Eastern Mass. Honoree: Edward Moriarty, Jr., Esq.

A Cambridge native and Northeastern University graduate, Edward Moriarty, Jr., Esq., has built a distinguished career as a leading voice in Massachusetts workers' compensation law. His commitment to service makes him a valued member of our community.

Ed has volunteered with the Massachusetts Bar Foundation since 2009 as a grant reviewer on our Northeastern Mass. regional committee, directing funds to legal aid organizations in his community and expanding access to justice across the Commonwealth. In addition to his dedication to the MBF, he lends his time to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salem, the Community Preservation Committee, and the Salem Opioid Prevention Coalition.

"I am honored to be recognized for the small amount of time spent in such an important undertaking to protect and promote access to civil justice to our fellow citizens. MBF funding is critical to the Commonwealth's common good. More Attorneys need to volunteer their time and talent to this critical bar function."

We are grateful for his service and look forward to celebrating his accomplishments on October 15th.

Central Mass. Honoree: Francis Ford, Esq.

Francis Ford's roots in the Central Massachusetts legal community stretch back more than forty years, from his early days as Worcester County Clerk of Court to his tenure as president of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation.

Francis has been a crucial part of our Central Mass. regional committee since 2003, weighing applications year after year to make sure the Foundation's funding reaches the legal aid organizations that need it most.

"My time as a volunteer at Massachusetts Bar Foundation Grant Committees for more than three decades has been more rewarding for me than just about anything I have done throughout my long career as a Superior Court employee and as a practicing lawyer. To meet with and get to know the work done by our grantees and their staffs is a constant reminder of the ‘good’ in the world. Many of the recipients of MBF grants work countless hours for sometimes less than adequate remuneration but they do it to better the lives of those they serve.
We are honored to, in some small way, share in their work.
I urge you to continue your participation in the Massachusetts Bar Foundation. I assure you your rewards will be great."

Beyond that work, he has dedicated himself to his community in countless ways, including through Community Legal Aid, the United Way, and the town of Paxton, where his neighbors trusted him to moderate their town meetings for fifteen years.

It is a privilege to honor a career so fully given to others, and we can't wait to celebrate him on October 29.