Press Release
Duane Morris Helps Boston Nonprofit Fund New Community Environmental Projects
BOSTON, October 16, 2006 - The Boston office of international law firm Duane Morris is pleased to announce that a new fund created by a legal settlement will finance new environmental and educational programs benefiting the local Chelsea Creek and East Boston communities. The money will be dispersed to several select nonprofit applicants in the amount of $150,000 a year for five years, beginning in March.
The funds are the result of a settlement negotiated by Duane Morris partner Albert Zabin, who represented a Chelsea Creek community group in a dispute involving the proposed use of the Chelsea Creek tidelands. The community's residents were appealing a state environmental agency's approval of a lease to develop a freight forwarding facility in the area. Ultimately, the parties agreed to settle, and the litigants in the case decided that the resulting funds should be used to further environmental stewardship and leadership in the two communities that would have been adversely affected if the litigation had not been successful. The parties steered the settlement funds to the Boston Foundation to set up the grant program.
The funds will be used to support educational and recreational programs designed to develop the idea of environmental stewardship among young people in Chelsea Creek and East Boston. Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations seeking to apply for the grants may obtain more information at www.tbf.org.
Albert practices in the area of civil litigation, including business disputes, partnership and close corporation disputes, trade secrets, intellectual property, insurance and torts. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Society of Barristers and a former guest lecturer at The Gordon Institute at Tufts University. Albert has been a visiting instructor at Boston College Law School and Northeastern School of Law.
About The Boston Foundation
The Boston Foundation is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the nation, with an endowment of over $750 million. A detailed announcement of funding and Request for Proposals is provided on the foundation's Web site at www.tbf.org.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP, among the 100 largest law firms in the world, is a full-service firm of more than 600 lawyers. In addition to legal services, Duane Morris has independent affiliates employing approximately 100 professionals engaged in other disciplines. With offices in major markets, and as part of an international network of independent law firms, Duane Morris represents clients across the United States and around the world.
