Verrill Honors Robin Murphy with Annual Roger A. Putnam Community Service Award

October 26, 2020 Press Releases

(October 26, 2020) – Verrill announces family law attorney Robin Murphy as the 2020 Roger A. Putnam Community Service Award recipient for her charitable work and, in particular, her role as one of the originating founders and active volunteer of the SERV project in the Suffolk County’s Probate and Family Court in Massachusetts.

SERV’s core mission is to provide essential dispute resolution services to pro se litigants who could otherwise never afford them. SERV is predominantly staffed by family law attorneys who offer pro bono assistance to low income, unrepresented and often non-English speaking litigants in Suffolk County. Murphy has worked tirelessly for SERV since its founding and oversees, maintains, and personally continues to volunteer weekly. In 2013, it was due to Murphy’s work on SERV that Verrill was awarded the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s highest honor, the John Adams Pro Bobo Publico award.

"Robin is an Unsung Hero for her efforts in ensuring access to justice for all, especially for low-income families and children," said K.C. Jones, Managing Partner of Verrill. "We thank Robin for her commitment to her community, and specifically for her long service to the SERV program and the many people it has helped. I am proud to be a member of the Verrill community, in which our individual and group efforts continue to combine to make a big difference at a time that is difficult for all."

Verrill created The Roger A. Putnam Community Service Award in 2014 in honor of Verrill attorney Roger Putnam, whose more than 50 years of service to the firm have exemplified the ideals of service to the community and to the legal profession. The award is given annually to recognize a Verrill attorney or staff member who embodies the spirit of community service through volunteerism, leadership inside or outside the firm, fundraising and advocacy. Each year, a $1,000 donation is given to the charity of the honoree's choice. This year's donation will go to the SERV project.