alumni play a vital role in the professional and social life of the School.

Todd & Weld LLP has continued its support of the Boston Bar Association Summer Jobs Program during the summer of 2011.  The program provides jobs for racially and ethnically diverse inner-city youth.  The goal is to provide an opportunity for more inner city teens to learn about the legal profession and believe that law school is an attainable and attractive goal.

Ina Lavin, Todd & Weld's Director of Human Resources, attended the Kickoff Event held on July 5, 2011, at the Boston Bar Association, where Boston Mayor Thomas Menino gave the keynote address.  Pictured in the BBA photo album is Ina Lavin, together with Anthony Jenkins of Jeremiah E. Burke High School who will be working at Todd & Weld this summer.

As reported in the Holliston Patch, Andrew M. Porter acted as Chairman of the Holliston Lions 2010 “Reach Out and Read” Committee.  This is Mr. Porter's 13th year if participation on the committee, demonstrating true commitment for a most worthy cause.

The Holliston Lions collected and donated over 1,000 books in this year's drive.  “Reach Out and Read” is a program dedicated to providing new books to hospitalized children aged 3-7 who can't go home for the holidays.  “Reading is the silver bullet,” says Porter.  “If kids can read, then can go anywhere and do anything.”

On Wednesday, September 22, nearly two dozen Todd & Weld LLP attorneys, paralegals and support staff volunteered at the Greater Boston Food Bank warehouse.  The Todd & Weld LLP volunteers helped inspect and sort more than 14,000 pounds of donated food and grocery products. 

The Greater Boston Food Bank benefits from the services of more than 10,000 volunteers annually.  Greater Boston Food Bank volunteers acquire, inspect, sort, warehouse, and distribute large quantities of food and grocery products to those in need.

On August 6, 2010, Todd & Weld LLP partner Howard M. Cooper rode in the 31st annual Pan-Mass Challenge.  This was Mr. Cooper's eleventh year participating in the event. 

The Pan-Mass Challenge is the largest fundraising event for Dana-Farber, raising millions of dollars for cancer research and the Jimmy Fund.  Mr. Cooper was one of over 5,100 cyclists who rode on one of ten routes, ranging from 47 to 190 miles.

On June 28, 2010, Todd & Weld employees joined over 700 area companies who took part in the 27th annual J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge. The Corporate Challenge is an annual 3.5 mile race through downtown Boston that promotes corporate unity and raises money for local charities. This year's Corporate Challenge benefited Camp Harbor View, which is a summer day camp program for children from Boston's at-risk neighborhoods. Over 30% of Todd & Weld employees participated in the 2010 Corporate Challenge.  All agree, as the team's t-shirts stated:  Todd & Weld LLP - Going Above and Beyond!

Twenty-four Todd & Weld staff members participated in a tour of the Massachusetts State House on June 17, 2010.  The tour, sponsored by the Government Education Division of Massachusetts, provided architectural and historical information together with details regarding the legislative process.  The tour afforded staff an opportunity to learn more about the law that they deal with on a daily basis.

The State House Tour was the latest in annual tours taken by Todd & Weld staff, which have included the John J. Moakley Federal Courthouse and the Massachusetts John Adams Courthouse (including the Superior and Appellate Courts).

Responding to a challenge from the Attorney General of Massachusetts to law firms, bar associations, and law schools, Todd & Weld participated in the First Annual Legal Food Frenzy.  The “legal food frenzy” was a friendly competition within the legal community to raise funds and collect food for food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters during a traditionally slow time for donations.  The funds and food collected were given to the Greater Boston Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief organization in New England, to benefit hungry families across eastern Massachusetts.

In addition to personal donations and canned goods donations, the employees of Todd & Weld ran a bake sale to raise money in support of the Legal Food Frenzy. [See pictures attached.]  Each dollar donated was worth four pounds of food in the competition.

In total, Todd & Weld employees contributed 3,445 pounds of food to the Greater Boston Food Bank!

Seven Todd & Weld attorneys participated in the 11th Annual Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid which was held on January 27, 2010.  The event was sponsored by the Equal Justice Coalition, Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, and 29 other county and specialty bar associations in support of funding for civil legal aid. 

Participants from Todd & Weld included:  Chris Weld (Managing Partner), Jeff Catalano, (Partner), and Associates:  Carole Cooke, Alexis D'Arcy, James Kossuth, Brian Murphy, and Seth Robbins.

On Sunday, October 4, 2009, several Todd & Weld employees participated in the American Cancer Society's annual Making Strides walk to fight breast cancer which began at the Hatch Shell in Boston.  Todd & Weld became a Pink Ribbon Sponsor (through a generous donation from the firm) and joined ACS's Law Firm Challenge raising over $6,200 in donations from family, friends and co-workers to aid in the fight against breast cancer.

During our third year participating in the Sock Drive, sponsored by the Boston Health Care of the Homeless Program (BHCHP), Todd & Weld LLP and the employees were successful in contributing 177 pairs of socks and 6 pairs of flip flops.

The Sock Drive has become instrumental in meeting the BHCHP's patients' practical needs, and thanks to the support of our employees, Todd & Weld LLP was able to participate in a great cause once again.

Todd & Weld LLP is pleased to support the BBA Summer Jobs Program. The program provides students at public high schools in the Boston area a chance to work in a professional office environment. Todd & Weld LLP has been a part of the program for a number of years.

The program runs from Monday, July 7, 2008 through August 22, 2008. This year we are pleased to have a student from the Boston Arts Academy join Todd & Weld LLP as part of the BBA Summer Jobs Program.

Howard M. Cooper rode in his ninth Pan Mass Challenge this year over the first weekend in August.

The bike ride from Wellesley to Provincetown covers 163 miles.  The PMC is the largest fundraising event for Dana-Farber - annually raising significant money for cancer research and the Jimmy Fund. Howard was one of over 3,000 cyclists who raise millions over the course of the weekend.

The attached photograph shows Howard with fellow cyclist Paul Losordo, Esq. of Quincy.

For the second year, the employees of Todd & Weld LLP and the firm participated in donating white cotton socks and flip-flops to support the work of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (“BHCHP”).  Clean, white socks are a staple of homeless health care.  Rain-soaked feet, ill-fitting shoes, constant standing and diseases take their toll on the feet of people who are homeless.  One of the most basic ways to keep feet healthy is to keep them warm and dry.

Everyone at Todd & Weld is proud to support BHCHP's drive to collect and distribute sock to vulnerable men and women living in shelters and on the streets.

In December 2005 Todd & Weld created and endowed the J.Owen Todd Charitable Foundation in celebration of Mr. Todd's 70th birthday and as a meaningful way to recognize the contributions to the firm of our most "senior" partner. Mr. Todd has for a number of years had a special interest in supporting homes for emotionally and physically abused children. The firm can think of no better way to honor our partner than to support him in the furtherance of his special interest.

Tyler Chapman has recently completed the one-year program, LEADBoston. This program was developed by the National Conference of Community and Justice for community leaders and senior level executives. The goal is to unite business professionals by creating strategies to overcome segregation in the form of race, gender, religion, and class issues, and promote various forms of inclusion.