Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 6223 22 Breaking a Chain of Despair More than 6.4 million Americans age 65 and over are living in poverty. For these people, one adverse life event such as illness, income loss, or an unforeseen expense can start a chain of problems. For “Robert,” a retired schoolteacher from Quincy, Massachusetts, the dream of owning a home had become a nightmare. By the time Mintz Levin attorney Adam Coffin met him, Robert was overwhelmed with unpaid mortgage and tax bills, and his condo and penalty fees were piling up. Robert had aged out of his profession and, due to illness, began having difficulty managing his finances. His condominium was heading toward foreclosure; the Board of Health had condemned the residence, relegating him to a homeless shelter; and his snowballing debt was an ongoing source of worry and anxiety. Kathy McGrath, a fellow pro bono attorney and senior corporate counsel at Liberty Mutual, had been working through the Lawyers Clearinghouse to sort out some of Robert’s affairs when she asked Adam to assist in selling Robert’s condominium. At first glance, this seemed like a pretty straightforward task. It even appeared from his credit report as if Robert might come out ahead on the transaction. However, a more thorough investigation revealed that Robert was underwater on his mortgage; the amount he owed exceeded the potential sale price of his home. Working with Mintz Levin attorneys Andrew Dean and Peter Gelzinis, Adam had to arrange for a short sale. What normally might have taken a couple of months turned into a five-month ordeal. Through perseverance and many hours, the team struck a deal that removed the weight that had been holding Robert down these many years. The lender agreed to waive tens of thousands of dollars. While the financial matters were being resolved, there was also the matter of clearing out and cleaning up Robert’s dilapidated property to prepare it for sale. Thanks to some serious elbow grease from volunteers and Kathy’s and Mintz Levin’s legal services, Robert’s residence and debt were wiped clean. The Mintz Levin–Liberty Mutual pro bono partnership broke the chain of despair so Robert could move forward and get the medical and housing assistance that he needed. “The fact that this was getting resolved was a huge relief to Robert. Getting his former residence out of the way made him eligible for subsidized assisted living which, all things considered, was the best solution for him,” Kathy said. “Mintz Levin and Liberty Mutual have come together to provide thousands of hours of legal work to remove legal barriers that prevent people from escaping homelessness. This successful partnership has become the model by which law firms and corporate law departments work together to help people in need.” Maribeth Perry, Esq. Executive Director Lawyers Clearinghouse