40 assisted living facility and in leasing a new office space. In addition, Michael Arnold, Brendan Lowd, Brie Kluytenaar, Alexander Song, and Emma Follansbee assisted the Met Council on numerous employment-related matters and with revisions to the Met Council’s employee handbook. POLITICAL ASYLUM/IMMIGRATION REPRESENTATION PROJECT (PAIR) The Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project (PAIR), a nonprofit organization, is the core provider of pro bono legal services to indigent political asylum seekers in Massachusetts. This year, dozens of Mintz attorneys and staff worked on PAIR matters to provide legal services to secure the safety and freedom of asylum seekers from numerous countries. Susan Cohen serves as PAIR’s long-time board chair, and Martha Koster has been an Access to Justice Fellow at PAIR for many years. PROJECT CITIZENSHIP Many people dream of becoming American citizens. For some, however, the idea of applying for citizenship can be overwhelm- ing. Some may be discouraged by language barriers, the steep application fee, or the complexity of the application process. Others may worry they’ll invite unwanted scrutiny from the government, and risk deportation. In fact, although there are an estimated 300,000 permanent residents in Massachusetts who are eligible for citizenship, only 10% of these legal permanent residents apply. Project Citizenship reduces these barriers to citizenship by offering eligibility screening, application assistance, legal referrals, and other support. Since 2011, Project Citizenship has helped more than 6,000 people from 152 countries of origin apply for citizenship. The organization is also able to help waive the $725 application fee for many people. Beginning in 2015, Mintz began collaborating with Project Citizenship to host workshops in the Boston office and elsewhere, and to date the firm has provided pro bono legal services to assist several dozen low-income immigrants with prescreened applications for citizenship. Attorney Derek Constantine oversees these workshop activities with Pro Bono Chair Sue Finegan. Approximately 55 Mintz attorneys, project analysts, and summer associates have worked directly with workshop participants to help them fill out the necessary paperwork. The workshops give immigrants an opportunity to sit down with an attorney who can help them navigate the process and address any potential roadblocks to citizenship before they present their paperwork to US Citizenship and Immigration Services. “Knowing they have someone knowl- edgeable here to help them is important to them,” Derek said. “There are many aspects of the paperwork that can be confusing if you’re not familiar with it. It’s fulfilling to be able to have a tangible result at the end of the workshop that will help someone’s life.” THE SCHWARTZ CENTER FOR COMPASSIONATE HEALTHCARE The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening relation- ships between patients and caregivers with the goal of promoting compassionate end-of-life care. The center was established through the vision of Ken Schwartz, a former Mintz attorney who, while battling cancer, recognized how the human kindness he received from his caregivers made his plight a little more bearable. Since helping to start the organization many years ago, Mintz has played a major role in the success of the Schwartz Center. Attorney Steve Weiner serves as the organization’s general counsel, and attorneys Peter Biagetti and Tony Starr serve on the board. In addition, over the past three years, attorneys Dianne Bourque, Sue Finegan, Rachel Irving Pitts, Kate Stewart, Susan Weller, and Cassie Paolillo, former attorneys Carrie Roll and Ryan Cuthbertson, and legal specialists Jacobo Dib and Jacquelyn Cannata have assisted the Schwartz Center. Additional Pro Bono Highlights (continued)