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Nutter is pleased to announce that retired partner Bancroft “Bats” Wheeler will be honored with a 2016 Adams Pro Bono Publico Award on October 26. The Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services annually presents the Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards to honor Massachusetts lawyers, law students, small and large law firms, government attorney offices, corporate law departments, law schools or other institutions in the legal profession that demonstrate outstanding and exceptional commitment to providing volunteer legal services for the poor and disadvantaged.

Bats, a former partner in Nutter’s Trusts and Estates Department, will be recognized for his commitment to pro bono through his work with MetroWest Legal Services, particularly his work traveling around the state visiting disabled and elderly clients as part of a project dubbed “Wills on Wheels.” As a former Access to Justice Fellow, Bats volunteered his time to work with the Pro Bono Institute and elder programs, where he used his knowledge of trusts and estates to draft over 250 wills, healthcare proxies, and durable powers of attorney for over 100 MetroWest clients during his Fellowship.

The Access to Justice Fellows Program, a project of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission and the Lawyers Clearinghouse, was created to address the need for more legal assistance for the poor, and recognizes the potential for retired lawyers and judges to contribute their expertise to a variety of pro bono efforts. The 2016 Pro Bono Publico Awards, named in honor of Attorneys John Adams and John Quincy Adams, will be presented in a ceremony at the John Adams Courthouse in conjunction with the American Bar Association's recognition of National Pro Bono Week.