Hinckley Allen is proud to announce that the firm will be honored with the 2026 Nery J. Arrano Pro Bono Award at the Women’s Bar Foundation’s annual Whoop It Up for Women comedy event, recognizing the firm’s longstanding commitment to pro bono service, advocacy, and advancing access to justice for women and families across Massachusetts.
Presented annually by the Women’s Bar Foundation (WBF), the Nery Arrano Pro Bono Award recognizes attorneys and organizations whose volunteer legal work has made a meaningful difference in the lives of low-income individuals facing significant legal challenges, including survivors of domestic violence and families navigating housing, immigration, and family law matters.
For more than three decades, WBF has played a critical role in expanding access to justice throughout Massachusetts. Through initiatives such as the Family Law Project for Battered Women, Elder Law Project, Immigration Project, and its work supporting survivors of domestic violence, WBF mobilizes volunteer attorneys across the legal community to provide compassionate and life-changing legal representation to those who otherwise could not afford it. The organization’s annual Whoop It Up for Women event has become one of the Boston legal community’s signature gatherings, blending humor, celebration, and philanthropy to raise critical funds supporting WBF’s pro bono programs and advocacy efforts.
Hinckley Allen has long supported WBF’s mission through pro bono legal services, attorney volunteerism, educational programming, and ongoing partnership with the organization’s leadership and initiatives. The firm has been part of hosting trainings, and has committed a large number of their probono hours to this mission.
The firm’s deep connection to WBF is reflected not only in leadership but also in action. Litigation Partner and Co-Chair of the White Collar & Government Enforcement Group, Michelle R. Peirce — current WBF trustee, co-chair of the Development and Stewardship Committee, and former President — exemplifies this commitment, representing low-income survivors of domestic violence in custody disputes, divorce proceedings, and protection order hearings. She has devoted over 1,000 hours to a single client across 12 years, helping restore stability and dignity to a family that would otherwise have faced the legal system alone.
Beyond her own casework, Michelle has built two pro bono initiatives at Hinckley Allen that have expanded the firm’s capacity to serve WBF clients, contributing hundreds of additional hours of representation across both programs.
The recognition also reflects Hinckley Allen’s broader and growing commitment to social impact, equity, and community partnership throughout the regions the firm serves.
In March, Hinckley Allen expanded its Social Justice Partnership Program into the Midwest, partnering with the Teen Court Foundation of St. Clair County and supporting restorative justice initiatives for first-time youth offenders.
Hinckley Allen attorneys and professionals have also continued to take on leadership roles in organizations focused on equity and community advancement. Earlier this year, Partner Tara Singh was named Co-President of the South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston, while Partner Nancy Wilsker joined the Board of Directors of YW Boston, one of the nation’s leading organizations focused on advancing racial and gender equity. Recently, Providence Partner Mitchell R. Edwards received Higher Ground International’s Village Supporter Award for his sustained service supporting Rhode Island’s immigrant and refugee communities, and Partner Andrea Gomes was nationally recognized by CREW Network for her work helping advance access to behavioral health and recovery services in Connecticut through the development of the Root Center for Advanced Recovery.
Together, these efforts reflect Hinckley Allen’s longstanding belief that legal service extends beyond the courtroom and into the communities where its attorneys live and work.
