Pro Bono and Community Services
Attorneys at Taylor Duane Barton & Gilman have a long history of community involvement. Our attorneys are committed to serving organizations and deepening our ties to local communities, which further enhances our advocacy skills. Below are examples of some of the community work our lawyers are doing. Taylor Duane Barton & Gilman is committed to the principle that legal professionals should give back to their communities. Our attorneys are involved in a variety of pro bono initiatives, and volunteer their time to a number of community organizations as well.
Below is a sampling of some of those activities:
Pro Bono
Firm attorneys – including Matthew R. Plain, Lauren Regis, Timothy J. Groves, Stephen Adams, Francis A. Connor III, Andria Coletta and Angela L. Carr – provide legal services as part of the Roger Williams Law School Pro Bono Collaborative. Taylor Duane attorneys are partnered with Bradley Hospital in East Providence, RI. The attorneys represent families who file guardianship petitions in Rhode Island Probate Court on behalf of children approaching the age of 18 with severe and profound disabilities.
Our attorneys also provide pro bono legal representation to individuals before courts and administrative agencies in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Community Service
Attorneys at Taylor Duane Barton & Gilman have a long history of community involvement. Our attorneys are committed to serving organizations and deepening our ties to local communities, which further enhances our advocacy skills. Below are examples of some of the community work our lawyers are doing.
Taylor Duane Barton & Gilman was a primary sponsor of the Manton Avenue Project’s spring 2009 benefit theater performance. The performance was a collaboration between the students participating in the Manton Avenue Project, and Rhode Island media and political figures. The Providence-based Manton Avenue Project works with children ages 8-14 living in the city’s Olneyville neighborhood to help boost their self esteem and unleash their creative voices by uniting them with professional artists to create original theater. Matthew R. Plain serves on the board of directors and is treasurer.
Timothy J. Groves serves on the Executive Director's Council of the San Miguel School in Providence. Tim in 2009 organized a number of volunteer projects for the school in which Taylor Duane attorneys and staff participated, including the installation of outdoor basketball hoops, interior painting, and general clean-up and landscaping of the school’s courtyard and playground.
James J. Duane III has an extraordinary record of volunteerism at various community organizations over the years. Presently, Jim is vice president of Friends of Metro Boston, which is devoted to providing recreational opportunities to people with mental illness. Jim is devoted to helping educational institutions, as well, serving on the Board of Trustees of Lehigh University, his undergraduate alma mater. He also has chaired the Student Affairs Committee since 2002.
Francis A. Connor III serves on the Special Olympics Rhode Island Board of Directors. To help raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Pamela S. Gilman completed the Boston Marathon in 2007 in her first ever long distance event and she continues to assist the Society’s fundraising efforts.
Sheri L. Pizzi serves on the Board of Directors for the Rhode Island Healthcare Association. Tamara Smith Holtslag is a regular fundraiser and participant in the Annual American Cancer Society 2-Day Relay for Life.
Edward D. Shoulkin serves on the Board of Trustees of Temple Beth Elohim, and is a member of the Temple’s Bikur Cholim committee, providing support to those faced with serious illness, injuries and issues of continuing treatment. Lauren J. Regis is a Playspace Activity Leader for Horizons for Homeless Children, which provides educational play services for homeless children in Massachusetts.
Timothy J. Groves, Matthew R. Plain and Elizabeth R. Penta are mentors to students participating in Year Up, a workforce development program empowering urban young adults to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education.
Andrew R. Weiner organized a group of attorneys from Taylor Duane to help sort food at the Greater Boston Food Bank in 2009 and plans to do so again in 2010.
Joshua B. Walls does fundraising work for Indego Africa, a non-profit organization that supports artists in Africa to generate income and build business skills.
