A tenant facing eviction reached out for legal help after his landlord removed the stove from his apartment in an effort to force him out. Through Mass Legal Answers Online, a volunteer attorney explained his rights and gave him language he could use in a letter to the landlord.
It worked. The stove was reinstalled while the tenant looked for a new place to live. His response afterward was simple: “That sure as heck was effective.”
Moments like that are at the heart of MassMutual’s pro bono program, which for nearly two decades has connected attorneys and other legal professionals with individuals who need help navigating the justice system.
MassMutual launched the program in 2007 through a partnership with the Hampden County Bar Association Legal Clinic. Over time, it has expanded through relationships with legal services and community organizations in Western Massachusetts, Boston, and Connecticut, creating a range of opportunities for employees to contribute their time and expertise.
Meeting People at Critical Moments
Some cases can change the course of a person’s life.
MassMutual began partnering with the Boston-based PAIR Project in 2016 to represent asylum seekers who fled persecution and violence in their home countries. Attorneys and staff handle cases from initial interviews and preparation of affidavits through asylum proceedings and, when successful, later applications for permanent residency.
Through the partnership, volunteers have represented 25 clients. Twelve have been granted asylum, giving them the chance to remain safely in the United States and begin building new lives here.
Closer to MassMutual’s Springfield home, the Law Division works with the Center for Social Justice at Western New England University School of Law. One initiative assists individuals seeking to seal or expunge eligible criminal records, which can continue to stand between someone and a job, housing, or a loan long after a case has ended. Legal professionals review records with clients, determine whether relief may be available, and prepare the necessary filings.
Standing With Consumers
The Law Division also supports the Center for Social Justice’s Consumer Debt Initiative, which reaches individuals at a particularly consequential point: when a debt has moved into court.
For many consumers, simply receiving a notice to appear can be intimidating. Across Massachusetts, as many as 95 percent of defendants in debt collection cases fail to appear in court, according to information cited by the initiative. Among those who do appear, only a small fraction have legal representation.
MassMutual employees join other volunteers in explaining the process and, in some cases, representing consumers at collection hearings. The initiative also operates legal kiosks around the Springfield area where residents without reliable internet access can find court information, complete forms, attend virtual meetings, and connect with free legal resources.
More Ways to Serve
The Law Division has continued to broaden the ways employees can participate. Mass Legal Answers Online gives attorneys the ability to respond remotely to civil legal questions from qualifying Massachusetts residents, reaching those whose work schedules, childcare responsibilities, or transportation challenges may make a traditional clinic difficult to access. MassMutual attorneys have answered 470 questions through the program.
Employees can also bring forward causes that matter personally to them through MassMutual’s “Self Select” program. One such effort led an employee in the company’s Investigations Unit to become involved with the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, where volunteers advocate for children who have experienced abuse or neglect as their cases move through the court system. Other employees work with middle school students through Discovering Justice, helping them understand how courts operate and preparing a mock trial before a real judge.
Supporting all of these efforts is an infrastructure designed to sustain and expand the program. MassMutual’s Pro Bono Committee includes employees from across the Law, Procurement, HR, and Operations Divisions. At the same time, the MassMutual Foundation has provided continued support to organizations that make much of this service possible. In 2026, the Foundation renewed its partnership with Western New England’s Center for Social Justice with a $1.08 million, three-year commitment.
Over nearly two decades, MassMutual’s pro bono program has taken many forms, from helping a tenant get his stove back to representing someone seeking safety in a new country. What connects those efforts is a willingness to step in at moments when knowing your rights, having an advocate, or simply understanding what comes next can make a meaningful difference.
For that commitment to using the law in service of others, the Boston Bar Association will present MassMutual with the 2026 Thurgood Marshall Award at Spirit of the Bar on September 24.
